An inspired defensive effort has seen the Dolphins hold on for a 26-12 victory over the Roosters, who lost star halfback Sam Walker to an ankle injury early in the second half.
Walker will go for scans for a suspected syndesmosis injury.
In Townsville, the Cowboys became the eighth and final team to lock in a finals berth with a 24-10 victory over Wests.
Earlier, South Sydney beat the Titans 42-22 to lock in a finals spot after a pre-game tribute to retiring Jai Arrow.
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Arrow, who was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, started the game on the field before subbing off for Cameron Murray and will do the same next week to ensure he notches 100 games for the Rabbitohs.
In the NRLW, the Roosters have continued their winning start to the season with a 33-8 victory over Cronulla-Sutherland, the Titans downed the Raiders 26-20, and Newcastle defeated North Queensland 40-6.
Look back at all the action in our live blog below, and check out all the stats in the full ScoreCentre.
Live NRL and NRLW scores
We will sign off there
ABC Sport’s live NRL coverage will be back tomorrow as the regular season truly enters its final moments, with live ladders galore.
We’ll bring you every moment from 2pm, but until then, have a wonderful night.
We have our top eight for 2026
So, the Cowboys jump four points clear of the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs to lock themselves into the finals placings, meaning we now know the eight teams who will contest the finals with 10 games left in the regular season.
The eight will be the Panthers, Warriors, Dolphins, Roosters, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Knights and Cowboys in some order.
The Warriors and Knights face off tomorrow, while the Eels host the Sharks (the only team with an outside chance of climbing into the top four) in the evening.
Then in the final round, here’s who the finalists will face:
- Titans vs Dolphins (3rd) on Friday at 6pm AEST
- Rabbitohs (6th) vs Roosters (4th) on Friday at 8pm AEST
- Warriors (2nd) vs Sea Eagles on Saturday at 3pm AEST
- Cowboys (8th) vs Raiders on Saturday at 5:30pm AEST
- Sharks (5th) vs Storm on Saturday at 7:35pm AEST
- Panthers (1st) vs Tigers on Sunday at 4:05pm AEST
That leaves us with two games next week – Bulldogs vs Broncos and Dragons vs Eels – that will be potential trials for silly new rules.
FULL-TIME: Cowboys close it out with a 24-10 victory over the Tigers
North Queensland is safely in the top eight, ending the dreams of the Manly Sea Eagles and the Canterbury Bulldogs with this win.
Look, it wasn’t good and Todd Payten won’t be impressed with that performance, but they’ve stayed alive, and now we just wait and see what order the final eight will end up in.
Chester seals it for the Cowboys
It’s just simple short side stuff from the Cowboys and Tom Chester barges over Solomone Saukuru to crash in for his second.
That seals it.
76′ Jarome Luai is off
He was monstered in a tackle by Braidon Burns and got up hobbling. Now he’s straight off the field.
74′ Tom Mikaele can’t hold the ball
Seemingly every run is a crap shoot with Tom Mikaele and he comes up with another error here. He NEEDS to stop trying to offload.
In the meantime, Heath Mason pulls off a lifting tackle on Tom Dearden well after the ball is gone but Grant Atkins completely missed it.
72′ Tigers piling on the pressure, but the dropout releases it
They’re making easy metres here as they chase points and Jarome Luai’s grubber forces a dropout.
But Jake Clifford surprises the Tigers by belting it long and finds touch despite Jock Madden’s desperate attempt to save it.
65′ Really tough call for the bunker and the Tigers
Fonua Pole flattens Scott Drinkwater on a lead run before Terrell May crosses for a try, and even though the idea of Drinkwater even making a slight impact on May from that far out is laughable, the bunker has no choice but to rule that an obstruction.
65′ Back to back penalties for the Tigers
They’re right on the Cowboys’ tryline too.
I can’t back the North Queensland defence to hold the line here. Not the way they’ve been playing.
Jaxon Purdue has a try off the post!
Scott Drinkwater’s kick is into no man’s land, clips the left upright as the pack goes tumbling through and the ball ends up in the hands of Jaxon Purdue to score a simple try.
I genuinely believe Drinkwater was aiming at the post there.
57′ Cowboys go close but miss out
Ethan King comes within a whisker of latching onto a beautifully improvised grubber by Jake Clifford but he’s just knocked on on the line.
Big Heilum Luki is over for the Cowboys
The Cowboys get a little momentum thanks to Jaxon Purdue down the left and then, on the right, Tom Dearden sends his back rower striding through a hole, fending off Jarome Luai and Jahream Bula en route to the line.
50′ Another wasted opportunity for the Cows
The Cowboys are working into a set on the Tigers’ line, but Reed Mahoney throws a forward pass to Tom Mikaele on the second tackle.
That’s just not good enough.
47′ Costly mistake by Jarome Luai
The Tigers manufacture a surprisingly good set after starting 2 metres out from their own tryline, and Jarome Luai finds the grass with his long kick, but it rolls dead.
43′ Cowboys straight back under the pump
Braidon Burns fails to contest a high ball and Tom Dearden ends up being dumped back into the in-goal.
Jahream Bula reels in the dropout, and the Tigers go straight on the attack.
41′ The Cowboys get first use
Coach Todd Payten has surely given them an all-time rev-up, so let’s see if they can remember how to play football.
Syndesmosis fears for Sam Walker
Trent Robinson has confirmed to the media that there are fears for Sam Walker’s season, with the star halfback now awaiting scans after hobbling from the field with an ankle injury in the Roosters’ loss to the Dolphins earlier tonight.
“Possibly, yeah we’re thinking that,” Robinson replied when asked if he believed it to be a high ankle, or syndesmosis injury.
“I only saw him briefly there before he went for scans, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.”
HALF-TIME: Tigers lead the Cowboys 10-8
It’s been a frustrating half for the Cowboys and their fans in Townsville, with the struggling Tigers leading the way courtesy of a shocking 72 per cent completion rate by the eighth-placed Cowboys.
36′ Cowboys can’t stop inviting the Tigers back into the game
North Queensland is fighting for their finals lives against a struggling side and just isn’t focused enough on holding on to the ball.
This time it’s Braidon Burns fumbling in the play the ball 20 metres out.
dan