The final weekend before the season’s climax sees four clubs battling for a place in the ‘Big Dance’, and the stakes, according to insiders, feel more acute than the grand final itself.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy, who has guided more teams to both prelims and grand finals than anyone in the past 25 years, told the paper that “players can lose their edge going from a prelim to the grand final,” and that a loss in the preliminary round can be “more devastating than losing a grand final.”
Bellamy recalled the 2011 Warriors’ preliminary final loss after a season marred by salary‑cap penalties, describing it as “the worst” moment of his career, even more painful than narrow grand‑final defeats he has witnessed.
Former St George coach (1984) added that a one‑point loss in a preliminary final feels harsher than a one‑point grand‑final loss, because the former leaves a team with “nothing” while the latter still offers the consolation of having reached the final stage.
Melbourne’s 2020 captain Christian Welch, who has won a grand final but also suffered defeats in 2016, 2018 and 2024, said losing a grand final is “far more devastating” for him, noting the visceral proximity to the premiership ring on the day of a loss.
The article points out that the 2025 Panthers, after four straight titles, were knocked out in the prelims, and that the Dolphins will experience the pressure of a preliminary final for the first time, highlighting how the modern, attack‑focused rules may change the nature of those high‑stakes games.
An unnamed NRL official warned that “incorrect bunker rulings followed by an opposition try occur far more than is reported,” suggesting that the controversial bunker rule could be a decisive factor in this weekend’s matches.
Social scientists are cited to note that Generation Z, described as the most risk‑averse generation, may feel the disappointment of a preliminary‑final loss more acutely, a cultural shift that could influence how clubs manage player psychology.
Overall, the piece argues that the emotional weight of a preliminary final stems from the “opportunity missed” factor – the belief that, had the team advanced, they would have won the premiership – and that this mindset can haunt players and coaches long after the final whistle.