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2025 NRL Grand Final
Australian rugby league game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2025 NRL Grand Final was a rugby league game contested between the Melbourne Storm and the Brisbane Broncos on 5 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney, to determine the 2025 NRL premiers.[1] Brisbane defeated Melbourne 26–22 after trailing by ten points at half-time to claim the Provan-Summons Trophy for the first time since 2006, their seventh premiership title overall, and the first team to become premiers from as low as fourth on the ladder since the Wests Tigers in 2005.[a] Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for being judged as player of the match, after scoring a try, making three try-assists, and some notable try-saving defensive plays. Melbourne became the first club to lose back-to-back grand finals since the Sydney Roosters in 2004.
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The match was preceded by the 2025 NRL State Championship and the NRL Women's Premiership grand final.
The match was broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network. Pre-match entertainment was performed by American singer Teddy Swims.[2]
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Background
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The 2025 NRL season was the 118th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 28th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight teams on the competition ladder.[3]
The Melbourne Storm finished second on the 2025 ladder with a 17–7 win-loss record.[4] They first hosted the third-placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in a qualifying final at AAMI Park, winning 26–18 to earn a week off.[5] The Storm then hosted and defeated the fifth-placed Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 22–14 in a preliminary final, also at AAMI Park, advancing to their 12th grand final overall and second consecutive appearance.[6] This marked a record 11th grand final appearance for coach Craig Bellamy.[7]
The Brisbane Broncos entered 2025 having missed the finals the previous year, finishing 12th in 2024. They finished fourth on the ladder with a 15–9 record.[8] Brisbane defeated the Canberra Raiders — the minor premiers — 29–28 after extra time in their qualifying final at GIO Stadium, overcoming a 16-point deficit and winning with a 93rd-minute Ben Hunt field goal.[9] They then hosted and defeated the defending premiers, the Penrith Panthers, 16–14 at Suncorp Stadium in the preliminary final, coming back from 0–14 at halftime to reach their ninth grand final. The win ended Penrith’s streak of five consecutive grand final appearances (2020–2024), their 14-game finals winning run, and their record four-year premiership streak.
Brisbane and Melbourne had both been runners-up in the previous two premiership deciders — the 2023 NRL Grand Final and 2024 NRL Grand Final — losing on each occasion to the Penrith Panthers. The Storm and Broncos faced each other twice during the regular season: Melbourne won 22–2 at AAMI Park in Round 23, while Brisbane won 30–14 at Suncorp Stadium in Round 27. Their last finals meeting came in the 2023 NRL finals series, where Brisbane won 26–0 in the preliminary final.
The Storm were aiming for their fifth premiership, having most recently won in 2020. The Broncos were aiming for their seventh, including their 1997 Super League title, having last won in the 2006 NRL Grand Final — also against Melbourne — by 15–8. This was the second grand final meeting between the two clubs and the fourth time in NRL history that no club from Sydney or New South Wales featured in the decider, after the 2006, 2015 and 2017 NRL Grand Finals.
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Pre-match
Broadcasting
The match was broadcast live on the Nine Network in Australia and 9Now and on Sky Sport in New Zealand. Radio broadcasters included ABC, Triple M, 2GB, 4BC and NRL Nation.[10]
Officiating
Following his performance in the preliminary finals, Grant Atkins was appointed as the referee for the Grand Final. It was Atkins first NRL Grand Final as referee after he was the video referee for the 2022 and 2024 matches. Ashley Klein was appointed as the video referee in the NRL bunker. Chris Sutton and David Munro were appointed as the touch judges.[11][12][13]
Entertainment
Pre-game entertainment was headlined by American singer Teddy Swims.[14]
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Match summary
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2025 NRL Grand Final
Accor Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 80,223 Referee: Grant Atkins[11] Video referee: Ashley Klein Touch judges: Chris Sutton, David Munro Clive Churchill Medal: Reece Walsh (Brisbane) |
The 2025 NRL Grand Final was played on 5 October 2025 at Accor Stadium, Sydney, between the Melbourne Storm and the Brisbane Broncos. Brisbane won 26–22 to claim the club’s seventh premiership and first since 2006. The match kicked off at 7:30 pm AEDT before a crowd of 80,223. [15][16][17]
1st Half
Brisbane struck inside two minutes when Reece Walsh created space on the right for winger Deine Mariner to score. Melbourne responded with sustained pressure and, led by halfback Jahrome Hughes, built a double-digit advantage; Hughes stepped through to score himself shortly before the break as the Storm controlled territory and kick pressure to Brisbane’s edges. The Broncos trailed by 10 during the first half but closed the gap through a solo try to Walsh, who swerved past multiple defenders to score under the posts. [18]
2nd Half
The second half turned on Walsh’s playmaking: the fullback produced multiple try assists, with Brisbane levelling and then edging ahead despite losing captain and halfback Adam Reynolds to injury early in the half and five-eighth Ben Hunt to concussion inside the final 10 minutes. Centre Gehamat Shibasaki and Mariner (for a double) were among Brisbane’s finishers as the Broncos reeled in the deficit. Melbourne remained in the contest through the kicking games of Hughes and Cameron Munster and repeated raids to Xavier Coates’ wing. In the 80th minute, with the Storm pressing, Walsh made a decisive try-saving tackle on Ryan Papenhuyzen after Eli Katoa broke the line, preserving the 26–22 result. [19][20]
Post Match
Walsh was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for player of the match for a performance that featured a try, multiple try assists and several last-ditch defensive plays.[21][22]
The television audience averaged 4.46 million nationally on Nine — the most-watched program in Australia in 2025 and the first time in a decade that the NRL decider out-rated the AFL Grand Final. [23]
Post-match judiciary charges saw Melbourne back-rower Trent Loiero offered a ban, while Walsh and others were fined for high contact; no Broncos received suspensions. [24]
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Opening matches
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Two opening matches were played on the ground prior to the grand final: the NRL State Championship and NRL Women's Grand Final.[25] Both matches were broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network.
NRL State Championship
2025 NRL State Championship
Accor Stadium, Sydney Referee: Jarrod Cole[11] Video referee: Liam Kennedy Touch judges: Kieren Irons, Nick Pelgrave Player of the Match: Tanah Boyd (Warriors) |
NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final
2025 NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final
Accor Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 46,288 Referee: Belinda Sharpe[11] Video referee: Chris Butler Touch judges: Ethan Klein, Rochelle Tamarua Karyn Murphy Medal: Mele Hufanga (Brisbane) |
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Broadcast and viewership
The match was broadcast live across Australia on the Nine Network and 9Now.[26]
In Australian television ratings, the Grand Final averaged 4.46 million viewers nationally on Nine (VOZ Total TV), the biggest program of 2025 and currently the highest rating NRL Grand Final, and reached 6.4 million viewers; it out-rated the AFL Grand Final’s 4.08 million average — the first time the NRL decider has done so since 2015.[27][28]
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Notes
References
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