# 2020 NRL season

The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.

## Teams

The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year.
| Club | Season | Home ground(s) | Head coach | Captain(s) |
| Brisbane Broncos | 33rd season | Suncorp Stadium | Anthony Seibold → Peter Gentle (interim) | Alex Glenn |
| Canberra Raiders | 39th season | GIO Stadium Canberra, Campbelltown Stadium | Ricky Stuart | Jarrod Croker & Josh Hodgson |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 86th season | ANZ Stadium & Bankwest Stadium | Dean Pay → Steve Georgallis (interim) | Josh Jackson |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 54th season | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Bankwest Stadium | John Morris | Wade Graham |
| Gold Coast Titans | 14th season | Cbus Super Stadium, Suncorp Stadium | Justin Holbrook | Kevin Proctor |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 71st season | Lottoland, Central Coast Stadium | Des Hasler | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| Melbourne Storm | 23rd season | AAMI Park, Sunshine Coast Stadium | Craig Bellamy | Cameron Smith |
| Newcastle Knights | 33rd season | McDonald Jones Stadium, Central Coast Stadium | Adam O'Brien | Mitchell Pearce |
| New Zealand Warriors | 26th season | Central Coast Stadium | Stephen Kearney → Todd Payten (interim) | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 26th season | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | Paul Green → Josh Hannay (interim) | Michael Morgan |
| Parramatta Eels | 74th season | Bankwest Stadium | Brad Arthur | Clint Gutherson |
| Penrith Panthers | 54th season | Panthers Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium | Ivan Cleary | James Tamou |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 111th season | ANZ Stadium & Bankwest Stadium | Wayne Bennett | Adam Reynolds |
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | 22nd season | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, WIN Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium | Paul McGregor → Dean Young (interim) | Cameron McInnes |
| Sydney Roosters | 113th season | Sydney Cricket Ground, Bankwest Stadium | Trent Robinson | Jake Friend & Boyd Cordner |
| Wests Tigers | 21st season | Leichhardt Oval, Campbelltown Stadium, Bankwest Stadium | Michael Maguire | Moses Mbye & Benji Marshall |

### Notes

    $^1$ Used as a home ground between Rounds 3–7 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    $^2$ Used as a home ground between Rounds 10–19 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria.
    $^3$ Used as a home ground for the 2020 season due to travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand.

## Pre-season

The pre-season featured a returning Nines competition held at HBF Park in Perth on 14 & 15 February, replacing the competition previously held in Auckland. The All Stars match was played on 22 February at Cbus Super Stadium, returning to the contest's original venue. The 2020 World Club Challenge saw the NRL premiers Sydney Roosters defeat the Super League champions St. Helens, making them the first club to win consecutive World Club Challenges.

## Regular season

The NRL had announced that the Grand Final would be hosted at the Sydney Cricket Ground while the main venue for the decider, ANZ Stadium, underwent an $810m redevelopment. This would have been the first Grand Final to be played at the SCG since 1987. The redevelopment was however scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that the Grand Final would be again played at ANZ Stadium.
State of Origin was played in Adelaide for the first time, with Game 1 of the 2020 series played at Adelaide Oval.

### Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was formally declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, one day prior to the scheduled start of the premiership season. Restrictions imposed by the different state governments related to social distancing, lockdowns of non-essential services which lasted for three months across the country, and border controls for interstate and international travel, all had significant effects on the completion of the 2020 season.

#### Fixture

Prior to the recommencement of the season, the NRL announced the fixture would be shortened from 24 matches per team to 20 (including the two rounds already played prior to the season suspension), which each team playing each other once, and an additional five teams for a second time. The season had commenced on 12 March as originally scheduled; but as restrictions, followed for periods of formal quarantine, were introduced on interstate travel, the season was suspended after round two.
The round two match between the Sydney Roosters and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, which was originally meant to be played at Central Coast Stadium, was shifted to Leichhardt Oval.
The new draw was released on 21 May, with just six venues used between Rounds 3 to 7. The Warriors moved to Gosford to play at Central Coast Stadium, the Titans played home games at Suncorp Stadium with the Broncos, and the NSW teams and Canberra were divided between Bankwest Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium, and Central Coast Stadium in a way that no stadium hosts more than one match in a day. The Cowboys and Storm continued to host games at their normal home grounds, Queensland Country Bank Stadium and AAMI Park respectively. From round eight, all teams bar the Storm and Warriors were permitted to return to their home grounds; in the Storm's case, a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Victoria forced the team to evacuate the state and set up camp on the Sunshine Coast, the home of their netball sister side the Sunshine Coast Lightning, for an indefinite period.

#### Opening round

The first round of play continued almost unimpeded, although crowd numbers were impacted by fears surrounding the virus.
International restrictions on travel made in New Zealand, whereby all arrivals would be required to self-isolate for two weeks, resulted in the New Zealand Warriors temporarily setting up base in Kingscliff, New South Wales, having already come to Australia to play their Round 1 match. Their Round 2 game against Canberra was played at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, instead of at the Warriors' home ground in Auckland.

#### Crowds

Government restrictions on gatherings meant that, starting in Round 2, crowds were locked out of senior NRL matches for the first time in the code's history. State governments gradually allowed crowds, often small and restricted in size, into games, starting immediately from Round 5 in New South Wales, and from Round 6 in Queensland.

#### Season suspension

During Round 2, speculation that the season would be suspended, if not cancelled, grew. Circumstances surrounding the virus were evolving at a rapid rate, and the future beyond Round 2 was unknown. Many ideas to ensure the season could continue, including moving all players and matches to a single location in Central Queensland where they could continue to play in self-isolation.
On 23 March, the NRL suspended the season indefinitely for the first time in the competition's history, in response to tightening government restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19. In the following weeks, matches that were scheduled to be played at regional venues were cancelled, as was the Magic Round.

#### Season resumption

On 9 April, the NRL announced its intentions to restart the competition on 28 May, with most details still to be determined. The decision was one of three recommendations to come out of Project Apollo, which was created by the NRL's innovations committee to analyse potential solutions to restart the season. The other recommendations included ensuring that a full State of Origin series be played, and keeping with a one-match grand final. However, the NRL required Federal and State governments, as well as broadcasters Fox and Nine, on board with the plan. The structure of the restarted season would also largely depend on what government restrictions were in place by the end of May.
By 22 April, the NRL had obtained government approval to restart the season on 28 May. On 28 April 2020, the NRL announced that the competition would be a 20-round competition, which would allow each team to play each other once with 5 extra fixtures. Points earned in the first two rounds were still counted. State of Origin was played in November after the season's conclusion, while the Grand Final was played on 25 October at ANZ Stadium.
During late April and early May, general government restrictions began to ease in Australia due to successful efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Queensland State Government allowed the three Queensland-based sides to train and play at home; this meant they did not have to base themselves in New South Wales. The Melbourne Storm were forced to move to Albury in NSW to begin their training, with Victoria's government waiting longer to begin easing restrictions, but were able to return to AAMI Park the following week. On 2 May, the New Zealand Warriors were permitted by both Federal governments to enter Australia the following day. They entered two weeks of self-isolation in the regional city of Tamworth, where they were permitted to train to avoid any unfair disadvantage. International travel restrictions meant the side had to remain in Australia for an indefinite period of time, however talks of a Trans-Tasman 'bubble', in which travel between Australia and New Zealand would be exclusively permitted, left the possibility open for the Warriors to return to New Zealand and play home matches there later in the season; however, this did not eventuate.
Despite the border between New South Wales and Queensland remaining closed to the public for most of the season, all NRL teams were exempt from the travel ban for the purpose of playing matches, with the New South Wales-based teams plus the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors travelling to and from Queensland on game day instead of staying overnight, and the three Queensland-based clubs plus the Melbourne Storm making the same trip in reverse (that is, travelling to and from Sydney or Canberra on game day).
In late June, the Melbourne Storm were forced to relocate away from Victoria after a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the state. Their round seven match against the New Zealand Warriors was played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney; the match was notable as following the game Cameron Smith, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Hoffman all went into the Warriors' rooms to thank and acknowledge the sacrifices they made by moving to Australia during the COVID pandemic. Following that, the Storm relocated to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where they played their remaining home games out of Suncorp Stadium and Sunshine Coast Stadium, as well as finals at the former venue. By the time the Storm won the Premiership, they had been away from their home in Victoria for four months.

#### Club medical restrictions

During the pandemic, the NRL brought in strict new biosecurity measures to protect those in the game, including a code-wide request that players be vaccinated against the common flu, as "any player that has any respiratory illness... potentially will take the whole team out." The NSW Government did not enforce the compulsory vaccination agreement, whereas the Queensland Government stood by the vaccination measures previously agreed to by the NRL that 100% of players would be flu-vaccinated prior to the competition restarting. Only players who had been vaccinated, or had genuine medical grounds exempting them, were permitted to play or train in Queensland.

#### Rule changes

It was announced that the remainder of the games would be played with just one referee. The referees threatened to strike as a result of this. However, an agreement was reached on 22 May for the one-ref system to be used.

### Results

| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
| Brisbane Broncos | NQL 7 | SOU 4 | PAR 28 | SYD 59 | MAN 2 | NEW 21 | GCT 18 | NZL 10 | CBY 18 | WTI 48 | MEL 38 | CRO 10 | SOU 18 | CAN 28 | SGI 4 | SYD 46 | PEN 13 | GCT 12 | PAR 14 | NQL 16 | | | | |
| Canberra Raiders | GCT 18 | NZL 14 | MEL 16 | NEW 16 | WTI 8 | MAN 8 | PAR 1* | SGI 6 | MEL 6 | SYD 4 | SOU 6 | NQL 2 | PEN 16 | BRI 28 | GCT 20 | CBY 14 | SYD 12 | SGI 29 | NZL 12 | CRO 10 | CRO 12 | SYD 4 | MEL 20 | |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | PAR 6 | NQL 8 | MAN 26 | SGI 20 | SYD 36 | CRO 2 | WTI 28 | SOU 16 | BRI 18 | SGI 6 | NEW 6 | PAR 2 | MEL 31 | WTI 1 | NZL 6 | CAN 14 | GCT 4 | MAN 12 | SOU 10 | PEN 42 | | | | |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | SOU 4 | MEL 2 | WTI 12 | NQL 10 | SGI 14 | CBY 2 | MAN 18 | GCT 30 | PEN 32 | NZL 36 | SGI 4 | BRI 10 | PAR 2 | GCT 12 | PEN 26 | NQL 16 | NEW 28 | NZL 8 | SYD 16 | CAN 10 | CAN 12 | | | |
| Gold Coast Titans | CAN 18 | PAR 40 | NQL 30 | WTI 5 | SOU 20 | SGI 12 | BRI 18 | CRO 30 | NZL 4 | MEL 36 | PEN 8 | SYD 6 | NQL 20 | CRO 12 | CAN 20 | SGI 4 | CBY 4 | BRI 12 | MAN 18 | NEW 30 | | | | |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | MEL 14 | SYD 1 | CBY 26 | PAR 3 | BRI 2 | CAN 8 | CRO 18 | NEW 2 | SGI 30 | PAR 4 | NQL 12 | PEN 30 | NZL 4 | NEW 2 | SOU 40 | MEL 24 | WTI 2 | CBY 12 | GCT 18 | NZL 12 | | | | |
| Melbourne Storm | MAN 14 | CRO 2 | CAN 16 | SOU 14 | NEW 14 | PEN 7 | NZL 44 | SYD 2* | CAN 6 | GCT 36 | BRI 38 | NEW 10 | CBY 31 | SYD 18 | PAR 14 | MAN 24 | SOU 6 | NQL 16 | WTI 28 | SGI 8 | PAR 12 | X | CAN 20 | PEN 6 |
| Newcastle Knights | NZL 20 | WTI 18 | PEN 0* | CAN 16 | MEL 14 | BRI 21 | NQL 12 | MAN 2 | PAR 6 | SOU 2 | CBY 6 | MEL 10 | WTI 40 | MAN 2 | NQL 12 | NZL 30 | CRO 28 | SYD 30 | SGI 24 | GCT 30 | SOU 26 | | | |
| New Zealand Warriors | NEW 20 | CAN 14 | SGI 18 | PEN 26 | NQL 11 | SOU 28 | MEL 44 | BRI 10 | GCT 4 | CRO 36 | SYD 8 | WTI 6 | MAN 4 | PEN 6 | CBY 6 | NEW 30 | PAR 6 | CRO 8 | CAN 12 | MAN 12 | | | | |
| North Queensland Cowboys | BRI 7 | CBY 8 | GCT 30 | CRO 10 | NZL 11 | WTI 16 | NEW 12 | PAR 38 | SYD 26 | PEN 12 | MAN 12 | CAN 2 | GCT 20 | SOU 1 | NEW 12 | CRO 16 | SGI 1* | MEL 16 | PEN 20 | BRI 16 | | | | |
| Parramatta Eels | CBY 6 | GCT 40 | BRI 28 | MAN 3 | PEN 6 | SYD 14 | CAN 1* | NQL 38 | NEW 6 | MAN 4 | WTI 10 | CBY 2 | CRO 2 | SGI 2 | MEL 14 | SOU 38 | NZL 6 | PEN 18 | BRI 14 | WTI 4 | MEL 12 | SOU 14 | | |
| Penrith Panthers | SYD 6 | SGI 4 | NEW 0* | NZL 26 | PAR 6 | MEL 7 | SOU 8 | WTI 7 | CRO 32 | NQL 12 | GCT 8 | MAN 30 | CAN 16 | NZL 6 | CRO 26 | WTI 24 | BRI 13 | PAR 18 | NQL 20 | CBY 42 | SYD 1 | X | SOU 4 | MEL 6 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | CRO 4 | BRI 4 | SYD 16 | MEL 14 | GCT 20 | NZL 28 | PEN 8 | CBY 16 | WTI 8 | NEW 2 | CAN 6 | SGI 8 | BRI 18 | NQL 1 | MAN 40 | PAR 38 | MEL 6 | WTI 2 | CBY 10 | SYD 52 | NEW 26 | PAR 14 | PEN 4 | |
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | WTI 10 | PEN 4 | NZL 18 | CBY 20 | CRO 14 | GCT 12 | SYD 14 | CAN 6 | MAN 30 | CBY 6 | CRO 4 | SOU 8 | SYD 8 | PAR 2 | BRI 4 | GCT 4 | NQL 1* | CAN 29 | NEW 24 | MEL 8 | | | | |
| Sydney Roosters | PEN 6 | MAN 1 | SOU 16 | BRI 59 | CBY 36 | PAR 14 | SGI 14 | MEL 2* | NQL 26 | CAN 4 | NZL 8 | GCT 6 | SGI 8 | MEL 18 | WTI 22 | BRI 46 | CAN 12 | NEW 30 | CRO 16 | SOU 52 | PEN 1 | CAN 4 | | |
| Wests Tigers | SGI 10 | NEW 18 | CRO 12 | GCT 5 | CAN 8 | NQL 16 | CBY 28 | PEN 7 | SOU 8 | BRI 48 | PAR 10 | NZL 6 | NEW 40 | CBY 1 | SYD 22 | PEN 24 | MAN 2 | SOU 2 | MEL 28 | PAR 4 | | | | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold – Home game X – Bye * – Golden point game Opponent for round listed above margin

## Ladder

2020 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 537 | 238 | +299 | 37 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 534 | 276 | +258 | 32 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 392 | 288 | +104 | 30 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 552 | 322 | +230 | 28 |
| 5 | Canberra Raiders | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 445 | 317 | +128 | 28 |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 521 | 352 | +169 | 24 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 421 | 374 | +47 | 23 |
| 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 480 | 480 | 0 | 20 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 346 | 463 | −117 | 18 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 343 | 458 | −115 | 16 |
| 11 | Wests Tigers | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 440 | 505 | −65 | 14 |
| 12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 378 | 452 | −74 | 14 |
| 13 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 375 | 509 | −134 | 14 |
| 14 | North Queensland Cowboys | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 368 | 520 | −152 | 10 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 282 | 504 | −222 | 6 |
| 16 | Brisbane Broncos | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 268 | 624 | −356 | 6 |

### Ladder progression

* Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
* Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
* Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
* Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.
| | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 37 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 |
| 5 | Canberra Raiders | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 23 |
| 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
| 11 | Wests Tigers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 13 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 14 | North Queensland Cowboys | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 16 | Brisbane Broncos | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |

## Finals series

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd |
| QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS |||||||
| Penrith Panthers | 29 – 28 | Sydney Roosters | 2 October 2020, 7:50 pm | Panthers Stadium | Gerard Sutton | 7,209 |
| Canberra Raiders | 32 – 20 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 3 October 2020, 5:40 pm | GIO Stadium Canberra | Grant Atkins | 9,602 |
| Melbourne Storm | 36 – 24 | Parramatta Eels | 3 October 2020, 7:50 pm | Suncorp Stadium | Ashley Klein | 16,238 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 46 – 20 | Newcastle Knights | 4 October 2020, 4:05 pm | ANZ Stadium | Ben Cummins | 17,212 |
| SEMI FINALS |||||||
| Sydney Roosters | 18 – 22 | Canberra Raiders | 9 October 2020, 7:55 pm | Sydney Cricket Ground | Ashley Klein | 18,110 |
| Parramatta Eels | 24 – 38 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 10 October 2020, 7:50 pm | Bankwest Stadium | Gerard Sutton | 14,510 |
| PRELIMINARY FINALS |||||||
| Melbourne Storm | 30 – 10 | Canberra Raiders | 16 October 2020, 7:50 pm | Suncorp Stadium | Ashley Klein | 37,112 |
| Penrith Panthers | 20 – 16 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 17 October 2020, 7:50 pm | ANZ Stadium | Gerard Sutton | 30,116 |

### Chart

| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 2 Oct, Panthers Stadium | 2 Oct, Panthers Stadium | 2 Oct, Panthers Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Penrith | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Sydney | 28 | 9 Oct, Sydney Cricket Ground | 9 Oct, Sydney Cricket Ground | 9 Oct, Sydney Cricket Ground | | | | |
| | | | Sydney | Sydney | 18 | | | | |
| 3 Oct, GIO Stadium Canberra | 3 Oct, GIO Stadium Canberra | 3 Oct, GIO Stadium Canberra | Canberra | Canberra | 22 | 17 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 17 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 17 Oct, ANZ Stadium | | | |
| 5 | Canberra | 32 | | | | Penrith | Penrith | 20 | |
| 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 20 | | | | South Sydney | South Sydney | 16 | 25 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 25 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 25 Oct, ANZ Stadium |
| | | | | | | | | | Penrith | Penrith | 20 |
| 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium | | | | 16 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 16 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 16 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | Melbourne | Melbourne | 26 |
| 6 | South Sydney | 46 | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 30 | | |
| 7 | Newcastle | 20 | 10 Oct, Bankwest Stadium | 10 Oct, Bankwest Stadium | 10 Oct, Bankwest Stadium | Canberra | Canberra | 10 | | |
| | | | Parramatta | Parramatta | 24 | | | | | | |
| 3 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 3 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 3 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | South Sydney | South Sydney | 38 | | | | | |
| 2 | Melbourne | 36 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Parramatta | 24 | | | | | | | | |

## Grand Final

* Sunday, 25 October 19:40 AEDT (UTC+11)
| Penrith Panthers | 20 – 26 | Melbourne Storm |
| Tries: 4 To'o 52' Crichton 68' Mansour 71' Cleary 79' Goals: 2 Cleary 53', 69' (2/3) | 1st: 0–22 2nd: 20–4 Report | Tries: 4 Olam (penalty) 3' Vunivalu 30' C. Smith 39' Papenhuzen 45' Goals: 5 C. Smith 4', pen 22', pen 26', 31', 40' (5/6) Sin Bins: 2 Hughes 70' B. Smith 79' |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 37,303 Referee: Gerard Sutton Touch judges: Chris Butler, Todd Smith Clive Churchill Medal: Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne)

## Player statistics and records

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 20.
| Points | Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals |
| 191 | Adam Reynolds | 6 | 83 | 1 |
| 184 | Kyle Flanagan | 4 | 84 | 0 |
| 178 | Zac Lomax | 13 | 63 | 0 |
| 171 | Nathan Cleary | 4 | 76 | 3 |
| 148 | Cameron Smith | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Tries | Player |
| 20 | Alex Johnston |
| 19 | Kyle Feldt |
| 17 | David Nofoaluma |
| 15 | Stephen Crichton |
| 15 | Josh Addo-Carr |
| 15 | Maika Sivo |
| 15 | Sione Katoa |
| Goals | Player |
| 84 | Kyle Flanagan |
| 83 | Adam Reynolds |
| 76 | Nathan Cleary |
| 70 | Cameron Smith |
| 63 | Jarrod Croker |
| 63 | Zac Lomax |
| Tackles | Player |
| 978 | Cameron McInnes |
| 955 | Damien Cook |
| 888 | Reed Mahoney |
| 876 | Patrick Carrigan |
| 852 | Jake Trbojevic |

## 2020 Transfers
### Players

Source:
| Player | 2019 Club | 2020 Club |
| Shaun Fensom | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Matt Gillett | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Andrew McCullough | Brisbane Broncos | Newcastle Knights |
| Kodi Nikorima | Brisbane Broncos | New Zealand Warriors |
| James Roberts | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| James Segeyaro | Brisbane Broncos | Suspension |
| Jaydn Su'A | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Luke Bateman | Canberra Raiders | Hiatus |
| Ata Hingano | Canberra Raiders | Mackay Cutters (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Joseph Leilua | Canberra Raiders | Wests Tigers |
| Aidan Sezer | Canberra Raiders | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Fa'amanu Brown | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | N/A |
| Danny Fualalo | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Retirement |
| Corey Harawira-Naera | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Canberra Raiders |
| Michael Lichaa | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Retirement |
| Rhyse Martin | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Jayden Brailey | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Newcastle Knights |
| Jayson Bukuya | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Kurt Capewell | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Penrith Panthers |
| Sosaia Feki | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Paul Gallen | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Josh Morris | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Sydney Roosters |
| Matt Prior | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Michael Gordon | Gold Coast Titans | Retirement |
| Ryley Jacks | Gold Coast Titans | Melbourne Storm |
| Max King | Gold Coast Titans | Melbourne Storm |
| Leilani Latu | Gold Coast Titans | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Brenko Lee | Gold Coast Titans | Melbourne Storm |
| Will Matthews | Gold Coast Titans | Retirement |
| Jack Stockwell | Gold Coast Titans | Burleigh Bears (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Kallum Watkins | Gold Coast Titans | Super League: Salford Red Devils |
| Kane Elgey | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Retirement |
| Trent Hodkinson | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Retirement |
| Apisai Koroisau | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Penrith Panthers |
| Lloyd Perrett | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Kelepi Tanginoa | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Wakefield Trinity |
| Will Chambers | Melbourne Storm | Suntory Sungoliath (Japanese rugby union) |
| Brodie Croft | Melbourne Storm | Brisbane Broncos |
| Curtis Scott | Melbourne Storm | Canberra Raiders |
| Joe Stimson | Melbourne Storm | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Jamie Buhrer | Newcastle Knights | Retirement |
| James Gavet | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Shaun Kenny-Dowall | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Danny Levi | Newcastle Knights | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Jesse Ramien | Newcastle Knights | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Blake Ayshford | New Zealand Warriors | Retirement |
| Solomone Kata | New Zealand Warriors | ACT Brumbies (Super Rugby) |
| Sam Lisone | New Zealand Warriors | Gold Coast Titans |
| Issac Luke | New Zealand Warriors | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Ligi Sao | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Hull F.C. |
| Kurt Baptiste | North Queensland Cowboys | Eastern Suburbs Tigers (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Scott Bolton | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Javid Bowen | North Queensland Cowboys | Northern Pride (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Jordan Kahu | North Queensland Cowboys | Brisbane Broncos |
| Nene Macdonald | North Queensland Cowboys | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Te Maire Martin | North Queensland Cowboys | N/A |
| Matt Scott | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Josh Hoffman | Parramatta Eels | Townsville Blackhawks (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Tim Mannah | Parramatta Eels | Retirement |
| Manu Ma'u | Parramatta Eels | Super League: Hull F.C. |
| Tepai Moeroa | Parramatta Eels | New South Wales Waratahs (Super Rugby) |
| Waqa Blake | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels |
| Reagan Campbell-Gillard | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels |
| Wayde Egan | Penrith Panthers | New Zealand Warriors |
| Tyrell Fuimaono | Penrith Panthers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Tim Grant | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Sione Katoa | Penrith Panthers | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| James Maloney | Penrith Panthers | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | Penrith Panthers | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Frank Winterstein | Penrith Panthers | Toulouse Olympique |
| George Burgess | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Sam Burgess | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Adam Doueihi | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Wests Tigers |
| Greg Inglis | South Sydney Rabbitohs | N/A |
| John Sutton | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Kyle Turner | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Mitchell Allgood | St. George Illawarra Dragons | London Broncos (Championship) |
| James Graham | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: St. Helens |
| Patrick Kaufusi | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Townsville Blackhawks (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Tim Lafai | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Jeremy Latimore | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Luciano Leilua | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Wests Tigers |
| Lachlan Maranta | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Intrust Super Cup) |
| Gareth Widdop | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Cooper Cronk | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Latrell Mitchell | Sydney Roosters | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Zane Tetevano | Sydney Roosters | Penrith Panthers |
| Robbie Farah | Wests Tigers | Retirement |
| Mahe Fonua | Wests Tigers | Super League: Hull F.C. |
| Esan Marsters | Wests Tigers | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Ryan Matterson | Wests Tigers | Parramatta Eels |
| Ben Matulino | Wests Tigers | Retirement |
| Corey Thompson | Wests Tigers | Gold Coast Titans |
| Brayden Wiliame | Super League: Catalans Dragons | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Matt Frawley | Super League: Huddersfield Giants | Canberra Raiders |
| Trent Merrin | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Bryson Goodwin | Super League: Warrington Wolves | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| George Williams | Super League: Wigan Warriors | Canberra Raiders |
| Ben Te'o | Sunwolves (Super Rugby) | Brisbane Broncos |
| Valentine Holmes | New York Jets (NFL) | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Young Tonumaipea | Hiatus | Gold Coast Titans |
| Zane Musgrove | N/A | Wests Tigers |

### Loan moves

| Player | Home club | → Loan club | Dates | Pld |
| Harry Grant | Melbourne Storm | Wests Tigers | 21 March – 26 October (Round 3 – end of season) | 15 |
| Paul Momirovski | Wests Tigers | Melbourne Storm | 21 March – 26 October (Round 3 – end of season) | 6 |
| Poasa Faamausili | Sydney Roosters | New Zealand Warriors | 31 May – 27 June (Rounds 4 – 8) | 4 |
| Jack Hetherington | Penrith Panthers | New Zealand Warriors | 28 June – 7 August (Rounds 8 – 13) | 6 |
| George Jennings | Parramatta Eels | New Zealand Warriors | 24 July – 13 August (Rounds 12 – 18) | 6 |
| Daniel Alvaro | Parramatta Eels | New Zealand Warriors | 24 July – 13 August (Rounds 12 – 18) | 6 |
| Albert Hopoate | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | New Zealand Warriors | 14 August – 24 August | 0 |

### Coaches

| Coach | 2019 Club | 2020 Club |
| Justin Holbrook | Super League: St. Helens | Gold Coast Titans |