South Sydney hero Sam Burgess will undergo surgery on Monday morning to repair his shattered right cheekbone after helping his side win the NRL grand final.

The Hollywood story of the season came to a heart-warming conclusion as Russell Crowe's Rabbitohs ended their 43-year title drought.

Exclusive: The Warriors are caught up in an investigation into a Maori tourism qualification involving alleged overpayments of $6 million of taxpayers' money.

There is support on Auckland Council for a plan to relocate the Warriors from Mt Smart to Albany's QBE Stadium as part of a sweeping reform of Auckland's sporting facilities.

Jesse Bromwich might be the best prop in the NRL but there's no danger of any hype going to his head.

The Rabbitohs will be distracted by the events of grand final week and it could impact on the result next Sunday.

Warriors prop Ben Matulino is a doubtful starter in the Kiwis' Four Nations campaign because of a knee injury that affected the second half of his NRL season.

Trent Robinson offered no excuses but also struggled to reconcile just why the Roosters' NRL title defence ended in disappointment and despair.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck appears the prime contender for the highly-contested Kiwis fullback spot for the Four Nations tournament.

South Sydney ended the Sydney Roosters' NRL title defence to surge into their first grand final in 43 years with a stirring comeback win over their century-old rivals late last night.

Last weekend's playoffs games were among the best you would hope to see in finals football, writes Richie Barnett. But I would still love to see a return to more off-the-cuff football.

League immortal Andrew Johns says the Warriors are "perennial under-achievers" and says it is up to halfback Shaun Johnson to find consistency and take the team to the next level.

South Sydney's all-time leading try-scorer Nathan Merritt has announced his retirement after 13 seasons and 236 games.

Des Hasler has broken ranks from the majority of the league community and given the NRL and its referees a pat on the back leading into Canterbury's preliminary final against Penrith on Saturday.

The Warriors are interested in signing Brisbane Broncos and Kiwis international Josh Hoffman but not as a fullback.

Former Wests Tigers NYC coach Andrew Webster was yesterday named as the second new assistant coach to Warriors head coach Andrew McFadden.

League immortal Andrew Johns believes the NRL Auckland Nines has the potential to grow the game here and in the Pacific Islands.

As it is throughout the 26 regular-season rounds, the hopes of the final four sides left in the NRL premiership race rest largely on the shoulders of their diminutive halfbacks.

Police will patrol mosques across Sydney under an operation established to head off any reprisals from Thursday's anti-terror raids, but they insist it's for community protection and confidence.