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The Sydney Roosters won the NRL grand final 19-18 over the Newcastle Knights after a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal, while the NRLW grand final between the Roosters and Brisbane Broncos kicked off at 4pm AEDT at Accor Stadium.
The Sydney Roosters have won the NRL grand final, beating the Newcastle Knights 19-18 after a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal proved the difference on Sunday at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Tedesco Wins Man of the Match
James Tedesco was named man of the match. An emotional Cherry-Evans said on Channel 9: I am getting a bit emotional. I am so proud of this team. What a game.
I am speechless. It felt like we had them on the ropes but they kept coming back. Cherry-Evans also said: I am happy, I am so happy that I can share this with them. Credit to the Knights, absolute superstars.
We knew that if we stuck to our code, we knew what we could do and we are premiers now. The Roosters hung on by a single point, dominating in terms of territory. Under enormous pressure, James Tedesco sat under a giant bomb from Sandon Smith and gathered it clean despite the Knights chasers. Kalyn Ponga ran the ball, passed to Francis Manuleleua, who flicked out the back to Fletcher Sharpe.
The kick from the sideline was incredible, with no time taken off the clock. Billy Smith was penalised for a high shot deep inside the Knights half, with Ponga screaming at his teammates to get ready for one last push. There was great defence again from the Knights. James Tedesco got the ball from Cherry-Evans and passed out to Mark Nawaqanitawase, but there was no space and Greg Marzhew barged him into touch.
Late Defence Seals Roosters Victory
There was a remarkable leap and a marginal tackle in the air call. Lindsay Collins drove towards the line but was held up. The Knights went short from the kick-off and it was too short, as Dom Young gathered but the ball never went 10 metres. Luke Lewis said on ABC Sport: I feel like they are done, they have got nothing coming out of their own end at the moment.
The Roosters have got answers to everything, they are patient, their line speed is brilliant, building pressure and doing a great job of building a game, the Sydney Roosters. Dane Gagai kicked the ball dead from 40 metres out on the fifth tackle, a bad outcome for the Knights. The Roosters attacked again after Ponga lost the ball in a tackle on the right side. Nawaqanitawase gathered a kick but the Knights saved the loose ball.
Benaiah Ioelu sent the Knights pinballing out of tackles before Tedesco took over the charge. Inside the Roosters 10, there was an unforgivable error from the Newcastle half. For the first time in the second half the Knights drove forward into Roosters territory and found some energy. The Knights moved the ball right and Ponga was hit and lost the ball backwards, but Billy Smith got a touch for a repeat set in the 30.
Roosters and Broncos Make Grand Final
A lot was let go by the officials on the night. The match was the second of two grand finals at Accor Stadium, also known as Stadium Australia, in Sydney. The NRLW grand final between the undefeated Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos kicked off at 4pm AEDT. The Roosters were undefeated in 2026, winning all 11 home-and-away matches with a differential of 318 points, and beat the Canberra Raiders in the preliminary final.
It mirrored their 2025 season when they were unbeaten until losing the decider to the Broncos. Brisbane finished third with an 8-3 record, survived a three-game losing run, and won their past five matches, including the preliminary final against the Gold Coast Titans. It was the fourth NRLW grand final meeting between the two foundation clubs, with the Roosters winning by 14 points last time.
Brisbane were chasing their fifth premiership, while the Roosters wanted a perfect season after losing last year's grand final to Brisbane on a late try. Ali Brigginshaw, Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott had announced their retirements. In the men's grand final, the Roosters finished fourth and lost their opening finals match before victories over Cronulla and the Dolphins.
The Knights finished seventh, beat Souths in week one, defeated the Warriors in Auckland, then beat Penrith while down to 12 players for the second half. Newcastle were chasing their first premiership in 25 years. The Roosters were seeking victory after back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Captains Kalyn Ponga and James Tedesco posed with the NRL premiership trophy.
Stadium Australia Hosts Grand Finals
Stadium Australia has hosted every NRL grand final since 1999, except the 2021 decider at Brisbane's Lang Park during COVID-19. All NRLW grand finals have also been there since 2018, except 2021 at Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe. The NRLW has grown from four to 12 teams. The grand final was exclusive to Channel 9 and 9Now, not on Kayo or Fox Sports, the only game of the season exclusive to Channel 9.
ABC Sport radio and the ABC Sport live blog provided coverage. Viewers could watch from 9am AEST, 8.30am in South Australia, 8am in Queensland, 7.30am in the Northern Territory and 6am in Western Australia. Pre-match entertainment was in doubt after talks broke down with Tones and I. An all-star ensemble led by Amy Shark performed a tribute to recently retired player Jai Arrow, who was diagnosed with MND this year.
Shark was joined by members of The Screaming Jets, Peking Duk, Grinspoon and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, performing covers including You'll Never Walk Alone. The NRL was expected to honour Jai Arrow, the retired South Sydney Rabbitohs player who stepped down after his motor neurone disease diagnosis.
Koori Knockout Highlights Indigenous Talent
One official said: I've got to tell you it'll be the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see, because no one knows what it is, and we won't tell until the night. The Koori Knockout was also on the agenda, held on Worimi Country in Raymond Terrace in the Hunter region from Friday 2 October to Monday 5 October. It is one of the largest First Nations gatherings on the Koori calendar, expected to bring tens of thousands of people.
In the Knockout, 180 teams across men's, women's and juniors competed. It has been a pathway for emerging Indigenous rugby league talent, with NRL stars including Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Josh Addo-Carr, Jack Wighton and Greg Inglis among those who have played. NITV was the exclusive broadcaster across NITV, SBS On Demand and digital platforms.
SBSNews 
abcnews:NRL and NRLW grand final day has arrived. Here's what you need to know 
GuardianAus:NRLW grand final 2026: Sydney Roosters v Brisbane Broncos – liveThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
NRL Grand Final NRLW Grand Final Sydney Roosters Newcastle Knights Koori Knockout Stadium Australia Jai Arrow Tribute Brisbane Broncos Accor Stadium
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