![GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 27: Jarryd Hayne of the Titans is tackled by Isaah Yeo of the Panthers during the round ...](/web/20160906191058im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/3/v/i/9/image.related.landscape.460x307.gra3uj.png/1473148295199.jpg)
Phil Gould: The keys to week one of the NRL finals
Finals football is upon us. And the first week of the play-offs has thrown up some fascinating contests.
Phil Gould is a League Columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald
Finals football is upon us. And the first week of the play-offs has thrown up some fascinating contests.
It’s that time of the year again. Everyone is handing out their end-of-season awards.
Panthers forward Reagan Campbell-Gillard is in a Gold Coast hospital, in a lot of pain, with two fractured vertebrae, following a tackle from Titan's forward Ryan James.
There will be a number of players leaving the NRL at the end of the year. I’d like to recognise them in some small way.
People are writing off the Cronulla Sharks way too soon. I know the past few weeks haven't been great but I still think they are well on track towards producing a spirited title challenge in this year's finals series.
The Sydney Roosters were far too good for the St George Illawarra Dragons, stampeding to a massive 42-6 victory in what can only be described as a most dominant display.
Vale Ken Thornett, dashing Parramatta fullback who paved way for Hayne and co.
The Jarryd Hayne effect. It's very real. You only have to look at how the crowds have flocked to the grounds where he has played in the past fortnight.
Judging by the Roosters' 22-10 victory over North Queensland, they are the best-looking 15th-placed team I have ever seen.
The Bulldogs’ forwards play like halves. The Bulldogs’ halves play like fullbacks. For most of the game, the fullback looks like the third wheel at a romantic dinner for two.
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