# 2018 NSW Cup season

The 2018 Intrust Super Premiership NSW season was the tenth season of the New South Wales Cup, the top rugby league competition administered by the New South Wales Rugby League. The competition acts as a second-tier league to the ten New South Wales-based National Rugby League clubs, as well the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors. The winner of the Premiership, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, competed against the winner of the 2018 Queensland Cup, the Redcliffe Dolphins in the 2018 NRL State Championship, which they won 42-18. The Penrith Panthers were the defending champions, following their 20-12 victory against the Wyong Roos in the 2017 Grand Final.

## Teams

In 2018, 12 clubs fielded teams in the Intrust Super Premiership. Illawarra RLFC were renamed to the St George Illawarra Dragons to bring the club in line with the NRL’s ‘whole of game’ strategy, that will also see top-grade squads increased from 25 players to 30.
An under-20s competition will be run in parallel to the New South Wales Cup.
| Team | NRL Feeder Club |
| Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles | Manly warringah Sea Eagles |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Mount Pritchard Mounties | Canberra Raiders |
| New Zealand Warriors | New Zealand Warriors |
| Newcastle Knights | Newcastle Knights |
| Newtown Jets | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| North Sydney Bears | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Penrith Panthers | Penrith Panthers |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | St George Illawarra Dragons |
| Wentworthville Magpies | Parramatta Eels |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | Wests Tigers |
| Wyong Roos | Sydney Roosters |

## Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 550 | 410 | 140 | 38 |
| 2 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 494 | 414 | 80 | 32 |
| 3 | Newtown Jets | 24 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 607 | 419 | 188 | 30 |
| 4 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 537 | 452 | 85 | 30 |
| 5 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 24 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 477 | 473 | 4 | 28 |
| 6 | Mount Pritchard Mounties | 24 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 532 | 461 | 71 | 26 |
| 7 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 429 | 489 | -60 | 24 |
| 8 | Wyong Roos | 24 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 501 | 579 | -78 | 24 |
| 9 | Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 476 | 496 | -20 | 22 |
| 10 | Wentworthville Magpies | 24 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 436 | 583 | -147 | 22 |
| 11 | North Sydney Bears | 24 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 479 | 532 | -53 | 20 |
| 12 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 379 | 589 | -210 | 16 |
* Teams highlighted in green have qualified for the finals
* The team highlighted in blue has clinched the minor premiership
* The team highlighted in red has clinched the wooden spoon

## Finals

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee(s) | Crowd |
| QUALIFYING AND ELIMINATION FINALS |||||||
| Penrith Panthers | 28 – 18 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Saturday 1 September | Penrith Stadium | | 1,000 |
| Mount Pritchard Mounties | 21 – 20 | New Zealand Warriors | Saturday 1 September | Penrith Stadium | | 1,000 |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | 14 – 18 | Wyong Roos | Sunday 2 September | Penrith Stadium | | 1,000 |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | 28 – 26 | Newtown Jets | Sunday 2 September | Penrith Stadium | | 1,000 |
| SEMI-FINALS |||||||
| Newtown Jets | 34 – 16 | Mount Pritchard Mounties | Saturday 8 September | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | | 1,000 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 34 – 24 | Wyong Roos | Sunday 9 September | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | | 1,000 |
| PRELIMINARY FINALS |||||||
| Penrith Panthers | 24 – 28 | Newtown Jets | Saturday 15 September | Leichhardt Oval | | 2,000 |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | 26 – 28 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sunday 16 September | Leichhardt Oval | | 1,000 |
| GRAND FINAL |||||||
| Newtown Jets | 12 – 18 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sunday 22 September | Leichhardt Oval | | 6,000 |
Source:

## NRL State Championship

As premiers of the NSW Cup, the Cannterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs faced Queensland Cup premiers Redcliffe Dolphins in the NRL State Championship match.
* Sunday, 30 September 3:40pm (AEST)
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 42 – 18 | Redcliffe Dolphins |
| Tries: Josh Cleeland (36', 38') 2 Rhyse Martin (6') 1 Chris Smith (47') 1 Renouf To'omaga (52') 1 Jayden Okunbor (72') 1 Fa'amanu Brown (77') 1 Goals: Rhyse Martin 5/6 (8', 37', 48', 54', 58' pen) Greg Eastwood 1/1 (74') Josh Cleeland 1/1 (78') | 1st: 16 – 6 2nd: 26 – 12 | Tries: 2 (30', 60') Kotoni Staggs 1 (74') James Taylor Goals: 2/2 Bryce Donovan (61', 75') 1/1 Kotoni Staggs (31') |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Adam Cassidy, Liam Kennedy

## Television Broadcast

Fox League will continue to broadcast a game per round, however Channel 9 will also be broadcasting a game per round starting with the 2018 for the first time.