NRL Finals Tips, Previews & Predictions
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What you need to know about NRL Finals
The NRL Finals Series is contested by the top eight teams on the NRL ladder at the end of the regular season. The finals are played across four weeks, culminating in the NRL Grand Final.
NRL Finals Explained
NRL Finals Format
- Week 1 – Qualifying and Elimination Finals: 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd play Qualifying Finals, while 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th play Elimination Finals.
- Week 2 – Semi Finals: The Qualifying Final losers face the Elimination Final winners in sudden-death matches.
- Week 3 – Preliminary Finals: The Qualifying Final winners return to face the Semi Final winners for a place in the Grand Final.
- Week 4 – NRL Grand Final: The two Preliminary Final winners compete for the NRL Premiership.
Do NRL Teams Get a Second Chance in the Finals?
Teams finishing inside the top four receive a second chance if they lose their Qualifying Final in Week 1, while the winners advance directly to the Preliminary Finals and earn a week off.
Teams finishing 5th to 8th face elimination from their first finals match. From Week 2 onwards, every NRL Finals game is sudden death, meaning the winner advances and the loser is eliminated.