Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Thanks for joining our coverage of the post-grand final celebrations and commiserations.
Hundreds arrived at the SCG this morning for a chance to see their Roosters NRL and NRLW premiership winners, while plenty filed into the stands at McDonald Jones Stadium to welcome the Newcastle Knights back to the city.
In between, the Kangaroos and Jillaroos squads were announced for the 2026 Rugby League World Cups – just in case you thought we were finished with rugby league for the year.
That’s all from us today but if you’re not satisfied yet. Check out the biggest stories from the grand final:
Spencer Leniu’s family packed the three premiership rings that were twinkling away on his left hand within minutes of adding a fourth on Sunday night.
The polarising Roosters prop told coach Trent Robinson that “I was packing my boots and my pompoms” for what he knows is his last game for the club.
Leniu proved himself a genuine game-breaker off the Tricolours bench in their 19-18 triumph over Newcastle. He rates his fourth title as “a bit more special” after a trio of Panthers premierships given the dramas of his three-year stint at the Roosters, most notably the racism row involving Brisbane’s Ezra Mam at the start of 2024.
The 26-year-old enforcer has a year left on his contract at the club but is set to link with Parramatta. He spoke with an air of finality, as well as warmth for the Roosters and pride in his achievements as he took to the presentation stage, brandishing his quartet of premiership rings and delivering some choice words to the cameras.
“I’m forever indebted to this club; it tells you who your true friends are when you’re at your lowest point,” Leniu said.
Fletcher Sharpe has made his way around McDonald Jones stadium after inspiring many in the city to copy his hairstyle in the lead up to Sunday’s grand final.
Those fans will return to work tomorrow without the glory of a premiership win, but will at least have their new hair cuts as a souvenir.
From the eastern suburbs to the Hunter Valley, our photographers documented the biggest day on the rugby league calendar.
See some of the snaps below, and click here for the full gallery.
Pasami Saulo’s partner of 11 years, Kate Tuwhangai-Stobbs, has shared an emotional tribute to the Knights prop on Instagram, reflecting on what the game means to their family-of-four after years of injury for Saulo.
“Look around us bby!!! We made it!!! Last night was never about the result,” Tuwhangai-Stobbs wrote alongside photos with their two sons after the match.
“Nothing can take away the [f—ing] phenomenal week we’ve had, seeing the community embrace this team and watching Sami be a part of it. That’s a blessing. To be on the field playing. IN A GRAND FINAL!!!! I was raised in our beloved Maitland, Sami was born in Belmont. We know what it means.”
Saulo returned to the Knights for the 2026 season after failing to make a first-grade appearance for the Raiders in the 2025 season, his third with Canberra. That came after a major surgery in 2024 for a debilitating bulging disc, which was career-threatening, and followed a leg and ankle fracture-dislocation in 2021.
Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga has been busy during his lap of honour around McDonald Jones Stadium this afternoon, signing autographs and taking photos with some of the club’s youngest fans.
One thing stood out when the Knights interviewed Justin Holbrook: his vision for the club was clear.
Holbrook knew exactly how he wanted the team to play, how they should look and, most importantly, how they should attack.
When Adam O’Brien parted ways with the Knights in August 2025, Newcastle compiled a strong list of candidates to interview.
Blake Green and Brian McDermott were already at the club as part of O’Brien’s coaching staff, and mounted compelling cases. Both men put a strong emphasis on tidying up the defence and knew which kids were going to make the leap into grade football.
