SEN's top eight NRL moments of 2024

As season 2024 draws to a close, SEN looks back at some of the biggest moments from the NRL season that was.

The NRL went truly international in 2024 before seeing great achievements from both players and teams in Australia and New Zealand.

See SEN's top eight list below, recapping the rollercoaster year that was 2024.

8. Hughes and Kernick win the Dally M

The Dally M awards are one of the most hotly contested and debated nights of the NRL calendar. Did the judges get it right? Who was robbed? Who was lucky to be there?

It's rare that the rugby league community so widely agrees on who should win one of the game's most prestigious awards, but this year, not only did we agree, but they were rewarded too.

Jahrome Hughes was the run-away favourite for the game's top gong, enjoying an incredible year consisting of 31 try assists, 12 tries, and 21 line breaks as he led the Storm to the minor premiership while missing Cameron Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen for much of the year.

He narrowly beat out Roosters' fullback James Tedesco by a single vote in the final round, but Hughes was a deserved winner.

Similarly, Olivia Kernick enjoyed a dominant season.

The Roosters' second rower had a brilliant 2024 which saw her win not only many personal accolades but also win the NRLW premiership and be awarded representative honours at Origin level.

Kernick beat out Parramatta fullback Abbi Church for the award, but was snubbed from the Australian team at the end of the season, shocking fans and pundits alike.

7. Xavier Coates aerial try

It's not often the try of the year is scored in the second round but no one could compete with Xavier Coates's miraculous aerial try against the Warriors.

Coates, already known for his acrobatics and ability to score from range, leapt from almost five metres out, over opposition winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, to ground the ball in the corner narrowly before his arm hit the ground.

To top that, the freakish try also won the Storm the game, giving the team a four-point lead with 15 seconds remaining.

Don't you just love rugby league.

6. Spoon Bowl

If you'd have told us at the start of the season that one of the most anticipated games of the year was a final round battle for the wooden spoon, we wouldn't have believed you.

But there we were in Round 27 with that being exactly the case.

After a down year, the Eels and Tigers met in the final round, tied for last. The equation was simple: win and avoid the spoon, lose and win the award no one wants.

And the winner after 80 minutes? Rugby league.

5. Luke Brooks plays finals footy

It only took 230 NRL games and a change of club, but after an 11-year wait, Luke Brooks finally tasted finals footy.

It was a long-time coming for the former Wests Tigers halfback, who holds the unwanted record for playing the most games of any player before experiencing finals.

The moment finally came for Brooks as he shifted to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, playing the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in an elimination final at Accor Stadium.

In front of 50,714 people, Brooks would win his first final in an epic 24-22 showdown and even garnered a congratulatory press release from the Wests Tigers on winning his first final.

4. Papua New Guinea expansion confirmed

It was a long time coming for Papua New Guinea after a year of speculation, false starts, and nearly theres, but eventually the country got their wish; they would be joining the NRL in 2028.

PNG is the only country in the world where rugby league is their national sport, and the decision was confirmed in mid-December in a press conference between Australian PM Anthony Albanese and PNG PM James Marape.

The deal between the two countries looms as a $600 million geopolitical chess move to solidify Australia's position in the Pacific, but for the NRL it brings up the challenge of scheduling, luring players to the team, and how to house players and staff.

While details on these are yet to be confirmed, NRL fans can still eagerly anticipate the eighteenth team's addition in four seasons time.

3. Tonga v Australia compete in the Pacific Championships Final

Over a month after the NRL grand final, rugby league was still producing incredible spectacles in the final of the Pacific Championships.

In its second year, crowds of red and white flocked to Commbank Stadium to watch Tonga take on Australia. What the crowd of 28,815 saw was the arrival of Tonga as a genuine contender on a world stage, and the importance of embracing cultures within rugby league.

The majority-Tongan crowd sang and passionately supported their team both around the streets of Parramatta and in the ground as the sea of red and white inspired their team to challenge 2023's runners-up.

Australia would ultimately prevail 20-14 victors, but more than that, the game proved the future of international rugby league is incredibly alive and will only grow in the years to come.

2. Panthers achieve the four-peat

The Penrith Panthers achieved what no other team in the NRL era had in 2024; win an incredible four premierships in a row.

Only two other teams in the history of the game had achieved such a feat, the Dragons (1956-1966) and the Rabbitohs (1925-1929), staking the Panthers' place in history as undeniably one of the greatest teams in history.

Second-rower Liam Martin was awarded the Clive Churchill medal after the Panthers' 14-6 win over the Melbourne Storm, as the greatest team of the NRL era basked in the familiar aura of premiership glory.

The question remains though: can the Panthers win five in a row?

Honourable Mentions: Shaun Johnson's final game, the Bulldogs' breaking their finals drought, and Michael Maguire returning the Origin shield to NSW

1. The NRL debuts in Las Vegas

For the first time in NRL premiership history, the game ventured to the United States of America in an effort to grow the game into one of the biggest sporting markets in the world.

Round 1 of the competition was split into two weeks as four clubs undertook the unprecedented task of playing their first match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

It was a successful first step for the game, with 40,746 fans from around the world travelling to be a part of history. The games also broke a spate of viewership records in Australia.

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles walked away 36-24 victors over the South Sydney Rabbitohs, while the Sydney Roosters beat the Brisbane Broncos 20-10.

It was the first of a five-year plan from the NRL as they hope to break into the American market.

Thanks for joining SEN for season 2024. Bring on 2025!