2016 NRL

Matthews out indefinitely with dislocated hip

Matthews was taken from ANZ Stadium on a medi-cab after being caught in an awkward tackle seven minutes from half-time.

It's a cruel blow for Matthews who was coming off his best season since making his NRL debut in 2008.

The injury is the latest setback for the Dragons who are also dealing with a casualty ward that includes Drew Hutchison (knee) and Yaw Kiti Glymin (shoulder) who are both expected to be out long term.

"He's got a dislocated hip, unfortunately. It's something that's come out of the game that's terrible," McGregor said after the game.

Penrith's Zak Hardaker to return to English Super League

The 2015 Man of Steel played 11 games for Penrith last season - 10 of them off the bench – after joining the Panthers midway through the year on loan from Leeds Rhinos.

Hardaker, who scored 67 tries in 155 games for Leeds, managed just one four pointer for the Panthers.

He has signed a one-year loan deal with the Castleford Tigers after NRL clubs baulked at the $525,000 transfer fee Leeds was seeking.

"There is no doubt he is an outstanding rugby league player," Tigers head coach Daryl Powell said.

Updated team lists: Storm v Sharks

There are no late changes for the Storm, with Young Tonumaipea, Slade Griffin, Matt White, Felise Kaufusi, and Ryan Morgan out of the wider squad named mid-week.

The Sharks are also unchanged, 1-17, with Kurt Capewell and Joseph Paulo dropping off the extended bench named on Tuesday.

Melbourne Storm:

1 Cameron Munster

2 Suliasi Vunivalu

3 Will Chambers

4 Cheyse Blair

5 Marika Koroibete

6 Blake Green

7 Cooper Cronk

8 Jesse Bromwich

9 Cameron Smith (c)

10 Jordan McLean

11 Kevin Proctor

Finucane chasing lost opportunities

The rugged Storm back-rower will head into Sunday's NRL grand final as hungry as anyone to finally lay his hands on the Provan-Summons Trophy.

Having already tasted grand final defeat twice during his three years at Canterbury, the lure of a premiership win drives the 25-year-old Bega product.

He revealed he came close to signing with the Storm five years ago after coming through the Bulldogs junior ranks, which would have put him on the opposite side of the ledger during the 2012 grand final.

No changes expected for Sharks, Cowboys

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan said skipper Paul Gallen would be a certain starter for the grand final qualifier despite missing their last-start win over the Raiders with a back injury.

"Gal's been fine since last Friday," Flanagan confirmed.

"He would have been pushing to play if we had to play last week. He had a really good session on Friday and then another good one on Sunday. There's no problem there at all."

North Queensland Cowboys beat South Sydney Rabbitohs 20-0

The Rabbitohs rarely fired a shot at the defending premiers in front of a strong crowd at Barlow Park in Cairns, who instead watched Cowboys skipper Johnathan Thurston put on a signature clinic.

The Queensland State of Origin star scored a try and had a hand in another, helping the visitors consolidate their spot in the top four before getting a well-deserved early mark in the 75th minute.

Bright future for young Bronco Su'A

Su'A debuted for the Broncos in Round 12 against the Wests Tigers, replacing the Origin-bound Matt Gillett, and the exciting forward received his second start for Brisbane last weekend in the Broncos' 40-14 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. 

In the process, Su'A became the youngest forward to start a match in the nearly three-decade history of the Broncos.

At just age 18 and 216 days, Su'A has already made his impact at the club and if it wasn't for a shoulder injury in the Holden Cup in Round 13, he may have already had more than two NRL matches to his name. 

Reynolds facing a month out

Reynolds came from the field 16 minutes from full-time nursing his right arm with Blues coach Laurie Daley expecting that his No.7 would be unavailable to play in Game Three of the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series on July 13 back in Sydney.

Reynolds will have scans on his shoulder when he returns to Sydney on Thursday but if the Blues' early diagnosis proves to be accurate the earliest he would be able to return would be in Round 19 against the Broncos by which time the Rabbitohs' semi-final hopes could already have evaporated.

Parker emotional about retirement

The Broncos' captain will retire at the end of the 2016 NRL season, with his illustrious career including 17 games for Queensland, 13 for Australia and 336 for Brisbane. 

These totals are set to rise, with Parker ready to take on the Blues in Game Two of Holden State of Origin in what will most likely be his second last game in Maroon. 

Wednesday night will now be Parker's representative farewell at his home ground, adding to Queensland's motivation to claim their 10th Origin series win in 11 years. 

Life on tour readies Simpkins for NRL return

Simpkins has been named on an extended bench for the Titans' clash with Manly-Warringah at Cbus Super Stadium on Monday night after playing six games off the bench for Gold Coast last season.

In that time he became a favoured utility option for coach Neil Henry before a ruptured ACL against Penrith in Round 7 brought his season to a premature end. A broken jaw early in the season whilst playing for Tweed Heads in the Intrust Super Cup delayed his NRL return even further but he travelled with the team on their cross-country expedition to Perth and Darwin.