The 2021 NRL season was the 114th of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League.
Regular season [ edit ] All times are in AEDT (UTC+11:00 ) up until the 4th of April and AEST (UTC+10:00 ) from then on.
Round 1 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Melbourne Storm 26 – 18 South Sydney Rabbitohs Thursday, 11 March, 8:05 pm AAMI Park Grant Atkins 11,812 Newcastle Knights 32 – 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Friday, 12 March, 6:00 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Ben Cummins 19,555 Brisbane Broncos 16 – 24 Parramatta Eels Friday, 12 March, 8:05 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 28,313 New Zealand Warriors 19 – 6 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 13 March, 3:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Ashley Klein 3,711 Sydney Roosters 46 – 4 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Saturday, 13 March, 5:30 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Chris Sutton 15,097 Penrith Panthers 24 – 0 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 13 March, 7:35 pm Panthers Stadium Matt Cecchin 14,077 Canberra Raiders 30 – 12 Wests Tigers Sunday, 14 March, 4:05 pm GIO Stadium Gerard Sutton 15,680 St. George Illawarra Dragons 18 – 32 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Sunday, 14 March, 6:15 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Peter Gough 7,636 Source:[1]
Cronulla won their first Round 1 game since 2013. The Roosters winning margin is the biggest win in a Round 1 game since 2002. Round 2 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Parramatta Eels 16 – 12 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 18 March, 8:05 pm Bankwest Stadium Ashley Klein 10,416 New Zealand Warriors 16 – 20 Newcastle Knights Friday, 19 March, 6:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Grant Atkins 4,551 Gold Coast Titans 28 – 16 Brisbane Broncos Friday, 19 March, 8:05 pm Cbus Super Stadium Matt Cecchin 17,822 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 0 – 28 Penrith Panthers Saturday, 20 March, 3:00 pm Bankwest Stadium Peter Gough 5,062 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 12 – 26 South Sydney Rabbitohs Saturday, 20 March, 5:30 pm Lottoland Gerard Sutton 3,218 North Queensland Cowboys 18 – 25 St. George Illawarra Dragons Saturday, 20 March, 7:35 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Ben Cummins 15,120 Wests Tigers 6 – 40 Sydney Roosters Sunday, 21 March, 4:05 pm Campbelltown Stadium Adam Gee 6,107 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10 – 12 Canberra Raiders Sunday, 21 March, 6:15 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Chris Sutton 3,145 Source:[2]
Penrith became the first NRL side ever to hold teams to 0 points in the first 2 rounds in a season.[3] Heavy rain and flooding impacted attendances at games held in Sydney and Gosford. Round 3 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Penrith Panthers 12 – 10 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 25 March, 8:05 pm BlueBet Stadium Grant Atkins 14,077 St. George Illawarra Dragons 38 – 12 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Friday, 26 March, 6:00 pm WIN Stadium Chris Sutton 9,253 South Sydney Rabbitohs 26 – 16 Sydney Roosters Friday, 26 March, 8:05 pm Stadium Australia Ashley Klein 22,838 Canberra Raiders 31 – 34 New Zealand Warriors Saturday, 27 March, 3:00 pm GIO Stadium Henry Perenara 13,456 Brisbane Broncos 24 – 0 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Saturday, 27 March, 5:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 22,509 Parramatta Eels 28 – 4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Saturday, 27 March, 7:35 pm Bankwest Stadium Adam Gee 19,236 Newcastle Knights 20 – 24 Wests Tigers Sunday, 28 March, 4:05 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Gerard Sutton 20,239 North Queensland Cowboys 8 – 44 Gold Coast Titans Sunday, 28 March, 6:15 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Peter Gough 12,627 Source:[4]
The Brisbane Broncos ended their 13-game losing streak in their win against Canterbury. The Gold Coast Titans recorded their largest ever score. In the same game, North Queensland suffered their biggest home defeat since Round 14, 2007 . New Zealand recorded their biggest ever comeback after trailing Canberra 31–10 at the 48 minute mark.[5] Round 4 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 6 – 46 Penrith Panthers Thursday, 1 April, 8:05 pm Lottoland Matt Cecchin 6,017 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 0 – 38 South Sydney Rabbitohs Friday, 2 April, 4:05 pm Stadium Australia Grant Atkins 23,340 Melbourne Storm 40 – 6 Brisbane Broncos Friday, 2 April, 8:05 pm AAMI Park Gerard Sutton 14,135 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 48 – 10 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 3 April, 5:15 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Chris Sutton 5,119 Gold Coast Titans 4 – 20 Canberra Raiders Saturday, 3 April, 7:45 pm Adam Gee 5,117 Newcastle Knights 13 – 22 St. George Illawarra Dragons Sunday, 4 April, 4:05 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Peter Gough 21,770 Sydney Roosters 32 – 12 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 4 April, 6:15 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Ben Cummins 12,210 Wests Tigers 22 – 36 Parramatta Eels Monday, 5 April, 4:00 pm Stadium Australia Ashley Klein 29,056 Source:[6]
Penrith tied the NRL record for the longest away winning streak. Manly suffered their biggest ever loss at Brookvale Oval, surpassing a 39–0 loss to St George in Round 6, 1963. Canterbury became just the second side in NRL history (alongside Cronulla in 2014) to fail to score a point in three consecutive matches. They also lost their first four games to start the season for the first time since 1971 .[7] The Cronulla vs North Queensland and Gold Coast vs Canberra games were both moved to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium from the Sunshine Coast Stadium and Cbus Super Stadium respectively, due to COVID concerns in South East Queensland.[8] In addition, the starting times of both games were altered. Cronulla's 48 Points against the Cowboys was their most of all time against the Cowboys. Round 5 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance South Sydney Rabbitohs 35 – 6 Brisbane Broncos Thursday, 8 April, 7:50 pm Stadium Australia Ben Cummins 9,142 New Zealand Warriors 12 – 13 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Friday, 9 April, 6:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Chris Butler 4,982 Penrith Panthers 30 – 10 Canberra Raiders Friday, 9 April, 7:55 pm BlueBet Stadium Gerard Sutton 20,890 Gold Coast Titans 42 – 16 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 10 April, 3:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Ashley Klein 12,492 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 – 52 Melbourne Storm Saturday, 10 April, 5:30 pm Stadium Australia Chris Sutton 5,104 Sydney Roosters 26 – 18 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Saturday, 10 April, 7:35 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Adam Gee 10,739 Wests Tigers 30 – 34 North Queensland Cowboys Sunday, 11 April, 4:05 pm Leichhardt Oval Matt Cecchin 9,433 Parramatta Eels 12 – 26 St. George Illawarra Dragons Sunday, 11 April, 6:15 pm Bankwest Stadium Grant Atkins 24,384 Source:[9]
A moments silence was held prior to all matches in this round as a tribute to Tommy Raudonikis , who died a day before the first game of the round. South Sydney's 143 points scored in the first 5 rounds is their most all-time. Penrith's 5 wins from 5 is the best start to a season in club history. Penrith became the first team in NRL history to win 20 straight regular season games. Canterbury recorded their worst start to a season since 1964 . John Morris coached his last game for the Cronulla Sharks after not being offered an extended contract.[10] Round 6 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Brisbane Broncos 12 – 20 Penrith Panthers Thursday, 15 April, 7:50 pm Suncorp Stadium Grant Atkins 21,224 Newcastle Knights 26 – 22 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Friday, 16 April, 6:00 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Matt Cecchin 17,039 Melbourne Storm 20 – 4 Sydney Roosters Friday, 16 April, 7:55 pm AAMI Park Adam Gee 15,087 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 36 – 0 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 17 April, 3:00 pm Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium Chris Butler 6,380 South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 – 14 Wests Tigers Saturday, 17 April, 5:30 pm Stadium Australia Gerard Sutton 16,134 Canberra Raiders 10 – 35 Parramatta Eels Saturday, 17 April, 7:35 pm GIO Stadium Ben Cummins 20,089 St. George Illawarra Dragons 14 – 20 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 18 April, 2:00 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Chris Sutton 11,222 North Queensland Cowboys 30–18 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 18 April, 4:05 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Ashley Klein 11,965 Source:[11]
Penrith became the first team to win 21 straight regular season games. Penrith won 11 straight away games, the most in NRL history. Jack Hetherington of Canterbury was sent off at the 55th minute mark in the Bulldogs game against North Queensland. The Eels won in Canberra for the first time since 2006. Round 7 (ANZAC Round) [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Penrith Panthers 24 – 6 Newcastle Knights Thursday, 22 April, 7:50 pm BlueBet Stadium Gerard Sutton 16,110 Gold Coast Titans 30 – 40 South Sydney Rabbitohs Friday, 23 April, 6:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Chris Sutton 17,383 Parramatta Eels 46 – 6 Brisbane Broncos Friday, 23 April, 7:55 pm TIO Stadium Grant Atkins 12,056 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 12 – 18 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Saturday, 24 April, 5:30 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Chris Butler 7,420 North Queensland Cowboys 26 – 24 Canberra Raiders Saturday, 24 April, 7:35 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Peter Gough 13,791 Wests Tigers 6 – 40 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Sunday, 25 April, 1:45 pm Bankwest Stadium Adam Gee 14,095 Sydney Roosters 34 – 10 St. George Illawarra Dragons Sunday, 25 April, 4:05 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Ashley Klein 37,620 Melbourne Storm 42 – 20 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 25 April, 6:15 pm AAMI Park Matt Cecchin 20,320 Source:[12]
The crowd of 12,056 for the Parramatta vs Brisbane match at TIO Stadium is the highest club rugby league match attendance in Darwin's history.[13] Canterbury became the first team to use the 18th man since it was introduced several weeks earlier, after having two players ruled out with concussion during their game against Cronulla.[14] The crowd of 37,620 is the highest crowd for an NRL game during the pandemic and the highest since the 2019 NRL Grand Final . Penrith became the first team to win 22 straight regular season games. Round 8 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Canberra Raiders 20 – 34 South Sydney Rabbitohs Thursday, 29 April, 7:50 pm GIO Stadium Ben Cummins 14,260 Melbourne Storm 40 – 14 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Friday, 30 April, 6:00 pm AAMI Park Gerard Sutton 10,069 Brisbane Broncos 36 – 28 Gold Coast Titans Friday, 30 April, 7:55 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 21,322 Penrith Panthers 28 – 16 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Saturday, 1 May, 3:00 pm Carrington Park Ashley Klein 5,798 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 10 – 32 Parramatta Eels Saturday, 1 May, 5:30 pm Stadium Australia Peter Gough 13,273 Newcastle Knights 4 – 38 Sydney Roosters Saturday, 1 May, 7:35 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Matt Cecchin 22,172 New Zealand Warriors 24 – 20 North Queensland Cowboys Sunday, 2 May, 2:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Chris Butler 3,692 St. George Illawarra Dragons 8 – 16 Wests Tigers Sunday, 2 May, 4:05 pm WIN Stadium Chris Sutton 12,323 Source:[15]
Brisbane recorded their biggest ever comeback after being down 22–0 during the 1st half of their game against the Gold Coast Titans. Penrith became the 4th ever NRL team since the NRL era (1998) to be undefeated after the first 8 games in the season. Round 9 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance South Sydney Rabbitohs 0 – 50 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 6 May, 7:50 pm Stadium Australia Grant Atkins 7,501 Penrith Panthers 48 – 0 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Friday, 7 May, 6:00 pm BlueBet Stadium Chris Butler 16,110 Parramatta Eels 31 – 18 Sydney Roosters Friday, 7 May, 7:55 pm Bankwest Stadium Matt Cecchin 25,118 Canberra Raiders 16 – 24 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 8 May, 3:00 pm McDonalds Park Adam Gee 6,642 Wests Tigers 28 – 36 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 8 May, 5:30 pm Campbelltown Stadium Ashley Klein 8,411 North Queensland Cowboys 19 – 18 Brisbane Broncos Saturday, 8 May, 7:35 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Chris Sutton 22,222 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 38 – 32 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 9 May, 2:00 pm Lottoland Peter Gough 6,726 St. George Illawarra Dragons 32 – 12 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 9 May, 4:05 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Ben Cummins 7,253 Source:[16]
South Sydney recorded their worst loss since Round 16, 2006. Round 10 (Magic Round) [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Wests Tigers 36 – 18 Newcastle Knights Friday, 14 May, 6:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Grant Atkins 31,532 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 50 – 6 Brisbane Broncos Friday, 14 May, 8:05 pm Gerard Sutton 41,367 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 – 20 Canberra Raiders Saturday, 15 May, 3:00 pm Chris Butler 30,214 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 22 – 32 South Sydney Rabbitohs Saturday, 15 May, 5:30 pm Chris Sutton 42,821 Sydney Roosters 30 – 16 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 15 May, 7:45 pm Ben Cummins 45,115 New Zealand Warriors 18 – 34 Parramatta Eels Sunday, 16 May, 1:50 pm Ashley Klein 33,175 Melbourne Storm 44 – 18 St. George Illawarra Dragons Sunday, 16 May, 4:05 pm Peter Gough 41,983 Gold Coast Titans 12 – 48 Penrith Panthers Sunday, 16 May, 6:25 pm Adam Gee 43,537 Source:[17]
Round 11 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance North Queensland Cowboys 36 – 20 Newcastle Knights Thursday, 20 May, 7:50 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Ashley Klein 11,208 New Zealand Warriors 30 – 26 Wests Tigers Friday, 21 May, 6:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Matt Noyen 7,009 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 13 – 12 St. George Illawarra Dragons Friday, 21 May, 7:55 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Ben Cummins 8,947 Gold Coast Titans 30 – 20 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Saturday, 22 May, 3:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Matt Cecchin 11,315 Sydney Roosters 16 – 34 Brisbane Broncos Saturday, 22 May, 5:30 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Peter Gough 13,186 Canberra Raiders 10 – 34 Melbourne Storm Saturday, 22 May, 7:35 pm GIO Stadium Gerard Sutton 14,120 South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 – 56 Penrith Panthers Sunday, 23 May, 2:00 pm Apex Oval Grant Atkins 10,824 Parramatta Eels 6 – 28 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Sunday, 23 May, 4:05 pm Bankwest Stadium Adam Gee 24,411 Source:[18]
Brisbane won their first game outside of Queensland since Round 16, 2019, ending a 13-game losing streak. Penrith became just the 4th side in NSWRL/ARL/NRL history to start a season with 11 wins and no losses. They were also the first side to accomplish this feat since Manly-Warringah in 1995 . Round 12 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Brisbane Broncos 12 – 40 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 27 May, 7:50 pm Suncorp Stadium Ashley Klein 23,600 North Queensland Cowboys 29 – 28 New Zealand Warriors Friday, 28 May, 6:00 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Matt Cecchin 14,951 Wests Tigers 34 – 18 St. George Illawarra Dragons Friday, 28 May, 7:55 pm Bankwest Stadium Adam Gee 9,982 Penrith Panthers 30 – 4 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Saturday, 29 May, 3:00 pm BlueBet Stadium Matt Noyen 16,110 South Sydney Rabbitohs 38 – 20 Parramatta Eels Saturday, 29 May, 5:30 pm Stadium Australia Gerard Sutton 20,743 Sydney Roosters 44 – 16 Canberra Raiders Saturday, 29 May, 7:35 pm Central Coast Stadium Grant Atkins 10,113 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 38 – 10 Gold Coast Titans Sunday, 30 May, 2:00 pm C.ex Coffs International Stadium Chris Sutton 7,362 Newcastle Knights 18 – 10 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Sunday, 30 May, 4:05 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Ben Cummins 17,348 Source:[19]
Round 13 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance St George Illawarra Dragons 52 – 24 Brisbane Broncos Thursday, 3 June, 7:50 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Matt Cecchin 5,107 Wests Tigers 26 – 6 Penrith Panthers Friday, 4 June, 7:55 pm Leichhardt Oval Grant Atkins 9,127 Melbourne Storm 20 – 14 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 5 June, 7:35 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Chris Butler 7,630 Newcastle Knights 4 – 40 Parramatta Eels Sunday, 6 June, 4:05 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Adam Gee 23,015 Bye: Canberra Raiders , Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs , Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks , Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles , New Zealand Warriors , North Queensland Cowboys , South Sydney Rabbitohs , & Sydney Roosters . Source:[20]
Round 14 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 50–18 North Queensland Cowboys Friday, 11 June, 6:00 pm 4 Pines Park Adam Gee 6,801 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 19–18 Penrith Panthers Friday, 11 June, 7:55 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Ashley Klein 5,217 Gold Coast Titans 34–35 Sydney Roosters Saturday, 12 June, 3:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Ben Cummins 15,111 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24–10 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 12 June, 5:30 pm Stadium Australia Chris Butler 12,156 Canberra Raiders 38–16 Brisbane Broncos Saturday, 12 June, 7:35 pm GIO Stadium Chris Sutton 9,608 New Zealand Warriors 16–42 Melbourne Storm Sunday, 13 June, 2:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Matt Cecchin 8,105 Parramatta Eels 40–12 Wests Tigers Sunday, 13 June, 4:05 pm Bankwest Stadium Grant Atkins 23,417 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 28-6 St George Illawarra Dragons Monday, 14 June, 4:05 pm Stadium Australia Gerard Sutton 17,382 Source:[21]
Penrith's loss to the Sharks marked their first back to back losses since August 23, 2019. Round 15 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Brisbane Broncos 0 – 46 South Sydney Rabbitohs Thursday, 17 June, 7:50 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 19,713 North Queensland Cowboys 24 – 26 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Friday, 18 June, 6:00 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Peter Gough 13,926 Penrith Panthers 38 – 12 Sydney Roosters Friday, 18 June, 7:55 pm BlueBet Stadium Ashley Klein 14,406 Newcastle Knights 10 – 6 New Zealand Warriors Saturday, 19 June, 3:00 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Chris Butler 9,975 St George Illawarra Dragons 22 – 20 Canberra Raiders Saturday, 19 June, 5:30 pm WIN Stadium Chris Sutton 9,239 Melbourne Storm 66 – 16 Wests Tigers Saturday, 19 June, 7:35 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Gerard Sutton 5,328 Parramatta Eels 36 – 10 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 20 June, 2:00 pm Bankwest Stadium Matt Cecchin 17,276 Gold Coast Titans 24 – 56 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Sunday, 20 June, 4:05 pm Cbus Super Stadium Grant Atkins 14,408 Source:[22]
The Melbourne vs Wests Tigers game was moved from AAMI Park to the Sunshine Coast Stadium due to uncertainty regarding the aftermath of the lockdown in Victoria .[23] Round 16 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Sydney Roosters 0 – 46 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 1 July, 7:50 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Adam Gee 4,289 New Zealand Warriors 18 – 19 St George Illawarra Dragons Friday, 2 July, 6:00 pm Central Coast Stadium Peter Gough 0 Penrith Panthers 13 – 12 Parramatta Eels Friday, 2 July, 7:55 pm BlueBet Stadium Ashley Klein 0 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 0 – 66 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Saturday, 3 July, 3:00 pm Bankwest Stadium Gerard Sutton 0 Canberra Raiders 6 – 44 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 3 July, 5:30 pm GIO Stadium Matt Cecchin 7,646 Newcastle Knights 38 – 0 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 3 July, 7:35 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Chris Sutton 7,610 Brisbane Broncos 26 – 18 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Sunday, 4 July, 2:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 13,840 Wests Tigers 22 – 38 South Sydney Rabbitohs Sunday, 4 July, 4:05 pm Leichhardt Oval Grant Atkins 0 Source:[24]
Manly's win against Canterbury was their biggest ever.[25] All games in Sydney and the Central Coast were played in front of empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Greater Sydney , the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong regions. In addition, the Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm game was moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground to McDonald Jones Stadium.[26] Round 17 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 16 – 30 Canberra Raiders Thursday, 8 July, 7:50 pm 4 Pines Park Adam Gee 0 South Sydney Rabbitohs 46 – 18 North Queensland Cowboys Friday, 9 July, 7:55 pm McDonald Jones Stadium Matt Cecchin 3,127 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16 – 22 Sydney Roosters Saturday, 10 July, 7:35 pm Bankwest Stadium Adam Gee 0 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 – 12 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 11 June, 4:05 pm Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Chris Sutton 0 Bye: Brisbane Broncos , Gold Coast Titans , Melbourne Storm , Newcastle Knights , Parramatta Eels , Penrith Panthers , St George Illawarra Dragons & Wests Tigers . Source:[27]
Round 18 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Gold Coast Titans 8 – 26 Parramatta Eels Friday, 16 July, 6:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Matt Cecchin 15,038 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 32 – 18 St George Illawarra Dragons Friday, 16 July, 8:05 pm Adam Gee North Queensland Cowboys 18 – 34 Sydney Roosters Saturday, 17 July, 3:00 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Ashley Klein 15,933 Canberra Raiders 34 – 18 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Saturday, 17 July, 5:30 pm Cbus Super Stadium Grant Atkins 3,874 Melbourne Storm 48 – 4 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 17 July, 7:35 pm Chris Sutton New Zealand Warriors 16 – 30 Penrith Panthers Sunday, 18 July, 1:55 pm Suncorp Stadium Chris Butler 24,894 Brisbane Broncos 24 – 42 Wests Tigers Sunday, 18 July, 4:05 pm Gerard Sutton South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 – 24 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 18 July, 6:15 pm Cbus Super Stadium Ben Cummins 2,979 Source:[28]
From round 18, all nine Sydney-based clubs, plus the Canberra Raiders, Newcastle Knights and New Zealand Warriors were based in Queensland due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Greater Sydney , with the Melbourne Storm also basing themselves on the Sunshine Coast due to a COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne linked to the Sydney cluster. Round 19 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Parramatta Eels 10 – 12 Canberra Raiders Thursday, 22 July, 7:50 pm Cbus Super Stadium Adam Gee 2,566 Sydney Roosters 28 – 8 Newcastle Knights Friday, 23 July, 6:00 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Gerard Sutton 2,868 North Queensland Cowboys 16 – 20 Melbourne Storm Friday, 23 July, 7:55 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Matt Cecchin 14,924 South Sydney Rabbitohs 60 – 22 New Zealand Warriors Saturday, 24 July, 3:00 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Chris Butler 7,569 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 44 – 24 Wests Tigers Saturday, 24 July, 5:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Ashley Klein 5,761 Penrith Panthers 18 – 12 Brisbane Broncos Saturday, 24 July, 7:35 pm Ben Cummins 8,019 St George Illawarra Dragons 10 – 32 Gold Coast Titans Sunday, 25 July, 1:50 pm Cbus Super Stadium Grant Atkins 4,424 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 – 44 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Sunday, 25 July, 4:05 pm Chris Sutton Source:[29]
Both teams were scoreless for the first half in the Eels vs Raiders game. This was the first occurrence of this in an NRL game in two years, with the previous being the Knights vs Sharks game in Round 1, 2019.[30] In the Cowboys vs Storm game, Kyle Feldt and Josh Addo-Carr both scored their 100th tries in their NRL careers for their respective teams, occurring in the 51st and 71st minutes, respectively.[31] Round 20 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Sydney Roosters 28 – 0 Parramatta Eels Thursday, 29 July, 7:50 pm BB Print Stadium Grant Atkins 4,926 Wests Tigers 16 – 18 New Zealand Warriors Friday, 30 July, 6:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 12,443 Brisbane Broncos 37 – 18 North Queensland Cowboys Friday, 30 July, 8:05 pm Chris Sutton 29,136 Newcastle Knights 34 – 24 Canberra Raiders Sunday, 1 August, 1:50 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 0 Melbourne Storm 37 – 10 Penrith Panthers Sunday, 1 August, 4:05 pm Ashley Klein St George Illawarra Dragons 14 – 50 South Sydney Rabbitohs Sunday, 1 August, 6:25 pm Chris Butler Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6 – 34 Gold Coast Titans Monday, 2 August, 6:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Matt Cecchin 0 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 22 – 40 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Monday, 2 August, 8:05 pm Gerard Sutton Source:[32]
BB Print Stadium in Mackay hosted their third ever NRL game, and their first in 8 years, since their last in 2013.[33] Browne Park in Rockhampton and Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe were originally scheduled to host their first ever NRL games for premiership points.[34] [35] However, following a lockdown announced on 31 July in South East Queensland due to a COVID-19 outbreak , these games, along with the Bulldogs vs Titans game, were moved to Suncorp Stadium. They were played in front of an empty stadium, with 31 July games moved to 1 August, and 1 August games moved to 2 August.[36] Round 21 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Newcastle Knights 28 – 20 Brisbane Broncos Thursday, 5 August, 7:50 pm Suncorp Stadium Grant Atkins 0 Canberra Raiders 20 – 12 St George Illawarra Dragons Friday, 6 August, 6:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Chris Sutton 0 Parramatta Eels 12 – 40 South Sydney Rabbitohs Friday, 6 August, 8:05 pm Ashley Klein New Zealand Warriors 18 – 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Saturday, 7 August, 3:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Matt Cecchin 0 Sydney Roosters 14 – 20 Penrith Panthers Saturday, 7 August, 5:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Gerard Sutton 0 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 – 28 Melbourne Storm Saturday, 7 August, 7:35 pm Adam Gee Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16 – 28 Wests Tigers Sunday, 8 August, 1:50 pm Cbus Super Stadium Chris Butler 0 Gold Coast Titans 36 – 14 North Queensland Cowboys Sunday, 8 August, 4:05 pm Ben Cummins Source:[37]
Round 22 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Melbourne Storm 26 – 16 Canberra Raiders Thursday, 12 August, 7:50 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Gerard Sutton 2,523 St George Illawarra Dragons 16 – 34 Penrith Panthers Friday, 13 August, 6:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 6,653 Brisbane Broncos 20 – 21 Sydney Roosters Friday, 13 August, 8:05 pm Suncorp Stadium Ashley Klein 14,314 South Sydney Rabbitohs 36 – 6 Gold Coast Titans Saturday, 14 August, 3:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Adam Gee 4,117 North Queensland Cowboys 16 – 24 Wests Tigers Saturday, 14 August, 5:30 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Chris Sutton 12,663 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 56 – 10 Parramatta Eels Saturday, 14 August, 7:35 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Grant Atkins 3,613 New Zealand Warriors 24 – 10 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 15 August, 1:50 pm Moreton Daily Stadium Peter Gough 3,332 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 14 – 16 Newcastle Knights Sunday, 15 August, 4:00 pm Moreton Daily Stadium Matt Cecchin 3,954 Source:[40]
Moreton Daily Stadium hosted their first ever NRL games for premiership points. It was previously scheduled to host a match in Round 20, however this was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in South East Queensland earlier in the month. In the Storm vs Raiders game, the Storm reached a new club record for the highest number of points in a single season.[41] South Sydney won 10 matches in a row for the first time since 1989 .[42] In the Sea Eagles vs Eels game, Reuben Garrick surpassed the Sea Eagles' individual player points record for a single season, previously held by Matthew Ridge at 257 points.[43] Round 23 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Gold Coast Titans 20 – 34 Melbourne Storm Thursday, 19 August, 7:50 pm Cbus Super Stadium Ben Cummins 8,288 Canberra Raiders 18 – 19 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Friday, 20 August, 6:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 6,181 Penrith Panthers 25 – 12 South Sydney Rabbitohs Friday, 20 August, 8:05 pm Grant Atkins 8,848 Wests Tigers 20 – 50 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Saturday, 21 August, 3:00 pm Browne Park Gerard Sutton 2,863 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16 – 22 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 21 August, 5:30 pm Cbus Super Stadium Peter Gough 2,343 Parramatta Eels 32 – 16 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 21 August, 7:35 pm Ashley Klein 3,013 St George Illawarra Dragons 22 – 40 Sydney Roosters Sunday, 22 August, 2:00 pm Clive Berghofer Stadium Chris Sutton 7,822 Brisbane Broncos 24 – 22 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 22 August, 4:05 pm Suncorp Stadium Matt Cecchin 18,252 Source:[44]
Browne Park hosted their first ever NRL game for premiership points. It was previously scheduled to host a match in Round 20, however this was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in South East Queensland earlier in the month.[45] The Storm tied the record for the most consecutive match wins in a single season, equalling the Eastern Suburbs Roosters record of 19 in 1975 .[46] Round 24 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Newcastle Knights 15 – 14 Gold Coast Titans Thursday, 26 August, 7:50 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Grant Atkins 2,107 New Zealand Warriors 16 – 28 Canberra Raiders Friday, 27 August, 6:00 pm BB Print Stadium Ben Cummins 4,079 Sydney Roosters 12 – 54 South Sydney Rabbitohs Friday, 27 August, 7:55 pm Suncorp Stadium Ashley Klein 5,136 St George Illawarra Dragons 26 – 38 North Queensland Cowboys Saturday, 28 August, 3:00 pm Browne Park Peter Gough 4,487 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 – 16 Brisbane Broncos Saturday, 28 August, 5:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 8,618 Melbourne Storm 10 – 22 Parramatta Eels Saturday, 28 August, 7:35 pm Gerard Sutton 10,246 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 36 – 18 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 29 August, 1:50 pm Moreton Daily Stadium Chris Sutton 4,910 Penrith Panthers 30 – 16 Wests Tigers Sunday, 29 August, 4:05 pm Matt Cecchin 5,351 Source:[47]
Round 25 [ edit ] Home Score Away Match information Date and time Venue Referees Attendance Canberra Raiders 16 – 40 Sydney Roosters Thursday, 2 September, 7:50 pm BB Print Stadium Gerard Sutton 3,473 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16 – 28 Melbourne Storm Friday, 3 September, 6:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Grant Atkins 8,580 Parramatta Eels 6 – 40 Penrith Panthers Friday, 3 September, 8:05 pm Adam Gee Brisbane Broncos 35 – 22 Newcastle Knights Saturday, 4 September, 3:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski 20,747 North Queensland Cowboys 18 – 46 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Saturday, 4 September, 5:30 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Ben Cummins 14,336 South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 – 16 St George Illawarra Dragons Saturday, 4 September, 7:35 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Matt Cecchin 3,295 Gold Coast Titans 44 – 0 New Zealand Warriors Sunday, 5 September, 2:00 pm Cbus Super Stadium Ashley Klein 12,532 Wests Tigers 0 – 38 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday, 5 September, 4:05 pm Moreton Daily Stadium Chris Sutton 3,104 Source:[48]
Finals series [ edit ] Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time (Local) Venue Referees Crowd QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS Melbourne Storm 40 – 12 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 10 September 2021, 7:50 pm Sunshine Coast Stadium Grant Atkins 9,120 Sydney Roosters 25 – 24 Gold Coast Titans 11 September 2021, 5:40 pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium Adam Gee 15,237 Penrith Panthers 10 – 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs 11 September 2021, 7:50 pm Gerard Sutton 18,244 Parramatta Eels 28 – 20 Newcastle Knights 12 September 2021, 4:05 pm Browne Park Ashley Klein 5,087 SEMI FINALS Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 42 – 6 Sydney Roosters 17 September 2021, 7:50 pm BB Print Stadium Gerard Sutton 5,824 Penrith Panthers 8 – 6 Parramatta Eels 18 September 2021, 7:50 pm BB Print Stadium Ashley Klein 6,011 PRELIMINARY FINALS South Sydney Rabbitohs 36 – 16 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24 September 2021, 8:05 pm Suncorp Stadium Ashley Klein 26,249 Melbourne Storm 6 – 10 Penrith Panthers 25 September 2021, 4:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Gerard Sutton 29,011 GRAND FINAL Penrith Panthers 14 – 12 South Sydney Rabbitohs Sunday, 3 October 6:30pm (AEST), 7:30pm (AEDT) Suncorp Stadium Gerard Sutton 39,322
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Sunshine Coast Stadium, Browne Park and BB Print Stadium all hosted their first ever NRL finals matches. Both preliminary finals had altered starting times. The South Sydney vs Manly final was delayed by 15 minutes after Manly were caught in heavy traffic en route to the game,[56] while the Melbourne vs Penrith final was moved from 7:50pm to 4:00pm to avoid a clash with the 2021 AFL Grand Final .[57] References [ edit ] ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-22 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-22 . ^ "Cleary doubtful for grand final rematch after DWZ high shot" . National Rugby League . 20 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-22 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ "Vodafone Warriors produce record 21-point comeback" . New Zealand Warriors . 27 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-31 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ " 'Pedestrian' Dogs slump to record lows in Souths smash-up" . National Rugby League . 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-02 . ^ "Queensland games switched to Kogarah double-header; AAMI Park gets green light" . National Rugby League . 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-31 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ "Morris exits immediately after Sharks sign Fitzgibbon for 2022" . National Rugby League . 13 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-13 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-23 . ^ "Sivo, Cartwright star as Parra pummel tackle-shy Broncos" . National Rugby League . 23 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-24 . ^ "Crying game: Emotional Barrett hails Dogs' win 'best of my career' " . National Rugby League . 24 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-24 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-28 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-28 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-28 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-01-29 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-04-04 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-05-10 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-05-10 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-05-26 . ^ "Storm moves round 15 NRL match" . Melbourne Storm . Retrieved 2021-05-26 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-05-26 . ^ "Manly demolish Dogs and NRL record books" . www.msn.com . Archived from the original on 2021-07-03. ^ "Empty stadiums, player bubbles return as Sydney enters lockdown" . National Rugby League . 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-26 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-05-26 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-06-22 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-06-22 . ^ "NRL 2021: Canberra Raiders edge Parramatta Eels in controversial fashion to keep finals charge on course after scoreless first half" . Sydney Morning Herald . 22 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-22 . ^ "NRL live: North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm score, TV, stream, teams, stats, video, SuperCoach, blog" . Fox Sports Australia . 23 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-23 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-06-22 . ^ "Sydney Roosters vs. Parramatta Eels live score: NRL fans savage 'awful' game in Mackay" . Nationwide News Pty Limited . Retrieved 2021-07-31 . ^ McKay, Pam (23 July 2021). "Dragons, Rabbitohs will play at Browne Park on July 31" . The Morning Bulletin . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 23 July 2021 . ^ "Mackay, Rockhampton, Redcliffe hosting games in revised NRL draw" . National Rugby League . 22 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-23 . ^ "NRL to complete revised round 20 on Sunday and Monday" . National Rugby League . 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-07-21 . ^ "NRL 2021: Round 21 schedule announced, Suncorp Stadium, Cbus Super Stadium - NRL" . National Rugby League . 3 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-06 . ^ "NRL 2021: Adam Reynolds breaks South Sydney Rabbitohs record in rout of Parramatta Eels" . Sydney Morning Herald . 6 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-06 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-07-21 . ^ "NRL 2021, Corey Harawira-Naera sent off as Storm make it 18 straight - NRL" . National Rugby League . 12 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14 . ^ " 'Time to create something special': Souths march to 10th straight win" . Sydney Morning Herald . 14 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14 . ^ "NRL 2021: Blowtorch to be applied to Parramatta Eels after meek capitulation to Manly Sea Eagles" . Sydney Morning Herald . 14 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-07-21 . ^ "Two NRL games in round 23 and 24 to be played in Rockhampton" . Queensland Country Life . 15 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-15 . ^ "NRL 2021: Melbourne Storm equal Roosters' record of 19 consecutive wins with 34-20 victory over Gold Coast Titans" . Sydney Morning Herald . 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-20 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-07-21 . ^ "Draw" . National Rugby League . Retrieved 2021-07-21 . ^ "NRL 2021: 3 Big Hits, Tom Trbojevic, North Queensland Cowboys v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, live blog, live stream, videos, SuperCoach scores, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow" . Fox Sports Australia . 4 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-04 . ^ "NRL 2021: Matt Cecchin to retire from refereeing" . Brisbane Times . 30 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-04 . ^ " 'A done deal': Beloved NRL referee Matt Cecchin hangs up his whistle after Cronulla call - 2GB" . 2GB . Retrieved 2021-09-04 . ^ "Matt Cecchin fights back the tears as he blows full time on his NRL refereeing career" . The Roar . Retrieved 2021-09-04 . ^ "A guard of honour is given to veteran referee Matt Cecchin in his final game" . Nine Digital Pty Ltd . Retrieved 2021-09-04 . ^ "Game Records - Gold Coast Titans" . afltables.com . Retrieved 2020-09-05 . ^ "Game Records - Gold Coast" . afltables.com . Retrieved 2020-09-05 . ^ "Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles: Kick-off delayed; Keppie to start" . NRL.com . 24 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021 . ^ "Storm preliminary final switched to afternoon kick-off" . NRL.com . 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021 .