Welcome to the Grand Final Edition of the Coverage. Out of 17 teams, it comes down to the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights. Both teams have more than earned their spot in the big dance.
The Knights have been praised for their toughness, while the Roosters have had a ‘soft draw,’ some would say (Brent Read and David Riccio, I’m looking in your direction).
Anyway, here are some of the best bits from the media in the lead-up to the 2026 Grand Final.
Sorry, Not Sorry
Brent Read showed false remorse this week when he apologised on NRL 360 on Monday night for comments he made about the Roosters, only to regret it the next day on the Triple M NRL Podcast.
Read had said that he didn’t think the Roosters could win the Grand Final with Sam Walker. He also said that Mark Nawaqanitawse would be quickly forgotten when he leaves rugby league to return to rugby union. Like saying ‘no offence’ when you’re about to offend someone, Read said ‘no disrespect ,’ so I guess that means it’s not an insult.
Braith Anasta and Gordon Tallis were on Read’s case to apologise for what he said about the Roosters, and he looked down the camera lens and said he was sorry. Only he wasn’t; Read had bowed to peer pressure, even though we were taught not to in primary school.
On the Triple M Podcast on Tuesday, Read admitted that he regretted apologising on camera.
Read gets paid for his opinions, and he is entitled to them, and sometimes he gets it right. However, on both the Roosters and Mark Nawaqanitawase, I think he has completely missed the mark.
Different Beast
Read’s colleague Ricco also took aim at the Roosters during the same podcast, saying that the Roosters’ road to the Grand Final was soft.
It is easy to see that when you have a roster like the Roosters do, people will jump on them for not making or winning a Grand Final.
In Week One, they lost to the Panthers. Riccio said the Roosters couldn’t get the job done when Nathan Cleary got sent to the sin bin. Not sure how that equals soft, especially when facing two weeks of elimination against dangerous opposition.
In Week Two, they beat the Sharks 46-10. But because Nicho Hynes was knocked out early and Braydon Trindall was playing injured, the Roosters should have put 50 points on them, according to Riccio.
In Week Three, the Roosters were down to the Dolphins 36-10. Riccio’s assessment of the Dolphins is that they were a false top-four side, having lost by 50 and 60 points during the season. But Riccio says “respectfully” before making that statement. So, like when Read said, “No disrespect,” I’m sure the comment would have landed well.
Finals football is a different beast. The top side should win, but they’re not guaranteed to, and that’s the beauty of sport, and exactly how the Knights got there.
Maybe I’m showing my bias here, but there is no way it was an easy run to the Grand Final for the Roosters, especially playing the Panthers in the first week.
Entertainment Disappointment
After it came to light that the talks between the NRL and Tones and I had fallen through, it seemed inevitable there would be no entertainment during the Grand Final telcast. However, that all changed.
Peter V’landys said something would happen about 11 minutes before kick-off. Channel 9 Reporter Danny Weidler put on Twitter/X that Jai Arrow would do a lap of honour, with a group of Aussie musicians singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, and said that it was a great idea.
LATEST: Lap of honour for Jai Aarow at 7.05 pm grand final night. Aussie musicians to play You’ll Never Walk Alone. Great idea. @9NewsSyd @NRLonNine
— Danny Weidler (@Danny_Weidler) September 29, 2026
People have not taken kindly to this, with one person replying to Weidler’s post that it doesn’t seem sincere since it is being done to fill a void. In contrast, another posted an AI image of V’landys milking a cow with Arrow’s face on the cow and asked who to report the exploitation to.
Who do we report this exploitation to? pic.twitter.com/jTGykHU29r
— James Bing (@BingIsBackBaby) September 29, 2026
For those that may not know, Jai Arrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and was forced to retire from the game. He had played 98 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs before the NRL allowed him to take the field for the opening seconds of the final two games, against the Gold Coast Titans and the Roosters, before being replaced so he could reach 100 appearances for the club.
Another criticism has centred on Amy Shark being one of the musicians performing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Shark went on a rant about the NRL at the AFL’s Gather Round in 2025, saying that being a Queenslander, she had the NRL pushed down her throat, which kind of sucks, and adding that the NRL screw artists and that the AFL understands artists.
Shark hit TikTok and posted a video of her celebrating the Brisbane Broncos win with the caption, “Don’t believe the noise.”
I do think it is a good idea to have the lap of honour for Arrow. I see this as a proper send-off, even though some people were like, ‘he would have been in the retiring group anyway.’ But moving forward, anyone forced out of the game like this should receive the same send-off on Grand Final day.
That concludes this special edition of The Coverage, sports media consumers and rugby league fans. Enjoy the Grand Final.
Until next time, take care.
Merce
