Live: Cowboys suffer huge finals blow, Dragons face Eels

live NRL live updates: Reuben Cotter banned for week one of finals, St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers North Queensland Cowboys star Reuben Cotter will miss week one of the NRL finals after being charged for a high tackle against the Raiders. The Maroons forward was handed a grade two careless high tackle charge for his contact on Josh Papali'i in the first hit up of the match. The Dragons and Eels look to end their seasons on a high before Penrith can wrap up the NRL minor premiership if they beat Wests Tigers by more than two points. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Key Event Reuben Cotter handed one-match ban First things first, and some housekeeping from yesterday, where it is bad news for North Queensland, who are set to lose co-captain Reuben Cotter to suspension going into the NRL finals . The Maroons forward was slapped with a grade two careless high tackle charge for his hit on Josh Papali'i with the first hit up of the contest against the Raiders in Townsville. The Cowboys will play Cronulla away in an elimination final next weekend. Referee Nick Pelgrave said Cotter's tackle was reckless and forceful to the head, but Papalii passed his HIA and returned to go out a winner. Cotter was not charged with a reckless high tackle but the grade two careless high tackle charge comes with a minimum of one week's suspension and two if he challenges and fails at the judiciary. The Cowboys may as well attempt to get the charge overturned, given they play sudden death next week regardless. with AAP Sunday NRL Hello everyone and welcome to the ABC Sport coverage of the final two games of the NRL regular season for 2026. My name is Simon Smale and I shall be with you right up to and beyond the moment where we find out who is going to be minor premiers, at around about 6pm AEST this evening. Will Penrith beat the Wests Tigers by more than the two points they need to overhaul the Warriors? Will they win at all? Before all that, we have St George Illawarra against Parramatta Eels, where the ludicrous new kick off rule will be trialled - which is something to not look forward to. Anyway, come 6pm we will complete the finals line up in terms of fixturing, so we can all plan our upcoming weekends. Thanks for being with me. [Image text:] PRAVUS 131 TOYO YETI BRAY OYOTA