{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a15205083dd9b6e117ccb7e/6ac40dd16c844f245fa0bfd4?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"ROOSTERS ARE PREMIERS! GRAND FINAL DRAMA, PONGA CONTROVERSY & TEDESCO’S LEGACY","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6a15205083dd9b6e117ccb7e/1791233449213-e9247c55-6ca8-4e36-8898-5837bf27f162.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>The 2026 NRL season is over, with the Sydney Roosters crowned premiers after a dramatic Grand Final win over the Newcastle Knights.</p><p>On the season finale of Down the Sideline, we unpack the Grand Final from every angle. Did Newcastle let the premiership slip away? How did the Roosters turn the match around? And where does this decider rank among the great Grand Finals?</p><p>We debate whether Kalyn Ponga should have been sin-binned, whether the Grand Final was refereed differently to the regular season, and who really deserved the Clive Churchill Medal.</p><p>There’s also the big legacy discussion: where does James Tedesco now rank among the greatest fullbacks of all time, and what does a premiership-winning farewell mean for Daly Cherry-Evans?</p><p>Plus, Tim reacts to the wall-to-wall Knights coverage, we compare the NRL and AFL Grand Final entertainment, and finish with our way-too-early predictions for the 2027 season.</p>","author_name":"David Boldeman"}