SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20th, 2025. GIO Stadium,Canberra.7.50pm.
High Stakes and Heavy Hits: NRL Finals Week Two Unfolds
The stage is set, and the lights are about to shine even brighter as the NRL Telstra Premiership Finals march into Week Two. The road to glory narrows, and only the toughest will survive.
On Saturday night, the capital will come alive when the Canberra Raiders lock horns with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at GIO Stadium, a battle that promises grit, fire, and desperation with a preliminary final spot on the line.
Then, on Sunday, the drama shifts to Sydney’s Accor Stadium, where the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the defending champions, the Penrith Panthers, will collide in a clash dripping with history and high stakes.
Two nights, two fierce contests, and one ultimate truth: September football spares no one.
Raiders
1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Jed Stuart 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine, 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh Bench: 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota Reserves: 18. Matt Nicholson 19. Danny Levi, 20. Trey Mooney 21. Ethan Sanders 22. Chevy Stewart.
Sharks Stand Firm, but Hazelton’s Comeback Looms
The Sharks march into their showdown with Canberra unchanged after toppling the Roosters, but there’s a flicker of hope on the horizon. Craig Fitzgibbon could yet receive a timely boost, with towering forward Tom Hazelton lurking on the extended bench and eyeing a return.
For Hazelton, 2025 has been a season of setbacks and resilience. A knee injury cruelly robbed him of a place in last week’s elimination final, limiting him to just 12 appearances all year. That blow came after months on the sideline recovering from sternoclavicular joint surgery—a brutal collarbone setback suffered back in Round 10.
Since finally making his way back in Round 22, Hazelton has been eased into action, offering punch off the bench in short bursts. If he’s unleashed against the Raiders, it will almost certainly be in that role again. Still, for the Sharks faithful, the sight of Hazelton pulling on the jersey once more would be more than just a tactical boost—it would be a story of persistence rewarded.
Sharks:
1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. KL Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Toby Rudolf, 11. Billy Burns 12. Teig Wilton 13. Jesse Colquhoun Bench: 14. Briton Nikora 15. Siosifa Talakai 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele Reserves: 18. Daniel Atkinson 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Jayden Berrell 21. Thomas Hazelton 22. Hohepa Puru
Officials
Referee: Grant Atkins, Touch Judges, Matt Noyen, David Munro ,Bunker, Chris Butler.
From Heartbreak to Redemption: Raiders Face Sharks’ Surge
The Raiders stagger into Week Two carrying the scars of a brutal war with the Broncos. They had the game in their hands—twice—only for bunker calls and a late Reece Walsh-inspired surge to drag the contest into golden point, and then beyond. By the time extra-extra time finally broke the deadlock, Canberra had lived through triumph and heartbreak in the same breath. Physically battered and emotionally drained, Ricky Stuart now faces one of his sternest coaching tests: lifting his men from the canvas to fight again.
Waiting for them are the Sharks, a side brimming with confidence after dismantling the Roosters. Fierce in contact and relentless without the ball, Cronulla forced error after error and showed a brand of football that is both punishing and polished. Their halves, Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall, are striking the perfect balance, while their outside backs feed off the momentum of a forward pack that never stops rumbling forward.
It sets the stage for the ultimate test: the battle-hardened Raiders, the season’s benchmark side, against a Sharks outfit riding a wave of belief. If Canberra can summon the resilience that has defined their year, they remain favourites. But with Cronulla circling, hungry and ruthless, this clash promises to go down to the wire.
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