Tuesday 25 September 2018 14:59, UK
Jenna Brooks has the latest from the NRL as the countdown to who will be crowned 2018 NRL Premiers continues, plus Wayne Bennett's future is decided....
The Sydney Roosters will meet the Melbourne Storm in the 2018 NRL Grand Final after they beat their cross-city rivals South Sydney 12-4 to progress to their second grand final in six years.
Tries from Daniel Tupou, Blake Ferguson and Paul Momirovski, who was playing just the second game of his career, completed the win for the Roosters.
However, it came at what is likely to be a massive cost when their star half-back Cooper Cronk injured his left shoulder during a tackle by Adam Reynolds.
However, Roosters coach Trent Robinson is confident Cronk will be fit to play.
"He'll go and get scans," Robinson said. "I know you want information straight away and after the scans we'll know more. I'd say he'd be right to play."
More on Cronk shortly, but the Tricolours do receive a boost with Latrell Mitchell and Dylan Napa back for the season-ending showpiece against the Storm.
The reigning premiers Melbourne beat Cronulla 22-6 to earn their place in Sunday's decider.
Billy Slater had a standout performance. He scored two tries and set up their third to help his team to a third straight grand final.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan praised his side's opponents and admitted Cronulla were just not good enough.
"We were outplayed in the first half. We didn't play our best and were up against a professional outfit that performed near perfection in the first half, and we weren't good enough," he said.
Melbourne will attempt to win back-to-back titles for the first time since Brisbane achieved it in 1993.
Billy Slater will get his chance for a fairy-tale finish after being cleared to play in Sunday's grand final.
The star full-back, who will retire after Sunday's blockbuster, was found not guilty of a grade-one shoulder charge at a judiciary hearing, that went for almost three hours.
Slater pleaded that his tackle on Sharks winger Sosaia Feki was a collision with first contact made with the pec, not the shoulder, and that he attempted a genuine tackle.
"I'd like to thank the judiciary members for a fair hearing," Slater said.
"It was important for me tonight to get my point across and what my intentions were in this incident.
"Now it's important for me to focus on the game. I haven't started my preparations for the game yet so that starts now."
It was one of the most talked about hearings in recent times, with the three-man panel told not to be influenced by the commentary surrounding the tackle in question, but to just look at the incident and make their decision 'completely free of emotion or sympathy.'
The decision will cause some resentment from other players and clubs, but at the end of the day, one of the games greatest gets to bow out in style.
It looks like star half-back Cronk will watch his Roosters side take on his former club Melbourne in Sunday's decider.
Cronk, who suffered 'severe' damage to his rotator cuff in the first half of last week's preliminary final victory over South Sydney, managed to finish the game, despite being visibly in pain and far from his best.
The 34-year old has promised he will do everything in his power to take part in Sunday's season-ending showpiece, and says he will give himself up to kick-off to decide.
"I could move it, the best thing is to immobilise it so I can get some recovery done, try and strengthen it up so the muscles don't get worked over too much," the Roosters playmaker said with his arm in a sling.
"I don't know what my realistic chances are, but look I'm a long shot. That's not lying.
"Pain is what it is, you make it out to be as much as you want it to be. I'll deal with it," he said.
"I'm not superhuman, but the pain I'll be able to deal with. It's just whether I can functionally move it."
Mitchell Aubusson has been named at half-back, with Cronk on the bench.
2019 will be Wayne Bennett's last coaching Brisbane after the club decided not to extend the 68-year old's contract and told the veteran coach his services would not be needed after next season, ending months of speculation.
It is understood the England head coach will see out the 2019 season with the Broncos, before moving on.
"Having the decision made now puts an end to speculation and allows a clear focus on getting ready for next season," Bennett said in a statement.
"I firmly believe in the playing group we have here at the club."
Despite Brisbane CEO Paul White declaring the club will not make any quick decisions on a replacement, Anthony Seibold, Michael Maguire and Kevin Walters have all been linked with the position.
Bennett has made it clear he wants to continue coaching and has been linked with a return to St George Illawarra - or could we see the supercoach in Super League in 2020?
Watch this space.
