Valentine Holmes looked good upon his return to NRL. For the loser: a wasted opportunity. In the same vein that Nathan Cleary holds the key to the Panthers reaching the grand final, Adam Reynolds is the man whom the Bunnies and their fans will be leaning on as they look to score a finals boilover. Matthew Elliott and Jamie Soward take an in-depth look at the Saturday night matchup, Grand Finals - Kikau returns, Storm unchanged, Dally M Female Player of the Year - Ali Brigginshaw, Harry Grant awarded Dally M Rookie of the Year on NRL 360, Full Match Replay: Storm v Raiders - Finals Week 3, 2020, Storm v Raiders: Finucane returns; Canberra unscathed, You have skipped the navigation, tab for page content. From that point they proceeded to win their final 15 matches of the regular season to claim their first minor premiership since 2003, then beat the Roosters 29-28 in the qualifying final. TAB odds: Raiders $1.70 (-2.5 $1.90) Knights $2.20 (+2.5 $1.90), Parramatta Eels vs. Sydney Roosters, ANZ Stadium, 8:05pm (AEDT), Eels: 1 Clinton Gutherson 2 Maika Sivo 3 Michael Jennings 4 Brad Takairangi 5 Blake Ferguson 6 Dylan Brown 7 Mitchell Moses 8 Daniel Alvaro 9 Reed Mahoney 10 Junior Paulo 11 Shaun Lane 12 Marata Niukore 13 Tepai Moeroa Reserves: 14 Jaeman Salmon 15 Tim Mannah 16 Kane Evans 17 David Gower 18 Oregon Kaufusi 19 Peni Terepo 20 Josh Hoffman 21 George Jennings, Roosters: 1 James Tedesco 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Latrell Mitchell 4 Joseph Manu 5 Matt Ikuvalu 6 Luke Keary 7 TBA 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9 Jake Friend 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Mitchell Aubusson 13 Victor Radley Reserves: 14 Isaac Liu 15 Zane Tetevano 16 Poasa Faamausili 17 Angus Crichton 18 Brock Lamb 19 Asu Kepaoa 20 Nat Butcher 23 Lachlan Lam. Storm versus Raiders After Round 1 went ahead without a hitch, Round 2 matches were played with fans locked out of stadiums for the first time in over a hundred years of Australian rugby league history, as the coronavirus pandemic started to reach its peak in Australia. [1] Panthers vs [6] Rabbitohs Making sport fun for everyone since 1999. TAB odds: Cowboys $2 (+1.5 $1.90) Sharks $1.80 (-1.5 $1.90), Penrith Panthers vs. Melbourne Storm, Carrington Park Bathurst, 7:35pm (AEDT), Panthers: 1 Dylan Edwards 2 Josh Mansour 3 Dean Whare 4 Waqa Blake 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6 James Maloney 7 Nathan Cleary 8 James Tamou 9 Sione Katoa 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11 James Fisher-Harris 12 Frank Winterstein 13 Hame Sele Reserves: 14 Wayde Egan 15 Tyrell Fuimaono 16 Moses Leota 17 Jack Hetherington 18 Jarome Luai 19 Tim Grant 20 Malakai Watene-Zelezniak 21 Liam Martin, Storm: 1 Jahrome Hughes 2 Suliasi Vunivalu 3 William Chambers 4 Curtis Scott 5 Joshua Addo-Carr 6 Cameron Munster 7 Brodie Croft 8 Jesse Bromwich 9 Cameron Smith 10 Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11 Felise Kaufusi 12 Kenny Bromwich 13 Dale Finucane Reserves: 14 Brandon Smith 15 Christian Welch 16 Tui Kamikamica 17 Patrick Kaufusi. Warriors versus Dragons To register their first win of the season, they’ll need to smash two hoodoos; firstly, they haven’t beaten the Cowboys since 2014, nor have they won in Townsville since Round 1, 2012, when they won 18-0. Neither side has been overly impressive in their opening two rounds and both will be desperate to take the two points from this one. A tough start to the season continues for the Dragons as they travel to Brisbane to take on the Broncos, while the Eels meeting the Roosters and the Panthers taking on the Storm look like two of the better games this weekend. The Dogs were brave in losing 8-2 to the Parramatta Eels in front of over 20,000 fans at Bankwest Stadium – something that now seems like ages ago – before being put on the back foot in the Round 2 loss to the Cowboys at an empty ANZ Stadium. [2] Storm vs [5] Raiders However, facing the Roosters could be exactly what he needs as he looks to rediscover the form that saw him earn State of Origin selection not very long ago. The NRL grand final teams have been revealed. NRL Round Table: Will SBW make an impact for Roosters? It will be a tough test for both sides, but Nathan Cleary’s absence could prove telling for the Panthers – and I think the Knights will take the points. Another boost for the Bunnies will be the return of centre James Roberts, after he entered rehab earlier this month, but they will be without Cody Walker due to a two-match suspension imposed by the NRL. We want to see it! While both sides appear evenly poised, I think the Tigers should take the points. Without doubt, this is the match to look forward to. However, on the Central Coast, the Sea Eagles’ experience should win out here. 2020 NRL preliminary finals preview. TAB odds: Eels $3.10 (+7.5 $1.95) Roosters $1.38 (-7.5 $1.85), Manly Warringah Sea Eagles vs. New Zealand Warriors, Christchurch Stadium, 3:00pm (AEDT), Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trobjevic 2 Jorge Taufua 3 Moses Suli 4 Brad Parker 5 Reuben Garrick 6 Kane Elgey 7 Daly Cherry-Evans 8 Addin Fonua-Blake 9 Apisai Koroisau 10 Martin Taupau 11 Joel Thompson 12 Curtis Sironen 13 Jake Trbojevic Reserves: 14 Manase Fainu 15 Jack Gosiewski 16 Corey Waddell 17 Toafofoa Sipley 18 Brendan Elliot 19 Trent Hodkinson 21 Kelepi Tanginoa 22 Lloyd Perrett, Warriors: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 David Fusitu'a 3 Peta Hiku 4 Solomone Kata 5 Ken Maumalo 6 Adam Keighran 7 Blake Green 8 Agnatius Paasi 9 Issac Luke 10 Bunty Afoa 11 Adam Blair 12 Tohu Harris 13 Lachlan Burr Reserves: 14 Jazz Tevaga 15 Sam Lisone 16 Leeson Ah Mau 17 Isaiah Papali'i 18 Gerard Beale 20 Ligi Sao 21 Karl Lawton 22 Chanel Harris-Tavita. But now, Australia is past the worst of the pandemic and this has cleared the way for some normality to return to our lives, including the return of the NRL season, which fans will have to enjoy from in front of a television screen with non-essential mass gatherings still outlawed by the Government. The Bunnies’ points-for-and-against is an even 0, having beaten the Sharks by four points at home before losing to the Broncos by the same margin before the competition was suspended. Five-eighth Kieran Foran – who was given next to no chance of playing this season after undergoing shoulder surgery last year – could yet put his hand up to make a miracle comeback for the clash against his old club. Moses hoping he's learned from finals failures, Corvo the man behind the Storm's professionalism, Six Again: Some real pretenders going into the finals, Warriors finish season on a high vs. Sea Eagles, Marshall's farewell match ruined by injury, Raiders hold off Sharks in finals preview, Rabbitohs destroy Roosters for biggest win since 1980, Knights stumble as Titans cap off their season in style, Rabbitohs pile on 60 against finals-bound Roosters, Cowboys hand Broncos the wooden spoon with easy win, NRL Round Table: Clear winner in 2020 most disappointing team award, Six Again: Refereeing causes Ricky to blow his stack, Aubusson stars in 303rd game as the Roosters down the Sharks, Bellamy flips Smith the bird in Storm win, Storm score nine tries in emphatic win over Tigers, Panthers clinch minor premiership in Townsville, Bulldogs stun Rabbitohs, win third game of 2020. Now they will face a Wests Tigers side which sits at 1-1 but were extremely disappointing in its Round 2 loss to the Knights at Leichhardt Oval after starting with a come-from-behind win over the Dragons at Wollongong in Round 1. Even more impressive were the Brisbane Broncos, which first defeated the Cowboys 28-21 in Townsville before edging out the Rabbitohs 22-18 in a thriller at Suncorp Stadium. The Cowboys could struggle against the Sharks forwards without wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo. TAB odds: Panthers $2.40 (+4.5 $1.80) Storm $1.60 (-4.5 $2), Wests Tigers vs. Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, Campbelltown Stadium, 4:05pm (AEDT), Tigers: 1 Moses Mbye 2. 3 matches are shown live on SkySports each and every round, as well as the NRL Finals and the Grand Final itself and the great news for … Oops! Penrith Panthers vs Melbourne Storm: The unstoppable force meets the immovable object, The NRL needs a Panthers grand final win, but Cam Smith will get his fairytale, The Fox cracks up after being asked another Cameron Smith retirement question out of the blue, Cameron Smith STILL isn't budging on retirement call despite post-prelim scenes, Storm's Smith plays down Suncorp farewell. NRL Round Table: Which team wins the premiership from here? TAB odds: Tigers $1.45 (-7.5 $2) Bulldogs $2.80 (+7.5 $1.80), South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. Gold Coast Titans, ANZ Stadium, 6:10pm (AEDT), Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston 2 Dane Gagai 3 Greg Inglis 4 Braidon Burns 5 Campbell Graham 6 Cody Walker 7 Adam Reynolds 8 Tevita Tatola 9 Damien Cook 10 Tom Burgess 11 John Sutton 12 Sam Burgess 13 Cameron Murray Reserves: 14 Liam Knight 15 Mark Nicholls 16 Ethan Lowe 17 Kyle Turner 18 Corey Allan 19 Bayley Sironen 20 Rhys Kennedy 21 Jacob Gagan, Titans: 1 Michael Gordon 2 Anthony Don 3 Tyrone Peachey 4 Brian Kelly 5 Brenko Lee 6 AJ Brimson 7 Ryley Jacks 8 Jarrod Wallace 9 Nathan Peats 10 Shannon Boyd 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Ryan James 13 Jai Arrow Reserves: 14 Phillip Sami 15 Moeaki Fotuaika 16 Max King 17 Bryce Cartwright 18 Mitch Rein 19 Keegan Hipgrave, 20 Dale Copley, 21 Jai Whitbread. They will now start favourites on Sunday to beat the Bulldogs, which lost their opening two matches of the season amid trying circumstances, in particular having two players stood down, and subsequently sacked, for disciplinary reasons. The Panthers will have to improve on their first two performances to match the Storm, who are simply methodical in the way they dismantle opponents. Now, the season revival would not have been possible if not for their selfless return back to Australia, where they quarantined and trained in Tamworth for two weeks before relocating to the Central Coast, where they will base themselves indefinitely. Roosters versus Rabbitohs Grand final glory awaits either the Penrith Panthers or Melbourne Storm, while the Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters face off in the NRLW decider. Verdict: The Eels have started the season well beating the Panthers and Bulldogs, while the Rosters followed a first-up loss to the Rabbitohs with an impressive win against the Sea Eagles. After falling short against the Storm in the opening round, the magic boot of Daly Cherry-Evans got the Sea Eagles home in a thriller against the Roosters at Leichhardt Oval, with the Silvertails winning 9-8.