Brisbane Broncos 18–48 St George Illawarra — Elimination Final, 2018 NRL Finals Series
9 Sep 2018 · Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD · Attendance: 47,296
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Elimination Final, 2018 NRL finals series: Brisbane Broncos 18–48 St George Illawarra, at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD on 9 Sep 2018.
Sourcing caveat: Individual try/goal minute timestamps were not available in sources found beyond Widdop's 57th-minute shoulder dislocation.
Scorers
| Brisbane Broncos | Tries: Fifita; Boyd; Nikorima Goals: Isaako (3/5 conversions) |
| St George Illawarra | Tries: Sims; Sims; Sims; Ah Mau; Lafai; Leilua; Dufty Goals: Widdop (7/7 conversions); Lomax (3/3 penalty goals) |
Team sheets
| Brisbane Broncos | St George Illawarra | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darius Boyd (c) | Fullback | Matt Dufty | 1 |
| 2 | Corey Oates | Wing | Nene Macdonald | 2 |
| 3 | James Roberts | Centre | Zac Lomax | 3 |
| 4 | Jordan Kahu | Centre | Tim Lafai | 4 |
| 5 | Jamayne Isaako | Wing | Jordan Pereira | 5 |
| 6 | Anthony Milford | Five-Eighth | Gareth Widdop | 6 |
| 7 | Kodi Nikorima | Halfback | Ben Hunt | 7 |
| 8 | Matt Lodge | Prop | James Graham | 8 |
| 9 | Andrew McCullough | Hooker | Cameron McInnes | 9 |
| 10 | Sam Thaiday | Prop | Leeson Ah Mau | 10 |
| 11 | David Fifita | Second-Row | Tyson Frizell (c) | 11 |
| 12 | Tevita Pangai Junior | Second-Row | Tariq Sims | 12 |
| 13 | Josh McGuire | Lock | Jack de Belin | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Patrick Mago | Jeremy Latimore | 14 | |
| 15 | Korbin Sims | Kurt Mann | 15 | |
| 16 | Joe Ofahengaue | Blake Lawrie | 16 | |
| 17 | Kotoni Staggs | Luciano Leilua | 17 | |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Paul McGregor | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Grant Atkins |
| Player of the match | Tariq Sims |
Match report
The St George Illawarra Dragons produced a stunning 48-18 upset over minor-premiership contender Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. Despite playing as the home side, Brisbane was blown off the park in the first half, trailing at the break as back-rower Tariq Sims ran in a hat-trick to spearhead the rout. The Dragons' win was made more remarkable by a mounting injury toll: captain and chief playmaker Gareth Widdop dislocated his shoulder in the 57th minute — his second dislocation in four weeks — ruling him out of the following week's semi-final, prop James Graham suffered a heavy concussion, and Jack de Belin aggravated a foot injury, leaving the Dragons with just one fit interchange player for the final 23 minutes. Brisbane's tries came from David Fifita, Darius Boyd and Kodi Nikorima, but they could never find a foothold after the Dragons' explosive opening 40. The victory was St George Illawarra's first finals win since claiming the 2010 premiership.