NRL finals LIVE: Sharks open scoring against Cowboys in sudden-death finals clash

The Warriors sold 26,000 tickets for Saturday’s final against the Dolphins in around 17 minutes. Win, and they’ll shift almost twice as many for a grand final qualifier at Eden Park in a fortnight. The smart money says they’ll do it in half the time.

Thirty-one years since they were born out of rugby league’s last great rush to expand and conquer, the Warriors are better placed than ever before to assume the true powerhouse status that has seemingly always been theirs for the taking, if only they could ever get their house in order long enough to do it.

In their most recent rise, pivotal figures in the club’s history abound. From coach Andrew Webster and foundation halfback Stacey Jones to current owner Mark Robinson and retired attacking phenom Shaun Johnson.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck looms as influential as any.

Hello and welcome to a big day of NRL finals footy.

First up the third-placed Dolphins travel to Auckland to take on the second-placed Warriors. Both these sides have been overachievers in 2026, compared with pre-season predictions, with the Dolphins reaching the finals for the first time in their fourth season, while the Warriors have been in the race for the minor premiership despite several injuries to key players this year.

There should be plenty of points on offer in this one, with the Dolphins boasting arguably the most talented backline in the league and the Warriors being the highest-scoring team in the competition.

Then it’s all-or-nothing time as the fifth-placed Sharks put their season on the line against the eighth-placed Cowboys. This one is not at Cronulla’s usual home ground, Ocean Protect Stadium, but at Allianz Stadium.

Kick-off for game one is at 4.05pm, and game two starts at 7.50pm.