Supercoach Wayne Bennett fears the NRL is vulnerable to spot fixing by "lone wolf" players.

​ Gold Coast rookie Ashley Taylor can't wait to show his old club what he's made of when the Titans face Brisbane in Friday's NRL elimination final.

Brisbane centre Jack Reed has been forced to retire from the NRL due to complications from a shoulder injury.

• ANALYSIS

Finals football is upon us. And the first week of the play-offs has thrown up some fascinating contests.

Brisbane will start as favourites in Friday night's elimination semi-final but superstar signing Jarryd Hayne has given the Titans reason to believe as they take on the 2015 grand finalists.

Usually it's the short turnaround that causes problems in rugby league. Now the Broncos are wondering if their long break heading into week one of the play-offs may come back to bite them as they struggle to lock down their preparation.

The Roosters coach was about as upbeat as a man could be after an 18-loss season, but remained defiantly optimistic about the short-term prospects at Bondi Junction.

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett is calling on the NRL to release a schedule for the opening week of the finals earlier to help teams prepare adequately.

• Live

Join us as the Broncos attempt to leapfrog the Cowboys into the top four at Suncorp.

• COMMENT

A form dip could prove costly in terms of a second chance in the finals but Wayne Bennett knows he has a few key areas covered as the 2015 grand finalists prepare to see out the season against the Roosters.

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett's years of experience tell him form and fitness are all that matter going into an NRL finals campaign.

The dreaded grapple tackle is back and it's widespread across the NRL.

Brisbane coach glad clash with Melbourne didn't come month ago.

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett said whether Kasiano's kick was deliberate or not, it certainly caused concern in the Broncos' camp.

Brisbane centre James Roberts will impose a booze ban on himself in a bid to stay out of trouble and fulfil his undoubted football potential.

NSW Origin hopeful James Roberts' career is again at the crossroads after he was allegedly involved in another off-field incident.

Brisbane centre James Roberts' NRL career could be in jeopardy with reports emerging of an alleged drunken incident.

​It's the contest that could blow the NRL top four race wide open but Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett claims that hasn't even been a topic of discussion.

Brisbane playmaker Anthony Milford has led the Broncos to a much-needed 38-16 win over Parramatta in a welcome return to form for the majority of the 30,189 crowd.