Tuesday's Expert Wrap - NRL Round 26

We've arrived at the end of Round 26 of the 2014 National Rugby League Telstra Premiership! Check out all the results, reports and player of the year points right here.

It was all on the line for several teams as the final stretch of jockeying for positions in the top eight played out. Thursday night saw the first leg of the minor premiership deciding matches played out, the Roosters coasting to the competition lead by downing South Sydney. The second leg on Saturday night saw the Sea Eagles fall to the Cowboys in Townsville, which handed the Roosters the J.J. Giltinan Shield and a cool $100,000. It also sent the Cowboys briefly into fourth before the Panthers reclaimed that position late in the round by wiping out the Warriors.

Elsewhere, the Storm seemingly knocked Brisbane out of the race on Friday night (the Broncos were later bumped back in by the Warriors big loss to Penrith), the Tigers and Knights claimed season-ending victories in the round's two dead rubbers, Ricky Stuart's Raiders ended his former club the Eels' season, and the Titans finished a forgettable season with a memorable win over finals-bound Canterbury on Sunday afternoon.

Here's a look at the full results, scorers, player points and links to each match report for Round 26:

Sydney Roosters 22 South Sydney Rabbitohs 18
Venue: Allianz Stadium
Date: Thursday 4 September 2014 at 7:45pm
Crowd: 32481
Halftime Score: Sydney Roosters 8 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Mitchell Pearce
2 points - James Maloney
1 point - Boyd Cordner

SYDNEY ROOSTERS (22)
Tries: James Maloney, Daniel Tupou, Anthony Minichiello
Conversions: James Maloney (3/3)
Penalty Goals: James Maloney (2/2)

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS (18)
Tries: Dylan Walker, Alex Johnston, Lote Tuqiri
Conversions: Issac Luke (2/3)
Penalty Goals: Issac Luke (1/1)

Match Report: Mitchell Pearce leads Roosters to victory - Aaron Thomas

Melbourne Storm 22 Brisbane Broncos 12
Venue: AAMI Park
Date: Friday 5 September 2014 at 7:45pm
Crowd: 20032
Halftime Score: Melbourne Storm 12 Brisbane Broncos 10

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Ryan Hoffman
2 points - Cooper Cronk
1 point - Mahe Fonua

MELBOURNE STORM (22)
Tries: Ryan Hoffman, Cooper Cronk, Mahe Fonua (2)
Conversions: Cameron Smith (2/2), Will Chambers (1/2)

BRISBANE BRONCOS (12)
Tries: Ben Hunt, Jack Reed
Conversions: Corey Parker (1/2)
Penalty Goals: Corey Parker (1/1)

Match Report: Storm secure 2014 Finals berth - Aaron Thomas

Wests Tigers 26 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Date: Saturday 6 September 2014 at 3:00pm
Crowd: 5112
Halftime Score: Wests Tigers 4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Blake Austin
2 points - Michael Gordon
1 point - Mitchell Moses

WESTS TIGERS (26)
Tries: Mitchell Moses, Blake Austin, Bodene Thompson (2), Curtis Sironen
Conversions: Blake Austin (2/4), Curtis Sironen (1/1)

CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS (10)
Tries: Valentine Holmes (2)
Conversions: Michael Gordon (1/2)

Match Report: Second Half Blitz Sees Tigers Beat Sharks - Dan Nichols

Canberra Raiders 33 Parramatta Eels 20
Venue: GIO Stadium
Date: Saturday 6 September 2014 at 5:30pm
Crowd: 13706
Halftime Score: Canberra Raiders 20 Parramatta Eels 6

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Jack Wighton
2 points - Jarryd Hayne
1 point - Mitch Cornish

CANBERRA RAIDERS (33)
Tries: Jeremy Hawkins, Glen Buttriss, Bill Tupou, Paul Vaughan, Josh McCrone
Field Goals: Anthony Milford (1/1)
Conversions: Jarrod Croker (5/5)
Penalty Goals: Jarrod Croker (1/1)

PARRAMATTA EELS (20)
Tries: Ken Sio (2), Jarryd Hayne (2)
Conversions: Chris Sandow (2/4)

Match Report: Raiders smoke Eels season - Ian Ritchie

North Queensland Cowboys 30 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 16
Venue: 1300SMILES Stadium
Date: Saturday 6 September 2014 at 7:30pm
Crowd: 22521
Halftime Score: North Queensland Cowboys 18 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 4

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Robert Lui
2 points - Matthew Scott
1 point - Kane Linnett

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (30)
Tries: Antonio Winterstein, Kyle Feldt (2), Kane Linnett, Robert Lui
Conversions: Johnathan Thurston (4/5)
Penalty Goals: Johnathan Thurston (1/1)

MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES (16)
Tries: Steve Matai, Justin Horo, Clinton Gutherson
Conversions: Jamie Lyon (2/3)

Match Report: Cowboys Send A Message With Big Win - Dan Nichols

Newcastle Knights 40 St. George Illawarra Dragons 10
Venue: Hunter Stadium
Date: Sunday 7 September 2014 at 2:00pm
Crowd: 20424
Halftime Score: Newcastle Knights 24 St. George Illawarra Dragons 4

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Timana Tahu
2 points - Adam Cuthbertson
1 point - Willie Mason

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS (40)
Tries: Joseph Leilua, Jarrod Mullen, Timana Tahu (2), Sione Mata'utia (2), Dane Gagai
Conversions: Kurt Gidley (6/7)

ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (10)
Tries: Brett Morris, Kyle Stanley
Conversions: Gareth Widdop (1/2)

Match Report: Newcastle farewell old boys in style with Dragons romp - Coby Delaney & Justin Davies

Gold Coast Titans 19 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium
Date: Sunday 7 September 2014 at 3:00pm
Crowd: 12563
Halftime Score: Gold Coast Titans 0 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Aidan Sezer
2 points - Daniel Mortimer
1 point - James Graham

GOLD COAST TITANS (19)
Tries: Kalifa Faifai Loa, Anthony Don, Mark Minichiello, Brad Takairangi
Field Goals: William Zillman (1/1)
Conversions: Aidan Sezer (1/3), Daniel Mortimer (0/1)

CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS (18)
Tries: Timoteo Lafai, James Graham, Reni Maitua
Conversions: Trent Hodkinson (3/3)

Match Report: Titans stun Bulldogs with stirring comeback - Josh Howe

Penrith Panthers 22 New Zealand Warriors 6
Venue: Sportingbet Stadium
Date: Sunday 7 September 2014 at 6:30pm
Crowd: 13551
Halftime Score: Penrith Panthers 16 New Zealand Warriors 0

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Matt Moylan
2 points - Jamie Soward
1 point - Dallin Watene Zelezniak

PENRITH PANTHERS (22)
Tries: James Segeyaro, Dallin Watene Zelezniak (2), Matt Moylan
Field Goals: Matt Moylan (0/1)
Conversions: Jamie Soward (2/4)
Penalty Goals: Jamie Soward (1/1)

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS (6)
Tries: Manu Vatuvei
Conversions: Shaun Johnson (1/1)

Match Report: Panthers Secure Top Four Spot - Dan Nichols

NRL 2014 - looking back:

TUESDAYS EXPERT - detailed results & reports:
Round 1| Round 2| Round 3| Round 4| Round 5| Round 6|
Round 7| Round 8| Rep Rnd| Round 9| Round 10| Round 11|
Round 12| Round 13| Round 14| Round 15| Round 16|
Round 17| Round 18| Round 19| Round 20| Round 21|
Round 22| Round 23| Round 24| Round 25 | 

DRAW & RESULTS: Click here

FINAL NRL LADDER: Click here

LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Year Leaderboard
updated after Round 26 (includes all rep fixtures)

38 points - Johnathan Thurston

35 points - Jarryd Hayne

31 points - Ben Hunt

28 points - Gareth Widdop, Sam Burgess

22 points - Cooper Cronk, Jamie Soward

20 points - Josh Reynolds, Peter Wallace

19 points - Brett Stewart, James Maloney

18 points - Matt Moylan

17 points - Michael Morgan, Billy Slater

16 points - Chris Sandow, Anthony Milford

15 points - Shaun Johnson

14 points - Jesse Bromwich, Jarrod Croker, Mitchell Pearce

13 points - Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh Dugan, James Graham

12 points - Dylan Walker, Cameron Smith, Aaron Woods

11 points - Kieran Foran, Adam Reynolds, Sam Tomkins

10 points - Steve Matai, Greg Inglis, Timoteo Lafai

9 points - Robbie Farah, Albert Kelly, Jarrod Mullen, Brett Morris, Sam Moa, Corey Parker, Jason Taumalolo, Benji Marshall, Aidan Sezer

8 points - Pat Richards, Luke Brooks, Beau Scott, Josh Jackson, Anthony Minichiello, George Burgess

7 points - Josh Mansour, Paul Gallen, James Segeyaro, Dave Taylor, Kurt Gidley, Chris Sandow, Justin Hodges, Sione Mata'utia, Jamie Lyon

6 points - Jake Friend, Paul Carter, Greg Bird, Semi Radradra, James Tedesco, Jake Mamo, Todd Carney, Terry Campese, Tyrone Roberts, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, Jeff Robson, Aiden Tolman, Ben Barba, Boyd Cordner, Blake Austin, Mitchell Moses, Matthew Scott

5 points - Tyrone Peachey, Sonny Bill Williams, Daniel Tupou, Jamie Buhrer, Jason Nightingale, Simon Mannering, Aidan Guerra, Darius Boyd, Andrew Fifita, Jacob Gagan, Dean Whare, Andrew McCullough, Sisa Waqa, Kade Snowden, Ryan Hoffman, Michael Gordon, Robert Lui, Daniel Mortimer

4 points - John Sutton, Trent Merrin, Jorge Taufua, Sam Thaiday, David Simmons, Antonio Winterstein, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, David Mead, Trent Hodkinson, Michael Jennings, Sam Rapira, Issac Luke, Nathan Friend, Mitch Cornish, Kane Linnett

3 points - Ben Hannant, Brenton Lawrence, Lachlan Maranta, Josh Hoffman, Ben Matulino, Cory Paterson, Ben Hampton, Glen Fisiiahi, Anthony Watmough, Joseph Leilua, Penani Manumalealii, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Matt Ballin, David Nofoaluma, William Zillman, Ricky Leutele, Will Chambers, Peta Hiku, Alex Johnston, Ngani Laumape, Sam Perrett, Chanel Mata'utia, Jack Wighton, Timana Tahu, Willie Mason

2 points - Manu Ma'u, Nathan Peats, William Hopoate, Jamal Idris, James Tamou, Cheyse Blair, James McManus, Sam Kasiano, Adam Quinlan, Josh McCrone, James Gavet, Josh McGuire, Daniel Vidot, Josh Morris, Pauli Pauli, Ben Henry, Michael Ennis, Clinton Gutherson, Mitch Brown, Dale Copley, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Nate Myles, Tony Williams, Tautau Moga, Chad Townsend, James Roberts, Kenny Edwards, Isaac Liu, Ben Roberts, Dane Gagai, Chris Heighington, Mahe Fonua, Adam Cuthbertson

1 point - Ken Sio, Tyson Frizell, Tariq Sims, Ethan Lowe, Joel Reddy, Tinirau Arona, David Klemmer, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Martin Kennedy, Young Tonumaipea, Ben Te'o, Luke Douglas, Paul Vaughan, Chris McQueen, Gavin Cooper, Adam Blair, Jacob Lillyman, Chase Stanley, Wade Graham, Jayson Bukuya, Shaun Fensom, Nathan Stapleton, Kaysa Pritchard, Carlos Tuimavave, Corey Thompson, Mark Minichiello, David Hala, Ashton Sims, Keith Lulia, Adam Docker, Valentine Holmes, Tuimoala Lolohea, Marika Koroibete, Lote Tuqiri, Jordan Ropana, David Fusitua, Jack de Belin, Matt Gillett, Sosaia Feki, Dallin Watene Zelezniak