NRL news 2024 | Valentine Holmes release request, Dragons offer; Cowboys v Broncos; Wayne Bennett golden point; Exclusive to The Mole

READ MORE: The jury comments on Raygun’s zero-point performance

Holmes did not look as though he was fully committed to the cause, and who could blame him after receiving the offer to return to Sydney with the Dragons just days earlier?

The Cowboys are partly to blame for allowing him to negotiate with rival clubs even though his contract ran through 2025. They should have told him to wait until the end of the season to consider his options.

Clinging to a place at the bottom of the last eight, the Cowboys were humiliated at home by a Broncos side that had finally hit its peak after weeks of struggle.

Bittersweet moment for Wayne

There was no greater critic of Golden Point than Wayne Bennett, but the concept may well have enabled the Dolphins to advance to the football finals on Sunday.

In a thriller against the Warriors, a thunderous field goal from Sean O'Sullivan in the 84th minute gave the Phins an epic 34-32 victory.

Watch the 2024 NRL Championship live and free on Nine and 9Now.

The victory ended a months-long drought and the Dolphins overtook the Dragons and finished in eighth place.

The Dolphins have a much better record than the Dragons, so if they continue to win in the final weeks of the season, they will be guaranteed a place in the final.

And maybe then Uncle Wayne will think that Golden Point isn't such a bad thing after all.

Early goal for the Blues

It's early days, but Jacob Preston has a compelling case for selection at the Blues State of Origin in 2025.

The dynamic backrow forward has been one of the driving forces behind the Bulldogs' stunning turnaround this season and was in his element in the impressive win over the Dragons at Kogarah on Saturday night.

Preston demonstrated its performance by not taking a single break during the entire 80 minutes.

The 22-year-old was the Canterbury team's energizer, leading the tackle count and running over 100 metres as the Bulldogs defeated the Dragons.

The boy is tough enough for Origin and will no doubt catch the eye of Blues coach Michael Maguire.

Brooks has been waiting for a place in the final

After a decade of frustration, Luke Brooks is now close enough to the finals to get a taste of it, and his form shows it.

Brooks was the most dangerous player on the field as the Sea Eagles recorded an impressive 46-24 victory over the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday afternoon.

The former Tigers veteran scored a clever solo try and was involved in three more as the Manly speed machine swept the Raiders off the field.

Brooks and Manly are a perfect fit – he has taken a lot of pressure off his “old” colleague Daly Cherry-Evans and given Manly’s fast full-backs Tom Trbojevic, Jason Saab and Reuben Garrick time and space.

Can Cleary be stopped?

Rival clubs have less than two months to figure out how to stop the NRL's Harry Houdini – Penrith Panthers prodigy Nathan Cleary.

The star halfback was responsible for two of the greatest escapes of all time last year – the 2023 final and the epic victory over arch-rivals Parramatta on Friday night.

Just like in last year's playoff game, the Panthers were dead and buried in Parra with 10 minutes to go.

But just as the Eels fans were about to pop the champagne corks, Cleary decided to press go. The results were disastrous.

With Cleary at No. 7, the Panthers will NEVER be beaten and those two memorable performances will come in handy for the Storm and Roosters in the final series as the battle for the title heats up.

The timely run of the Storm star

Ryan Papenhuyzen has put the Premier League on high alert. He is back in top form just in time for the final.

The Storm superstar has suffered a disastrous injury crisis in recent years but showed all his old verve in the 28-16 win over Souths at Homebush on Thursday night.

The lightning-quick player has only played 29 games since the start of 2022 and there were fears he would never regain his speed and confidence after a series of serious leg injuries.

But “Paps” caused a sensation in the game against the Bunnies with his electrifying speed at the Accor Stadium and thus became a threat to all the other clubs chasing the crown in the final in September.

Fitz' decisive victory

The Sharks' 44-0 win on the Gold Coast on Friday night will go down in history as one of the greatest coaching performances of 2024.

With star midfielders Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall missing, the Sharks travelled to the coast to face the in-form Titans as clear underdogs.

But coach Craig Fitzgibbon remained calm. He relied on newcomer Daniel Atkinson and hooker Blayke Brailey as a halfback combination.

He brought Jack Williams off the bench for a rare starting position and was named man of the match.

To cap off a great night for the popular trainer, he made a last minute change to his 17 and let Toby Rudolf start, and the big guy got the first try!