Matchday Details

Sunday 5th October – 7:30pm (AEST) – Accor Stadium, Sydney
📺 Broadcast: Nine
Referee: Grant Atkins | Bunker: Ashley Klein

Broncos
1. Reece Walsh, 2. Josiah Karapani, 3. Kotoni Staggs, 4. Gehamat Shibasaki, 5. Deine Mariner, 6. Ben Hunt, 7. Adam Reynolds, 8. Corey Jensen, 9. Cory Paix, 10. Payne Haas, 11. Brendan Piakura, 12. Jordan Riki, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 14. Ezra Mam, 15. Kobe Hetherington, 16. Xavier Willison, 17. Tyson Smoothy, 18. Jesse Arthars, 19. Jack Gosiewski, 20. Ben Talty, 21. Selwyn Cobbo, 22. Jock Madden
Early Mail: Brisbane Broncos will see Patrick Carrigan return, with Cory Paix widely thought to miss out in the starting seventeen. Billy Walters is out with an ACL.

Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen, 2. Will Warbrick, 3. Jack Howarth, 4. Nick Meaney, 5. Xavier Coates, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. Stefano Utoikamanu, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Josh King, 11. Shawn Blore, 12. Eliesa Katoa, 13. Trent Loiero, 14. Tyran Wishart, 15. Ativalu Lisati, 16. Tui Kamikamica, 17. Alec MacDonald, 18. Grant Anderson, 19. Bronson Garlick, 20. Joe Chan, 21. Jonah Pezet, 22. Sualauvi Faalogo
Early Mail: Melbourne are at full strength going into the decider with no injuries and only Nelson Asofa-Solomona suspended.

Match Preview

The 2025 NRL season comes to a close this Sunday when the Broncos face the Storm, almost 20 years since their last Grand Final meeting. With history, rivalry, and storylines everywhere you look, this shapes as a thrilling conclusion to the year.

For Melbourne, questions over their consistency have been a constant theme, yet once again, they’ve found their way back to the big stage. Last week, they overcame a brave Sharks outfit: the scoreboard was tight, but the result was always under their control. Brisbane’s journey has been different. At times outside the eight and dismissed as no chance, they surged late to lock up a top-four berth and overcame the odds by knocking off the reigning champions, the Panthers, for a shot at the title.

There are no changes for Craig Bellamy’s Storm, with the same 1-17 that played last week named. One milestone of note is that this game features as Trent Loeiro’s 100th. Meanwhile, the Broncos made one change: the inclusion of Pat Carrigan, which pushes Tyson Smoothy to the interchange. Selwyn Cobbo is again named amongst the reserves but is unlikely to find a spot in the side.

The theatre of sport often lies beyond the action itself, and this clash is steeped in it. The last time these two clubs met in a decider, the NRL looked very different. Brisbane, led by Wayne Bennett, were still one of the competition’s dominant forces. Their opponents, less than a decade old and coached by Bennett’s former assistant Bellamy, were still finding their place. The Broncos lifted the trophy that night in 2006 for what remains their most recent premiership. The Storm’s dynasty followed soon after. Now, two decades later, the question lingers: can Brisbane reassert themselves as a powerhouse, or does Bellamy — nearing the twilight of his career — erase the sting of that 2006 defeat and complete the circle?

There’s more personal history for Brisbane. In 2015, they lost a Grand Final in the cruelest way imaginable. The Cowboys levelled the scores after the siren, Johnathan Thurston missed the conversion, then sealed it in Golden Point after Ben Hunt’s famous knock on. That moment haunted the club and Hunt himself. A decade later, with Hunt redeeming himself through key plays this finals series, a premiership would be the ultimate resolution to that pain.

So, who wins, and how? For Melbourne, it’s simple: if their spine is in rhythm, they are almost impossible to contain. Jahrome Hughes silenced doubts over his forearm injury with a try last week, though Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan will test him early. The real difference-maker remains Harry Grant — the smartest and best hooker in the game — who will control tempo, pick apart gaps, and keep the Storm rolling forward. In an arm-wrestle, their structure is built to prevail.

For Brisbane, the path is risk and flair. Reece Walsh is the most explosive player in the competition, and the Broncos must give him license to create. His off-the-cuff play set up last week’s game-winning try, and while it doesn’t always look textbook, the results speak for themselves. The danger is slipping into conservatism under the weight of the occasion. With Carrigan shoring up the middle and Haas demanding multiple tacklers, Brisbane’s platform is set. If their stars take the chances, they can break Melbourne open.

Prediction

RLZ Tip: Storm by 10.

See our full NRL Grand Final Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL: Grand Final Writer Predictions

Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll.

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