What Caught Our Attention Over the Weekend

– The Sharks blitzing the first half and leading 24-0 at half time which was too many points for the Cowboys to pull back in the second stanza.
– Manly losing two players to HIA’s in the first minute and never really settling into the game while the Roosters looked good.
– The Broncos, Knights and Roosters NRLW teams racking up big scores before the playoffs next week while the fourth finalist Cronulla went down to the bottom placed Wests Tigers.
– The top six Super League teams to play finals have been revealed which culminates with the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Sunday, October 12th. Wigan have retained the League Leaders shield above Hull KR, Warrington, Salford, Leigh and St Helens just edging out Catalans.

The final standings of the 2024 @Betfred #SuperLeague season 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HEGKVBomGS

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 22, 2024

Then There Were the Predictable Four

More often than not NRL finals go the way they are expected to with the top four teams at the end of the regular season fighting it out for the right to play in the Grand Final. It’s hard to see past Penrith and Melbourne to be there on the big day

Tying the Knot before the Test

There were reports recently that the first international between England and Samoa in October was pushed back a week so Stephen Crichton could get married on the original date. Not sure about the truth in this one but Kick to the Corners knows anything can happen in rugby league.

African Women Look to Qualify for World Cup

The Nigeria women’s rugby league team has won through to the next stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after a two game series against Kenya. Kenya won the most recent match 8-0 after Nigeria were victorious 22-14 in the first match. Overall the sides finished with four tries apiece with Nigeria kicking one extra goal and Kenya landed two field goals.

The International Rugby League (IRL) said “the World Series will be played next year between Nigeria (Africa), the winner of a play-off between Greece & Ireland (Europe), the winner of Americas qualifying tournament and Asia Pacific runner up. The winner will gain the final 2026 World Cup berth.”

Congratulations to Nigeria on becoming the first nation to qualify for the women’s 2025 World Series after a evenly fought two match series against Kenya. pic.twitter.com/lBchC90kBQ

— International RL (@IntRL) September 22, 2024

Germany vs Poland

Germany recorded a strong 58-18 victory against the Polish national team in Poland taking out the ‘Augustus the Strong’ trophy. It was the first time Germany has played a match in Poland. The sides met last year in Berlin where Germany were 54-10 winners.

Netherlands Go Down Narrowly to Ireland

After a victory against Scotland last week the Netherlands were unable to do the same against Ireland on the weekend losing 20-18 despite a strong second half performance.

French Super XIII

The French Championship formally know as Elite 1 commenced on the weekend under the rebranded title of Super XIII. Last season premiers Carcassonne recorded a 52-6 victory over Villefranche.

Perama Predicament

Kick to the Corners was saddened to read that the Perama Tigers have withdrawn from the 2024/25 Greece domestic competition. Perama (Greek: Πέραμα) is a port city and is 8 km northwest of Piraeus (gateway to many Greek islands), and 15 km west of Athens city centre.The name Perama comes from the Greek word “perasma” which means “passage”. A high percentage of Perama’s population work at the shipping yards and cargo terminals. The club, which had built steadily since it was founded in 2020, cited lack of access to local training facilities as one of the reasons for the withdrawal. Let’s hope a solution can be found and the Tigers can return to the competition in the future.

Goole Grab a League One Spot

It was a race of three clubs for a spot in the UK third tier League One competition between Goole Vikings, Anglian Vipers and Bedford Tigers. Goole Vikings were approved by the RFL Board to join Betfred League One in the 2025 season. The RFL said the Vikings’ application was judged the strongest of three received. Goole is in the rugby league heartlands of Yorkshire close to Hull and Doncaster and seen as a safe bet. However many fans were surprised Bedford missed out as they were thought to have a very strong application. Don’t be surprised to see more developments involving the Tigers before the 2025 season starts.