As it happened: Eels, Dolphins finish in style

The Eels have ended their season on a high after completing their biggest ever defeat of the Knights. Despite missing the finals for three consecutive seasons, a crowd of 23,339 packed CommBank Stadium to watch as the Jason Ryles-coached team claimed their fifth win in the last seven matches to consign the Knights to the wooden spoon with a 66-10 romp. Mitchell Moses and Josh Addo-Carr both scored hat-tricks.  

79 min: Penisini celebrated his 100th game with a penalty try after Knights captain Tyson Frizell knocked the ball from his grasp over the tryline - only to be ruled to have been offside. Brown redeemed himself with the conversion. Eels 66 Knights 10.

76 min: Hooker Tally De Silva scored but Brown missed the conversion attempt that would have given the Eels a club record winning margin against the Knights. Eels 60-4.

74 min: Addo-Carr has his hat-trick. Lomax converted from the sideline. Eels 56 Knights 12.

 

Crowd: 23,339

56 min: Knights winger Greg Marzhew scored after lead up work by Bradman Best. Eels 50 Knights 10.

50 min: Junior Paulo is gifted his first try of the season by fellow prop Charlie Guymer. Eels 50 Knights 4.

47 min: Addo-Carr does it all himself this time, kicking ahead for himself and regathering to score. Eels 44 Knights 4.

45 min: Moses has turned provider for Addo-Carr, with a perfectly weighted chip kick for the star winger who caught the ball on the full as he crossed the tryline. Eels 38 Knights 4.

36 min: Moses has his third try of the match after backing up a long range break by Josh Addo-Carr. Eels 34 Knights 4.

28 min: Jermaine McEwen stemmed the flow with a try for the Knights but the respite was brief as the visitors lost fullback Fletcher Hunt with a Category 1 HIA, followed by halfback Jack Cogger. Eels 22 Knights 4.

21 min: Ryley Smith dummies his way over from dummy half for his first NRL try. Eels 22 Knights 0. 

17 min: Moses has his second try after starting and finishing a movement in which he passed to centre Will Penisini, who sent winger Zac Lomax racing away before passing back to Penisini, whose inside pass went to ground but was picked up by Moses. Lomax converted. Eels 16 Knights 0.

5 min: Eels halfback Mitchell Moses has raced 70m out of dummy half to score a brilliant individual try but he didn't have the energy to run the ball under the posts. Lomax missed the conversion from out wide. Eels 10 Knights 0.

2 min: The Eels have the perfect start as Dylan Brown has shown Knights fans what they will be getting next year with a try in the opening set of the game. Lomax converted. Eels 6 Knights 0.

Final line-ups

Eels: In his final game for Parra, Dylan Brown lines up at five-eighth against the club he is joining next year. Brown's last game in the No.6 jersey was in Round 19 against the Panthers. The Eels have won seven of their last eight games against the Knights. No late changes.

Knights: Prop Leo Thompson has returned to New Zealand on compassionate grounds due to personal reasons and has been replaced by Tyson Frizell in the front row. Mat Croker joins the starting side at lock and Cody Hopwood is the new face on the bench on NRL debut. James Schiller is 18th man.

Dolphins v Raiders at Kayo Stadium

78 min: Late tries by Isaako and Averillo completed the 62-24 point win for the Dolphins. Dolphins 62 Raiders 24.

68 min: Roddy has scored his second try. Dolphins 52 Raiders 24.

66 min: Raiders debutant Joe Roddy powered into space to score his first NRL try. Dolphins 52 Raiders 18.

63 min: The Raiders are going to have to become the first team in history to concede 50 points and win a premiership after Naufahu crossed for his second try. Isaako missed the conversion. Dolphins 52 Raiders 12.

62 min: Tabuai-Fidow has left the field with a suspected MCL injury, leaving him one short of Mark Nawaqanitawase's 23 try haul for the season. 

58 min: Nicholls has gifted a try back to the Raiders after losing the ball near his own line for rookie secondrower Noah Martin to charge over and score. Dolphins 48 Raiders 12. 

56 min: Nicholls has scored on his first touch after hooker Jeremy Marshall-King ran a reverse play with Nikorima. Nicholls converted his own try. Dolphins 48 Raiders 6.

55 min: Mark Nicholls is on for the last 25 minute stint of his career.

52 min: The Hammer has got his third try and 22nd of the season after Naufahu picked up a loose ball and passed inside to his centre partner who accelerated past Matty Nicholson and Chevy Stewart to score. Isaako converted. Dolphins 42 Raiders 6.

45 min: The Dolphins have hit back through forward Ray Stone, who charged over from close range. Isaako converted. Dolphins 36 Raiders 6.

41 min: The perfect start to the second half for the Raiders after debutant Michael Asomua picked up a dropped pass from Fuller to Isaako to score. Sanders converted. Dolphins 30 Raiders 6.

Halftime summary

The Dolphins are on track for their 12th win of 2025 and best finish to a season after a razzle dazzle opening 40 minutes against an undermanned Raiders outfit. Showing why they are one of the best attacking teams in the NRL, the Dolphins have made eight first half line breaks as halfback Isaiya Katoa, fullback Trai Fuller, left centre Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and winger Tevita Naufahu constantly threaten the defence. After scoring two tries, Tabuai-Fidow (21 tries) needs two more to join Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase (23) as the leading tryscorer of the season. Isaako is again the leading pointscorer and goalkicker has so far added five conversions to his tally of 258 points.

39 min: Tabuai-Fidow has his second try after Isaako intercepted an Ethan Sanders try near his own tryline and raced to halfway. In the next play, Fuller combined with Katoa to shift the ball quickly to the star centre who scored. Isaako converted. Dolphins 30 Raiders 0.

37 min: Smithies is on report for a cannonball tackle on Josh Kerr.

35 min: Tabuai-Fidow is the next to score after picking up a loose ball from a fumble by Raiders rookie Manaia Waitere of a Nikorima kick and diving over for a try. Isaako landed his fourth conversion from as many attempts. Dolphins 24 Raiders 0.  

30 min: Averillo is the next to score after finishing a sweeping movement in which Katoa spun out of the tackle of Kris before passing to secondrower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, who sent the righ centre spearing towards the corner. Dolphins 18 Raiders 0.

25 min: The Dolphins best attacking players Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Fuller have combined to send Oryn Keeley racing away to score. Dolphins 12 Raiders 0.

21 min: English forward Morgan Smithies has been held up in the Raiders best scoring chance so far. 

14 min: Corey Horsburgh's first captain's challenge is unsuccessful.

9 min: Tevita Naufahu has opened the scoring for the Dolphins after Katoa held up a pass for five-eighth Kodi Nikorima who threw a cutout ball for the rookie winger to cross in the corner. Jamayne Isaako converted from the sideline. Dolphins 6 Raiders 0.

7min: The Dolphins had blown another chance after centre Jake Averillo was unable to hold a pass from halfback Isaiya Katoa.

1 min: The match has started in stunning fashion with the Dolphins almost scoring in the first set and Trai Fuller producing a spectacular dive and flick back to stop an in-goal kick from going deal only for the ball to go to Raiders centre Seb Kris.

Dolphins chasing best season finish 

It’s a must-win game for the Dolphins on Sunday as they work towards their most successful season in its short history after being ruled out of finals contention. Kristian Woolf’s side face the Minor Premiers, the Raiders, in front of a sold-out Kayo Stadium. The Dolphins currently sit 10th and need a win to leapfrog the Sea Eagles to hit the club's highest season finish so far. In the club's inaugural year they ran 13th before climbing to 10th in 2024.

Teams finalised

Dolphins: With the Dolphins out of finals contention following the Roosters' win, star centre Herbie Farnworth won't return from the hamstring injury he suffered in Round 22. Farnworth had been named in the extended saquad but dropped out on Saturday. Back-rower Kulikefu Finefuiaki (ankle) returns to fill the void left by Connelly Lemuelu (knee). James Walsh is 18th man.

Raiders: A fourth debutant has come into the side on Wednesday with Kain Anderson added to the bench. Fellow first-gamer Manaia Waitere moves into the starting side and Matt Timoko will be rested along with Kaeo Weekes, Jed Stuart, Ethan Strange, Jamal Fogarty, Joe Tapine, Tom Starling, Simi Sasagi, Josh Papalii, Zac Hosking and Hudson Young. Winger Michael Asomua and bench forward Joe Roddy are the other debutants. Vena Patuki-Case is the 18th man.