Joker and the thief: Did the Roosters just rob themselves of a grand final run?

August 27, 2026 — 3:00am

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Who’d have thought it would be Wests Tigers having a massive impact on this year’s top-four race?

As we all know, no team has won the premiership from outside the top four in the NRL era.

And thanks to the Roosters’ stunning one-point upset loss to the Tigers, I think the Panthers and Warriors are now locked in to finish as the top two. On paper, they should win their last two games of the regular season, so who claims the minor premiership will come down to two things.

The first is points differential. Only Luke Hanson’s last-minute field goal against South Sydney separates them on the ladder right now.

And the other question mark is will Ivan Cleary be tempted to rest his best players against the Tigers in the last game of the season? He and the Panthers will know all the equations, and exactly what they need to secure a home final, because everyone else in the top eight will have already played in round 27.

As for the Roosters, well, haven’t they suddenly piled the pressure on themselves? A week after knocking off Penrith – which has to be their biggest win in years given the Panthers stranglehold on them – the Roosters simply blew it against the Tigers.

Now, they’re hosting the Dolphins on Saturday night in what should be a cracking contest, and I think it will decide who finishes third or fourth.

As for who goes to New Zealand and has to play the Warriors at home, well that’s suddenly out of the Roosters’ hands, because of the Tigers upset. They could hang onto third spot and still end up across the ditch in week one.

Or the Dolphins could draw level on 38 points with them if they get up this weekend. Kristian Woolf’s side also has the potential to really boost their for and against in round 27 when they take on the Titans.

The Tricolours, of course, have South Sydney in........

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