Matty Stewart links up with Knights legend Kurt Gidley for a brand-new season of The Don’t Argue podcast! Breaking down the biggest NRL headlines, match-winning plays, and their Best Bets. Watch and listen each week and stay one step ahead.
Matty and Gids are back for Week 1 of the NRL Finals Series, and after one of the tightest regular seasons in recent memory, the road to the 2026 premiership officially begins. Penrith Panthers claimed the minor premiership in the final round of the season, while the Warriors, Dolphins and Roosters secured the remaining top-four positions and the all-important double chance. Now the intensity ramps up as eight teams begin their September campaigns with premiership dreams still alive.
Attention then turns to the two qualifying finals, with the Warriors hosting the Dolphins in Auckland and the Panthers taking on the Roosters in a blockbuster Sydney derby. With preliminary final spots on the line, the boys debate which clubs are best equipped to handle the pressure.
The elimination finals are also under the microscope, with South Sydney Rabbitohs facing the Newcastle Knights and the Cronulla Sharks meeting the North Queensland Cowboys in two sudden-death clashes. One loss and the season is over, making both contests among the most intriguing games of the weekend.
To wrap up the episode, the boys lock in their finals tips, reveal their premiership picks, and identify the teams they believe can make a genuine run at the title. If you’re after all the biggest NRL talking points, finals analysis and September predictions, The Don’t Argue has everything you need heading into a massive opening week of finals.