The Hills Bulls or the Glebe Dirty Reds have a chance to write club history in Ron Massey Cup on Sunday, while St Marys have an opportunity to bring home a second Sydney Shield premiership within five years.
But standing in Saints way is a determined Penrith Brothers side, brimming with confidence after winning three sudden-death finals to make their way to the 2022 Sydney Shield Grand Final.
Both games will be streamed live by NSWRL TV; the Sydney Shield final at 1pm followed by the Ron Massey Cup at 3pm with both games to be played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
The Bulls joined the Ron Massey Cup in 2016, while Glebe entered a year earlier in 2015. Neither club has won the competition but there has been no Grand Final for the past two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Ron Massey Cup premier was the Wentworthville Magpies in 2019.
There is further intrigue on Sunday in the fact that these two teams met in the Major Semi-final just two weeks ago with Minor Premiers Bulls being upset by Glebe 38-10.
The Reds also have star power at their disposal including forward Greg Eastwood, a former New Zealand international who played for NRL clubs Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and Jackson Ferris, who scored the match winning try for the Newtown Jets in the 2019 NRL State Championship.
In Sydney Shield, St Marys tasted success as recently as 2017, when they beat Mounties 34-20.
Underdogs Penrith have clawed their way up from fifth spot on the ladder to face the Minor Premiers and are looking to complete their fairy tale run with a maiden premiership.
While these two NSWRL competitions come to the end of the road this week, the finals journey is just starting for Jersey Flegg Cup and The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup.
For two clubs – either the Bulldogs (4) and Eels (5) in NSW Cup, or the Dragons (4) and Wests Tigers (5) in Jersey Flegg – the season will come to end after they play an Elimination Final. Both these games will also be streamed on NSWRL TV.
Qualifying Finals in both competitions this weekend means all four teams survive. The winners move through to the Major Semi-final and the losers to the sudden-death Minor Semi-final next week.
A depleted Panthers (2) side, due to 11 players being called up to the NRL, will face the Bears (3) in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Qualifying Final, while in Jersey Flegg it’s the Knights (2) v the Panthers (3).
The Bears boast plenty of talent including Sydney Roosters NRL player Adam Keighran, who is the leading point scorer in the competition, and former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs NRL forward Renouf Altoni.
The Panthers have promoted Isaiya Katoa to start at halfback. Katoa guided the SG Ball Cup team to a premiership this year and has signed with new NRL franchise Redcliffe Dolphins in 2023.
The Elimination Final between the Eels and the Bulldogs is a who’s who of the NRL. The Bulldogs team includes Jayden Okunbor, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Brandon Wakeham, Matt Doorey and Jackson Topine, while the Eels have Jordan Rankin, Zac Cini, Hayze Perham, Bailey Simonsson, Sean Russell, Ofahiki Ogden, Mitch Rein and Bryce Cartwright.
NSWRL TV SCHEDULE
Saturday 3 September
Jersey Flegg Cup Qualifying Final: Newcastle Knights (2nd) v Penrith Panthers (3rd) at St Marys Leagues Stadium, 12.45pm
The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Elimination Final: Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (4th) v Parramatta Eels (5th) at St Marys Leagues Stadium, 5.15pm
Sunday 4 September
Jersey Flegg Cup Elimination Final: St George Illawarra Dragons (4th) v Wests Tigers (5th) at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, 10.30am
Sydney Shield Grand Final: St Marys (1st) v Penrith Brothers (5th) at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium 1pm
Ron Massey Cup Grand Final: Glebe Dirty Reds (3rd) v Hills Bulls (1st) at Netstrata Jubilee Sradium 3pm
