Rugby League's big weekend: The Koori Knockout, NRLW and NRL grand finals explained

Rugby league fans are in for a big weekend.

The NRL and NRLW grand finals, as well as the Koori Knockout, are on the agenda, as fans from across the country descend on NSW for the competitions.

The men's decider will see the Sydney Roosters face the Newcastle Knights, while the women's match features the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos.

In the Koori Knockout, which has already kicked off, 180 teams across men's, women's and juniors will compete.

Here's what to know ahead of the blockbuster weekend of league.

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The women's decider will take place on Sunday 4 October at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The NRLW officially started in 2018 and has since grown significantly from four teams to 12, featuring clubs across Australia and New Zealand.

The Roosters and Broncos are meeting at the grand final again after Brisbane defeated Sydney in last year's decider.

What time does the NRLW grand final start in each state and territory?

Where can you watch the NRLW grand final?

It will be shown exclusively on Channel 9 and its online platform 9Now.

The men's match will follow the women's decider on Sunday evening at Stadium Australia.

The Knights will look to secure their first premiership in 25 years, while the Roosters are chasing victory after their back-to-back successes in 2018 and 2019.

What time does the NRL grand final start in each state and territory?

Where can you watch the NRL grand final?

It will be shown exclusively on Channel 9 and its online platform 9Now. It will not be shown on platforms like Kayo or Fox Sports.

What's the pre-game entertainment?

It seemed the match might go without pre-match entertainment after talks broke down with Australian artist Tones and I.

However, new NRL executive chairman Peter V'landys later teased a mystery 11-minute show.

"I've got to tell you it'll be the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see, because no one knows what it is, and we won't tell until the night," he told reporters earlier this week.

The NRL is expected to honour retired South Sydney Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow, who stepped down this year following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND), a fatal neurodegenerative condition.

The show will reportedly feature a range of Australian music acts including pop star Amy Shark, Newcastle band The Screaming Jets and electronic duo Peking Duk, forming a tribute to Arrow.

The appearance fees for each artist will reportedly be donated to MND causes.

The Koori Knockout is one of the largest and most significant gatherings of First Nations peoples on the Koori calendar.

This year's Koori Knockout is being held on Worimi Country in Raymond Terrace — a town in NSW's Hunter region — from Friday 2 October through to Monday 5 October.

The reigning champions, the Newcastle Yowies, are hosting the event at King Park Sporting Complex.

The event is expected to bring tens of thousands of people to the region across the weekend.

The event has also been recognised as a pathway for emerging Indigenous rugby league talent, with NRL stars including Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Josh Addo-Carr, Jack Wighton and Greg Inglis among some of the big names who have taken to the field at the Knockout.

NITV is the exclusive broadcaster of the 2026 Koori Knockout, with coverage available across NITV, SBS On Demand and NITV's digital platforms.

Viewers can watch the men's and women's matches from 9am AEST on Sunday. That's 8.30am in South Australia, 8am in Queensland, 7.30am in the Northern Territory and 6am in Western Australia.

— With reporting by Lowanna Grant