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
All times are in AEDT (UTC+11:00 ) up until the 4th of April and AEST (UTC+10:00 ) from then on.
Round 1
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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]
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