Rugby League

Evan Psarras previews the Pacific Championships Final. New Zealand Kiwis vs Toa Samoa 6:05pm, Sunday 9 November | CommBank Stadium, Sydney Under 43.5 points ($1.90) The Kiwis have been the dominant nation of the Pacific Championships, but Samoa have a chance to bounce back in the game that matters – the final. Their battle in the first week of this series ended 24-18 in the Kiwis favour led by a Casey McLean double. Stacey Jones has named the same 17 that dismantled Tonga 40-14 last week with the trio of McLean, Timoko and Dylan Brown all getting on the score…

Evan Psarras previews Round 3 of the Pacific Championships. Papua New Guinea vs Fiji 6:00pm, Saturday 1 November | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby PNG were 40-28 winners over the Cook Islands last week – victors by a slightly smaller margin than Fiji’s 44-24 win over them in Week 1 of the Pacific Championships. Cowboys’ flyer Robert Derby scored a double but has been dropped for Dudley Dotoi while Rhyse Martin had an afternoon to remember with a try and five goals. In Fiji’s win over the Cook Islands, it was the Jahream Bula show as the Tigers fullback…

Evan Psarras previews Round 2 of the Pacific Championships. Papua New Guinea vs Cook Islands 6:00pm, Saturday 25 October | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby PNG -18.5 ($1.90) A slow start proved costly for the Cook Islands last week after they trailed Fiji 24-0 after only 20 minutes. The score ended 44-22 following a consolation try in the final minute but 44 points conceded is very concerning. PNG were competitive in the Prime Minister XIII match a fortnight ago and get 5 big inclusions here with Lachlan Lam, Zac Laybutt, Edwin Ipape, Rhyse Martin and tryscoring machine Alex Johnston.…

Evan Psarras previews Round 1 of the Pacific Championships. Fiji vs Cook Islands 6:00pm, Saturday 18 October | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby Fiji -16.5 ($1.90) With an increasing number of players declaring their allegiance to their native heritage, the gap between the top and bottom nations will quickly start to close in international rugby league. This match is no exception with the Fijian side boasting a host of NRL stars including the Tigers duo of Jahream Bula and Sinua Turuva. Rinakama (Bulldogs), Valemei (Cowboys), Donoghue (Dolphins) and Kamikamica (Storm) all saw plenty of game time for their respective…

Evan Psarras previews 2025 NRL Grand Final. Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos 9:30pm, Sunday 5 October | Accor Stadium, Sydney Over 40.5 points ($1.96) The Storm were relentless in a 22-14 win over the Sharks with their spine putting on a clinic. When the Broncos trailed 14-0 at half time of the second preliminary final, a repeat of last year’s Grand Final between the Storm and Panthers looked a certainty. The Broncos had other ideas with Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs leading the way in an epic comeback. They would exact revenge on the Panthers for the loss in the…

Evan Psarras previews Week 3 of the 2025 NRL Premiership Finals. Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks 9:50pm, Friday 26 September | AAMI Park, Melbourne Sharks +8.5 ($1.90) With every win, the Sharks are gaining more believers that they can go on to win the premiership. They have won their way into another preliminary final despite being installed as the outsider in both finals’ games to date. They dismantled the Raiders and have now won their last five games – all by a double digit margin. Just the one change for the Sharks with Oregon Kaufusi replacing Hazelton (concussion). Huge news…