The business end of the NRL is here with the finals series underway, with the annual sorting of the wheat and chaff. To keep an eye on the score, and the stats that mattered is our 2023 NRL Finals Week 1 Results and Stats Summary.
There’s a game by game summary, player stats comparisons, and more to catch up for every game. And the Team of the Week will e here when the weekend has ended.
So if you missed the game, or simply want to go beyond the scores, it’s our 2023 NRL Finals Week 1 Results and Stats Summary.
It was the 14th time a team has been kept to nil in a finals game since 1998. Interestingly Brisbane hold the record with four of those 14 occasions and Melbourne now have three.
Coincidentally, the last time Broncos played in a final they scored zero. (2019 v Parramatta 58-0).
It was Brisbane’s first win over Melbourne at home since 2009.
It was also Brisbane’s first win over Melbourne on a Friday since 2016. Their record is still only W4 L21.
It was only the second loss in 11 finals games for Melbourne on a Friday v any team.
Melbourne have now lost three finals games in a row.
Melbourne have also lost four of their past five games this season.
Broncos are the only team of the top eight from 2023 that have not lost a game while leading at half time.
Melbourne’s one line break is a new season low for a team in a specific round.
Reece Walsh made the most mistakes on Friday night. He also tops the season tally too.
PENRITH 32 WARRIORS 6
Penrith have now won 31 of their last 34 games on a Saturday since 2020. And all 11 games at Penrith Stadium on a Saturday since 2020.
Seven finals wins in a row for Penrith.
That’s three losses in a row in the finals for Warriors. Their last finals win was 2011. Good news for next weekend is the Warriors are four wins out of five at home in the finals.
It’s eight straight wins for the Panthers over Warriors since 2019. And ten of their last 11 at home v Warriors.
SHARKS 12 ROOSTERS 13
Cronulla have now lost six NRL Finals matches in a row. Their last win coming in 2018.
It’s five wins in a row for finals games on a Saturday for the Roosters.
Roosters have won their last two away finals games on a Saturday and kicked a field goal.
Roosters were as low as 14th in Round 22 before going on their finals charge of six wins in a row.
Roosters have won eight of their last nine v Sharks.
NEWCASTLE 30 CANBERRA 28
Canberra bettered Newcastle in every one of our key stats below except final score. In fact, the Raiders were the only team to run for over 2,000 metres this weekend.
Newcastle have now won ten games in row – averaging 35 points for and 14 against.
The Knights continue their unbeaten record on a Sunday this season – 10 games. Eight of those wins have been at home.
That’s four losses out of five games for Canberra away on a Sunday this season, including losing their last three. And four losses out of five games v Newcastle away on a Sunday.
Going back to 2001, Newcastle have won five of their last six home finals.
Canberra have won just two of seven finals games on a Sunday, and one from six away.
Aside from a brief stint in the top eight in round 6, Newcastle only cracked the top eight as late as Round 23. They were 14th in Round 19.
2023 NRL Finals Week 1 Stats Summary
And here is a quick summary of all the team stats from the first week of the NRL finals.
The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile device held in the hand of a man with glasses in this illustration photo in Warsaw, Poland on 29 August, 2023. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Two housemates have decided to use TikTok to liven up a sick day.
Both nursing spring flu’s, Sarah and Zoey stayed home on Friday and created a TikTok challenge.
The challenge was simple: whoever watched the most TikTok videos (not including repeats) from 10am to 6pm, with the winner enjoying a free lunch paid for by the loser.
Bringing their chargers out so they wouldn’t run out of battery, both Sarah and Zoey hit the ground running, though they were in different rooms so they could hear the videos properly.
But the well-meaning challenge started to flag about 1pm. Following a hearty meal of homemade chicken soup, the effects of the flu took hold and both girls fell asleep.
Waking up four hours later, they decided to call it a draw and reschedule the challenge after they both felt better.
“I think we had about 50 videos each, which is a fair effort,” said Zoey. “Though I don’t quite remember as that soup got me pretty dozy.”
“Next time, we’re getting in Vonny (mutual friend Yvonne) to do up a fancy Excel sheet and keep score. We’ll make sure there’s a winner next time,” said Sarah.
Feeling better after ordering a greasy takeaway meal, Sarah and Zoey left their phones alone and watched a couple of movies before an early night.
An empty shelf usually stocked with tissue is seen at a supermarket in Melbourne on March 5, 2020. - COVID-19 coronavirus fears have triggered runs on several products, including hand sanitisers and face masks, with images of shoppers stacking trolleys with toilet rolls spreading on social media. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
An unemployed woman has received a much-needed wake-up call.
Bored at home one afternoon, Sharon decided to create some excitement.
Jumping onto a Facebook fan group she was in, she spread a rumour of an extra-marital affair between two other members.
While Sharon looked forward to an afternoon and evening of drama in the comments section, that was destroyed when the post was reported by another member, she was kicked out of the group, and hit with a 30-day Facebook ban.
Thought it turned out to be a good thing.
A month after the ban, Sharon has found a part-time job, working nightfill at her local supermarket.
“I realised that I was bored out of my skull and was spending my days watching trash TV and scrolling Facebook. I didn’t even know those people I accused of having an affair. They were just random people in our group,” Sharon said. “But I like the new job – it’s pretty easy and there’s some nice people I can talk to.”
While her ban has expired, Sharon is happy to stay off Facebook.
“I use email to stay in touch with family, so I don’t need Facebook anymore. I’m getting into a bunch of trashy romance novels instead – much better than scrolling on my phone.”
Everyday News is a brand new general news/parody section of The Gurgler, and definitely not a lame rip-off of ‘The Betoota Advocate’. We swear.
The Premier League season takes the first of the annoying and needless international breaks, and what a whirlwind first four weeks it has been. But before the latest round gets swallowed up by an International break, The Gurgler’s quick summary of the action with our 2023-24 Premier League Week 4 Results & Stats.
We have the results from the latest round, along with some key and interesting stats from the games. It will continue to evolve over the season until we offer up enough stats to reach the stage of more is less.
2023-24 Premier League Week 4 Results
2023-24 Premier League Week 4 Stats Summary
This is how the Premier League currently stands for key stats.
2023-24 Premier League Week 4 Results & Stats Summary by Game
Here are the game by game stats for the latest round of Premier League matches.
2023-24 Premier League Season Stats
Here are the best of the main stats by team for the season so far.
The sharp end of the 2023 NRL season is here, and surely that deserves one of our dives into data with our 2023 NRL Finals Week 1 Stats in Depth.
Our look into the first week of the NRL finals goes into each team’s record in the finals since 1998, H2H with this week’s opponent, key player match ups for stats, and some general 2023 NRL season stats. All that and more awaits.
The below are some visuals and facts for the top eight sides against the other top eight sides. A useful metric given that these teams will need to beat each other to win the title. Which side was best against the other top eight sides from 2023? Well, Penrith is the answer to that question. The Panthers only loss against this year’s top eight was v Brisbane in Round 1. But it is reasonably tight for the rest. Canberra and the Roosters come into NRL Finals Week 1 on the back of a losing run of three or more against the top eight sides.
Trouble for Cronulla as they are yet to beat the other top eight sides away from home. Some other key stats are that Melbourne on average scored the most points v other top eight sides, and Penrith’s defence got the Heart Foundation tick of approval for leanness. Averaging under 10 points a game against. Brisbane are the only top eight side who never left the top eight. And five of the eight teams have been in the bottom four at some stage.
LADDER POSITION FOR TOP EIGHT SIDES IN 2023
FINALS WINNING RECORD FROM 1998
Here is the Finals wining record for all teams since 1998. And the top team may surprise you.
MATCH BY MATCH STATS
BRISBANE BRONCOS v MELBOURNE STORM
The Broncos threw away a chance at a minor premiership last weekend, and if the intention was to avoid the Storm is week one of the finals, it didn’t work. Their punishment is another game against the Storm, a team who the Broncos have a dreadful record against. Melbourne have won 14 times in a row v Brisbane, and the Broncos’ record at Suncorp Stadium is even worse, without a win at home since 2009. You could argue Melbourne haven’t been at their best this season, but still the wins v Broncos roll on. Can the electric Broncos hold it together against the rumbling thunder of the Melbourne Storm?
FINALS RECORD (including Finals H2H)
KEY PLAYER H2H STATS
The first player stats match up sees the fast and furious Reece Walsh up against the cool and collected Nick Meaney. Followed by two of the NRL’s most experienced playmakers in Cameron Munster and Adam Reynolds. Wrapped up by a H2H comparison of two men mountains in Payne Haas and an even bigger NAS.
PENRITH PANTHERS v NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
The Warriors bandwagon flies into Penrith but they face an uphill task at the foot of the mountains. Penrith have lost just one game against the rest of this season’s top eight. Plus Penrith have won six finals games straight and taken two premierships. Coincidentally, the Warriors last finals game was in 2018 and was a loss to the Panthers.
FINALS RECORD (including Finals H2H)
KEY PLAYER H2H STATS
The NRL’s most reliable fullback Dylan Edwards may not have made 193 assists this season, but he has certainly been outstanding, so he features in one of the three key player match ups. A battle royale of Dally M wannabes showcases the halfback battle between Nathan Cleary and Shaun Johnson. Plus the engine room is covered with key prop v prop stats of two of New Zealand’s finest.
CRONULLA SHARKS v SYDNEY ROOSTERS
An all Sydney affair in the Shire with the Roosters making a late charge to the final eight. But interestingly both these teams have poor recent records in the finals. Cronulla have lost five finals matches in row, including a clean sweep of losses last season. The Roosters have won just one of their last five finals matches. Cronulla are also yet to beat the Roosters in finals matches from 1998.
FINALS RECORD (including Finals H2H)
KEY PLAYER H2H STATS
The Sharks – Roosters player match ups features last season’s Dally M winner in Nicho Hynes up against a potential match winner in Luke Keary. Plus an unsung forward H2H.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS v CANBERRA RAIDERS
In form Newcastle arrive into a home final that looked unlikely a few months ago on the back of nine straight wins. The Raiders are coming into the finals on the back of two wins in their last seven games.
FINALS RECORD (including Finals H2H)
KEY PLAYER H2H STATS
Kalyn Ponga has been a big part of Newcastle’s revival, so the player H2H starts with the numbers ones. Next up is two centres who have had a great 2023. Finally, two game breakers to round out the NRL Finals Week 1 stats.
2023 TOP TEAM STATS
Here are the best team stats for the 2023 NRL season from just the teams from the top eight for 2023.
2023 TOP PLAYER STATS
Here are the best player stats for the 2023 NRL season from just the players from the top eight sides.
The regular NRL season is over and now it is time for some serious winning and losing with an NRL Premiership up for grabs. And to help with the winning here is our 2023 NRL Finals Week 1 Tips Predictions & Stats.
Each week we offer up a quick preview glance for each match, a bunch of barely interesting stats, probably more than one could ever need or want. So read on for tips and stats to help you find a winner.
Here we take the best points of interest for each match coming up this weekend, and share them with you for no cost. Feel free to share with friends and family.
BRISBANE v MELBOURNE
Melbourne have won 14 in a row v Brisbane, and the Broncos have conceded 30 points or more in 11 of those losses and 40 points in six.
Melbourne have also won 13 in a row at Suncorp Stadium v Brisbane. The Broncos last won v Storm at Suncorp Stadium in 2009.
Brisbane won the first game between these sides in the month of September in 1998, and lost all eight games since.
Melbourne have lost three of their last four games on a Friday and their last two games away on a Friday.
But Melbourne have won 14 in a row in Queensland on a Friday. The Storm last lost on a Friday in Qld in 2010.
PENRITH v WARRIORS
Penrith have the best winning record v all other finalists with ten wins from 11 games. Just the opening round loss to the Broncos their only blemish.
Penrith have won ten games in a row at Penrith Stadium on a Saturday with their last loss coming in August 2018 v Newcastle.
Penrith have won nine of their last ten home games v Warriors.
Penrith have won five in a row at home v Warriors on a Saturday with the last loss coming in 2011.
Prior to last weekend’s loss to the Dolphins, Warriors had won six in a row on he road.
Warriors have also won their last five away games v Sydney clubs.
Going back to 2012, the Warriors have won just two of 15 games in September.
CRONULLA v ROOSTERS
Roosters have won six straight on a Saturday v Cronulla. The Sharks have won just six of 26 on a Saturday v Roosters.
Cronulla have won just two of 13 Saturday home games v Roosters since 1998.
Roosters have won four in a row v Sydney teams.
NEWCASTLE v CANBERRA
Newcastle have won their last nine games.
Newcastle have won all nine games n Sunday this year. The only other side with a 100% record is Penrith.
Canberra have lost five of the their last seven.
Canberra come into the finals series having lost five in a row against their fellow finalists.
2023 NRL Season Stats
FINAL LADDER
SEASON FORM STATS v ONLY OTHER TOP EIGHT SIDES
Here is our usual form stats, but this is limited to the finalists and their record this season v other finalists.
SEASON FORM STATS
The usual NRL season form summary but limited to the final eight sides.
Here are The Gurgler’s 2023 Italian Grand Prix Ratings – our way of rating the performances of all the drivers from the most recent race.
Our G-Power Rankings goes a little bit deeper than just points scored on the Sunday. We take on board Free Practice, Qualifying, performance in relation to team mate, fastest lap, and a few more stats that are attempting to highlight a driver outperforming the car and/or thrashing their team mate.
Plus, we have a range of stats and barely interesting facts from the 2023 F1 Season so far.
A full explanation on what is included and the points awarded is below the visuals and hey, why not catch up with the race summary below.
Here is the breakdown of the Driver of the Year points from the most recent race.
Here are the current overall standings for our Driver of the Year winner – the Martini Medal. Named in honour of one of F1’s most unsung heroes – Pierluigi Martini of Minardi fame.
We have the overall scores as they stand, plus a visual which shows the flow of each driver’s position throughout the season, plus a few points of interest below.
Race 14 2023 Italian Grand Prix Team Ratings
This is essentially using the same drivers stats but in reverse for the worst score, but taking out anything that is a H2H between the drivers.
And our annual award focuses on the other end of the grid, highlighting the worst team of the season.
Of course, the worst team of the season award needs to be named after the worst F1 team of all time. And if you want to fund out more about Andrea Moda, follow this link.
A solid Andrea Moda Medal class win for Alpine at the Italian Grand Prix. Alpha Tauri are gradually getting cloer to removing themselves from last.
Yuki Tsunoda has dropped 4 H2H points since the replacement of Nyck de Vries. Prior to that he was right up the top for beating his team mate.
McLaren have halved their average qualifying spot since Round 10.
Liam Lawson is yet to gain or lose a place on the first lap.
Watch out for Charles Leclerc in Singapore given he has the best average grid position on street tracks again this season.
Here are the choicest of cuts from the F1 data we compile for season 2023, we a few hand picked barely interesting points to share below.
PRE/POST SILVERSTONE QUALIFYING COMPARISON
Since many teams brought big updates for the British Grand Prix, so we thought we’d take a look to see whose changes are working best. By comparing the % gap to pole position from before the British Grand Prix and after.
DRIVER 2023 H2H RECORD
Beating your team mate in F1 is very important, which is why we keep an eye on the H2H stats through the season.
2023 F1 QUALIFYING
Here our qualifying analysis covers just about everything we could find on qualifying.
QUALIFYING SUMMARY
QUALIFYING BY SESSION
QUALIFYING COMPARISON – GRID POSITION x AVERAGE GAP TO POLE POSITION
QUALIFYING DRIVER COMPARISONS – BY TRACK TYPE AND GRID POS BY SEASON
QUALIFYING BY TEAM AND TRACK TYPE
FIRST LAP POSITION GAINS
Races can’t be won or lost at the first corner, well actually they can be lost at the first corner, and a good one can make all the difference.
So here are the stats on the lightning fast starters and the slow poke.
FASTEST LAP STATS
Want to know more about the drivers in race trim? Well here are some Fastest Lap details.
FREE PRACTICE
Races can’t be won or lost at the first corner, well actually they can be lost at the first corner, and a good one can make all the difference.
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings – Points Explanation
Here’s how the points work this season. Essentially the perfect race (Win from Pole, Fastest Lap, thrash team mate, best in race etc) should amount to the perfect 100 points.
FIRST LAP GAINS +0.5pts per position gained -0.5pts per position lost.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS – 25pts to 1pt as per World Championship – Sprint Race Points added.
BEAT TEAM MATE (RACE) – 10pts (if both finish or other driver got self inflicted DNF)
FASTEST LAP – 5pts – 1pt for top five drivers.
GRID POSITION TO RACE POSITION – formula +/- relative finish to grid
BEST OF THE REST (RACE) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
QUALIFYING – 20pts to 1pt – Grid Position 1 to 20.
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) – 5pts
BEST OF THE REST (QUALIFYING) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
GREAT/GRAPE – 5pts Great 2pts Honourable Mention -2Pts Dishonourable Mention -5Pts Grape
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Time Gap – Formula for % beaten team mate by
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Position – 0.5 Pts for every position team mate is beaten by. 0 points for second car.
FREE PRACTICE HERO – 10Pts to 1Pt – Average Position across all three practice sessions.
WIN FROM POLE – Bonus 5 Points
WIN FROM POLE WITH FASTEST LAP – Bonus 10 Points
DNF Not Driver or Team Fault Minus 2 Points
DNF CAUSED BY DRIVER/TEAM INCOMPETENCE Minus 5 Points
What an incredible final weekend of regular NRL action it was. Star performances, work horses giving it their all, well for the players who weren’t rested that is. But which players were the best of the best you ask? We try and make the stats do the talking, and separate the Wheat/Chaff to present the 2023 NRL Round 27 Player Stats and Team of the Week.
First we have our Team of the Week, which takes some of the key player stats from the weekend and using various scoring methods come up with the best players in their positions from the latest round of the NRL.
Then there’s additional player stats from this weekend and the best of the season so far for the ultimate NRL player stats summary.
2023 NRL Round 27 Player Stats & Team of the Week
2023 NRL Round 27 Team of the Week
So we’ve used the stats for each position and picked the best starting 13 players from the most recent round, the stats and points assigned are explained at the end.
On top of the best starting 13, we include the best four interchange players of the week. Seeing who has provided maximum impact from the bench.
Plus we throw in the players we thought were great but the stats did not.
2023 NRL Round 27 Player Stats
Want to see which players topped the key stats for the latest round of the NRL this weekend?
INTERESTING STATS FROM THIS ROUND
Tolutau Koula was the only player this season to run 300 metres+ in back to back games. Players clearing 300 metres in a game only happened eight time as it was.
Dom Young shared most line break with Alex Johnston (who topped this stats last season). The Newcastle winger made 14 line breaks in his last eight games from Round 20, while Johnston made just six in six.
Brendan Paikura set a new record for going on report in a single game with three.
Players making 100+ post contact metres this season only happened on ten occasions, and only Tino Fa’asuamaleaui did it twice, and he did it in back to back games to end the season.
2023 NRL Season Player Stats Summary
Here are the 2023 season stats for some of the key fields we had for the most recent round.
How the Team of the Week works
Want to know how we come up with the numbers to rank the players, the below table should explain hopefully.
MONZA - Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) (l-r) in action during the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit on September 3, 2023 in Monza, Italy. ANP SEM VAN DER WAL (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
Formula One headed to the temple of speed of the Monza circuit, which was appropriate as one of the fastest cars in F1 history continued their dominance and Max Verstappen created a new record for consecutive wins. But to go deeper than just the race result our summary covers the 2023 Italian Grand Prix Result for the big event and so much more.
This 2023 Italian Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the top laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – So it’s not Max Verstappen or a Red Bull on pole position. It’s Carlos Sainz 1st with Max Verstappen second and Charles Leclerc third. Ferrari look to have plugged everything in, and made sure everything is working this weekend. It’s a big weekend after all in front of their excitable fans. Will they stop Red Bull setting a new record for most race wins in a row?
Most notable non top three effort comes from Alex Albon in the Williams, who qualifies sixth. Liam Lawson too does a fine job in his first proper race weekend by qualifying in 12th, just one place behind Yuki Tsunoda.
Sunday is not great for Yuki Tsunoda who retires on the formation lap. He parks the car on the side of the track which delays the start. First with another formation lap, then the cars come to a full stop. Is the race fully red flagged? The cars have stopped so need to be restarted. Which means all the mechanics need to rush back onto the pit straight again. But in true F1 style, the gate to allow the mechanics onto the track was closed meaning nothing happened for a few minutes. 20 minutes later the race starts again.
At least the race will be quick once it gets going. it barely takes an hour and a quarter under normal circumstances.
GRID (Starting Order) – SAI VER LEC RUS PER ALB PIA HAM NOR ALO
Lap 1 – Pole sitter Carlos Sainz gets away well and keeps Max Verstappen in second, Charles Leclerc keeps third but is under pressure from George Russell who is under pressure from Sergio Perez. All the drivers do their best work in surviving the first corner. Not much change in order with Oscar Piastri moving ahead of Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris swapping positions. Nico Hulkenberg is up to 10th from 13th.
ORDER – SAI VER LEC RUS PER PIA ALB NOR HAM HUL
Lap 2 – Alex Albon takes his sixth place back from Oscar Piastri into the second chicane.
Lap 4 – Max Verstappen sets a fastest lap just as DRS is allowed. Something will be needed as the field stretches out on a track that isn’t known for overtaking being too easy. No car is more than two second behind the car in front at this point.
Lap 6 – Verstappen tries around the outside of Carlos Sainz going into the first chicane. Sainz has none of it and closes the door a little not very politely but is fair. Max complains a little on radio. Classic Max and pot kettle given some of his defending of positions in the past.
ORDER – SAI VER LEC RUS PER ALB PIA NOR HAM HUL
Lap 10 – Max Verstappen, not used to losing, is on the blub on team radio about the top end speed of the Ferraris. He probably needs to be patient, as it appears that the Ferraris are eating up their tyres.
Lap 11 – Pierre Gasly makes the first pitstop for tyres. It is delayed a little with equipment not working. He rejoins last. Bad race for Alpine as both cars were cut in Q1. Guanyu Zhou is next in an rejoins second last. That is the extent of the action right now, reporting on a pitstop.
Lap 14 – Sergio Perez gets past George Russell into the first chicane, but had to cut the chicane so then hands the place back before the second chicane. Looking at the replay, George Russell also cut the first chicane but not as badly as Perez.
Lap 15 – Max Verstappen gets past Carlos Sainz for the lead into the second chicane after an epic side by side battle for a third of a lap. Verstppen is one and a half seconds ahead after a lap and a half.
Lap 16 – Decent period for Red Bull as Sergio Perez makes a clean pass on George Russell into the first chicane. Further back Alex Albon pits from 6th and Lando Norris is complaining to his team his team mate being slower than him ahead.
ORDER – VER SAI LEC PER RUS PIA NOR HAM ALO BOT
Lap 20 – Carlos Sainz finally dumps his rubbish tyres for new boots. George Russell pits too. Both drivers come out behind Vallteri Bottas in 19th. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc pit next lap. The two Ferrari drivers almost touch at the first chicane, Max Verstappen returns in 6th.
Lap 22 – Sergio Perez pits from the temporary lead an returns behind the Ferraris again. X
Lap 23 – The McLarens pit on consecutive laps with the order reversed to Norris’ advantage. Replays actually show a small collision between the McLaren drivers in the first chicane as Piastri rejoins. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen overtakes Lewis Hamilton for the lead, which effectively means race is over. Lewis Hamilton has yet to pit.
ORDER – VER HAM SAI LEC PER RUS ALB NOR PIA ALO
Lap 28 – Lewis Hamilton pits and rejoins behind Fernando Alonso in 10th. Hamilton takes Fernando Alonso for 9th.
Lap 30 – Just for fun Max Verstappen sets a fastest lap. And has a six second lead. Well that part of the race is over. Luckily the battle for second is a three-way fight between the two Ferraris and Sergio Perez is interesting. On lap 31 Perez and Leclerc almost touch. Perez is for sure faster, but just can’t get past.
Lap 32 – What would we know. Sergio Perez cruises past Charles Leclerc into the first chicane.
Lap 35 – There really isn’t much happening. It’s not that the cars aren’t close, but they look so unlikely to overtake, so we’ll add some filler with an order instead..
ORDER – VER SAI PER LEC RUS ALB NOR RIC HAM ALO
Lap 38 – Lando Norris finally gets past Alex Albon at the first chicane, but cuts the chicane and gives the place back. Norris and Piastri keep hounding Albon to no result for a few laps. Lewis Hamilton is catching the McLarens now on his newer rubber.
Lap 40 – Max Verstappen is nine second in front of Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez is right on Carlos Sainz’s tail are pressuring him, but the Ferrari holding on desperately. Leclerc is just behind waiting for scraps.
Lap 41 – Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri collide going into the second chicane. They were side by side from the first chicane. Hamilton appeared to cut across Piastri under braking, to which Piastri agreed over radio. The McLaren driver was the big losers, as his front wing was now broken and had to pit for a new one. He drops to 14th. The stewards agree too, Hamilton gets a five second penalty.
ORDER – VER SAI PER LEC RUS ALB NOR HAM ALO BOT
Lap 44 – Sainz v Perez rages on. Norris v Alobn rages on.
Lap 45 – Perez looks to have overtaken Sainz for sure this time into the first chicane…..but no. The Red Bull cuts the chicane and has to hand back second place again. He’s getting pretty grumpy on the radio. Lewis Hamilton overtakes Lando Norris a lap after finding out about his five second penalty. He overtakes Albon on Lap 47 for sixth and has four laps left or so to make up the five second penalty.
Lap 46 – Sergio Perez finally overtakes Sainz for second. He immediately clears Sainz by a second a lap.
Lap 47 – Charles Leclerc gets past Carlos Sainz for third into the first chicane. Sainz fights back and re-takes his third place as both Ferraris nearly touch and both cut the second chicane. They continue to squabble over the final podium position to the end.
Final Lap – Charles Leclerc outbrakes himself going into the first chicane and with tyres smoking and squealing he almost rams up the back of his team mate, which would have embarrassing for the drivers, and potentially dangerous leaving the circuit from the fans. Meanwhile Max Verstappen does it easy at the front and wins a record tenth race in a row. All this on a circuit where they were meant to be a little more vulnerable.
FINAL ORDER – VER PER SAI LEC RUS HAM ALB NOR ALO BOT
Pos
Driver
Time
1
Max VERSTAPPEN
51 Laps
2
Sergio PEREZ
+7.686 behind
3
Carlos SAINZ
+11.674 behind
4
Charles LECLERC
+12.119 behind
5
George RUSSELL
+23.925 behind
6
Lewis HAMILTON
+44.111 behind
7
Alexander Albon
+45.198 behind
8
Lando NORRIS
+45.549 behind
9
Fernando ALONSO
+46.424 behind
10
Valtteri BOTTAS
+1:05.950 behind
11
Oscar Piastri
+1:12.240 behind
12
Liam Lawson
+1:13.268 behind
13
Logan Sargeant
+1:16.398 behind
14
Lance STROLL
+1:21.658 behind
15
Guanyu Zhou
+1:21.913 behind
16
Pierre GASLY
+1:22.236 behind
17
Nico Hulkenberg
+1 lap
18
Kevin Magnussen
+1 lap
R
Esteban OCON
DNF Lap 38
R
Yuki TSUNODA
DNF Lap 0
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. Five points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – ALEX ALBON
Max Verstappen wins everything, but not today. We give our driver of the race to the man who came 7th – Alex Albon. He keeps overachieving in the Williams, qualifying much higher than one would expect, and doesn’t fade away too badly in the races against much better cars. His defensive drive against Lando Norris was as good as Carlos Sainz who got Driver of the Day from the fans.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
CARLOS SAINZ – Sensational pole position and a heroically defensive drive to keep the final podium position.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Had to be more patient than usual, and not on pole position, but the end result was another win, and a record setting tenth in a row.
LIAM LAWSON – Another solid outing for the stand-in Alpha Tauri driver.
THE GRAPE-EST – YUKI TSUNODA
When your car retires before the race start on the formation lap it doesn’t get much worse.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
OSCAR PIASTRI – A decent result ruined after contact with Lewis Hamilton.
CHARLES LECLERC – Possibly harsh, but second best to Carlos Sainz for Qualifying and the race. Would have taken Grape-est for the race if he ran into his team mate on the last lap like he nearly did.
Was it a good race, loads of action, tense, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest.
We rate the big race itself so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 5 / 10
More of historic importance than this season as Max Verstappen takes a tenth straight win, setting a new record. Sergio Perez’s second place might see off anyone challenging for second place in the Championship.
ON TRACK ACTION – 9/10
Loads of battles raged throughout the race. A few clashes, a few penalties handed out, and a few overtakes within those battles.
ENDING 7 / 10
Good battles in the last few laps for third between the Ferrari drivers that almost ended in tears, and Lewis Hamilton was on a bit of a mission in the finals laps. For good and bad.
OVERALL RATING 21 / 30
Decent race with enough action to just keep you awake. Luckily it is the quickest race of the season.
2023 SEASON RATINGS SO FAR
Want to know what we thought of previous races? Or which ones to to back and watch?
Want more NRL information than just the draw, results or the current ladder? Then you are in the right place and the right time with the home of Stats and Stuff via our 2023 NRL Round 27 Stats Summary for the final weekend of the regular season.
Each week we compile and keep up to date a wide range of stats from the latest weekend of NRL action plus the best 2023 NRL Season Stats to help you to the top of the tipping competition, land a few responsible winners or even make your Supercoach team better. And now with a match by match summary full of all the stats you need and/or want.
2023 NRL Round 27 Stats Summary
Round 27 Stats Summary – Points of Interest
Melbourne have won 14 in a row v Brisbane, and the Broncos have conceded 30 points or more in 11 of those losses and 40 points in six.
Melbourne have also won 13 in a row at Suncorp Stadium v Brisbane. The Broncos last won v Storm at Suncorp Stadium in 2009.
Five teams have a better home record this season than Broncos – the rest of the top four and Roosters + Newcastle.
Melbourne’s win ensued they finished the season with 100% record on a Thursday.
Souths have lost all four home games on a Friday this season.
Round 27 Stats Summary – H2H Match Stats Summary
We go H2H from the latest round to see which team came out on top of the stats charts as well as results.
NEED MORE? Check out all of the detailed match stats from every game below.
2023 NRL Season Stats Summary – Form Summary
Are some teams just flat track bullies beating the lower sides? Maybe some teams can only win at home and powder on the road? All those stats and more are below….
Note: that top and bottom teams are decided as such:
Ladder position is based on the ladder position of the opposition before each round starts. For Round 1 we used the final 2022 ladder position. Top eight is any team in the top eight heading into the weekend. Bottom eight is the bottom nine teams, and we forgot to change it from bottom eight in 2022.
2023 NRL Season Stats Summary – Scoring Summary
Your place to go for all the point scoring stats we could be bothered compiling.
There’s some first and second half scoring statistics, as well as the ever popular first and last try scoring stats by team.
2023 NRL Season Stats Summary – HTFT Stats
Who gets a half time lead and blows it?
Which team are as safe as houses?
Which team wins second halves, usually because they are so terrible in the first half?
Round 27 Stats Summary – H2H Match by Match Summary
All eight games with all the stats you could ever want or need.
2023 NRL Season Stats Summary – Playing Stats
Here are all the playing stats for the season so far, with the metre eaters, offloaders, line breakers and bad boys of the NRL all under the microscope and displayed here for all.
LADDER POSITION FOR TOP EIGHT SIDES IN 2023 
