NRL 2023: The biggest moments of the season, Panthers, Nathan Cleary, Broncos, Bulldogs, Cameron Ciraldo, Rabbitohs, Sam Burgess, Dally M Medal, Kalyn Ponga, Warriors, Shaun JohnsonThe 2023 season was action-packed with plenty of high and lows and that culminated in one of the best grand finals of all time.
But fast forward to the first week of finals and South Sydney weren’t playing after inexplicably falling out of the top eight. It came just days before Souths needed to beat arch rivals the Roosters in the final round to book their finals berth. They lost 26-12.Almost every rugby league fan thought Warriors veteran Shaun Johnson’s name was engraved on the Dally M Medal. But Kalyn Ponga had other ideas and his late surge saw him pop the halfback at the post, beating him by a single point accrued in the final round.
The Knights charged to a fifth-placed finished on the ladder and hosted the Raiders in the first week of finals who they beat in an extra time thriller. The Bulldogs only won another five games all season as star No. 6 Matt Burton struggled without a reliable halves partner.