Sport / Sydney, NSW

Sydney Roosters hold off Newcastle Knights to win thrilling NRL grand final

The Guardian Australia (Sport) Angus Fontaine at Accor Stadium

4 Oct 2026 21:45 AEDT Summary

NRL Sydney Roosters Newcastle Knights Rugby League Sport

Show what we removed

Summarized version

Roosters claim 16th title with 19-18 win in Sydney. Mark Nawaqanitawase scores twice after Newcastle held 12-0 lead.

The report’s most important sentence, shortened and in plain words. How

From the report

Led by their inspirational captain, James Tedesco the Roosters squeezed the life out of Newcastle’s rags to riches story, farewelling their rugby….

How outlets headlined it

Each outlet's own headline. ~~Struck through~~: the loaded words our version leaves out. Plainest first.

WAtoday Watson ruled out of grand final after failing bid to overcome concussion plain
ABC News (Sport) Roosters blow as Watson ruled out of NRL grand final plain
Brisbane Times Knights coach ‘couldn’t be prouder’ as Roosters celebrate grand final victory plain
The Guardian Australia (Sport) Sydney Roosters hold off ~~brave~~ Newcastle Knights to win thrilling NRL grand final 1 change

Headline check

Headline as published: Sydney Roosters hold off brave Newcastle Knights to win thrilling NRL grand final

All two things this headline claims are in the report.

Figures, names and quoted words in the headline, looked for in the report itself — not in the summary above. How this is checked

This is a summary. The indicators are not. Every score on this page was measured over the full 865-word report, which is the only way the numbers mean anything.

How it is written

Niral Score 20.4 · mostly calm mundaneloaded

10 more readings adjectives, repeated words, sentiment, jingoistic and 2 more and 4 at zero

Highlighted in the text. Words that carry a fact and quoted words are not counted.

minutes8fans4final4found4game4grand4went4ball3half3men3play3season3set3tackle3title3arms2back2came2charged2cross2defence2despite2downfield2finish2hard2history2hit2kick2kicked2kicking2later2lead2led2left2long2made2red2rugby2score2showed2squeezed2started2thrilling2try2underdogs2win2winger2yet2zone2

Sentiment -0.1 hostilefavourable Jingoistic 0.8 reports to a readerwrites from a camp Sourcing 2 unattributednamed sources Mood 17.6 sorrowjoyful

4 read zero: political diction, generational, gender, religious

Political diction 0 left-codedright-coded Generational 0 harder on the oldharder on the young Gender 0 no gendered framingframing throughout Religious 0 not invokedovert

How the article is written, not whether it is correct. How each is measured.

Measured on The Guardian Australia (Sport)’s report as filed, which is all we may publish of this one.

How each outlet filed it

Also covered by WAtoday, Brisbane Times, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald. We hold only their summary of it, not the report, so there is nothing of theirs to measure here.

Outlet	Niral Score	Adjectives	Sourcing	Sentiment	Happiness
The Guardian Australia (Sport)as they published this story	20.4	23	2	-0.1	17.6
ABC News (Sport)	12.6	3	17	0.1	55.2

How did this read?

Comments

Comments are not open yet. They will be once there is someone to read every one before it appears. If something here is wrong, tell us — that we do read.

Report a problem with these scores or this rewrite — it goes straight into the public ledger.

The same event elsewhere

8 other outlets filed this story. The scoreboard above is what they did differently.

WAtoday Watson ruled out of grand final after failing bid to overcome concussion Niral 5.5 · calm political 0 Brisbane Times Watson ruled out of grand final after failing bid to overcome concussion Niral 5.5 · calm political 0 The Age Watson ruled out of grand final after failing bid to overcome concussion Niral 5.5 · calm political 0 The Sydney Morning Herald Watson ruled out of grand final after failing bid to overcome concussion Niral 5.5 · calm political 0 ABC News (Sport) Roosters blow as Watson ruled out of NRL grand final Niral 12.6 · mostly calm political 0 Brisbane Times Knights coach ‘couldn’t be prouder’ as Roosters celebrate grand final victory Niral 4.6 · calm political 0 The Age Knights coach ‘couldn’t be prouder’ as Roosters celebrate grand final victory Niral 4.6 · calm political 0 WAtoday Knights coach ‘couldn’t be prouder’ as Roosters celebrate grand final victory Niral 4.6 · calm political 0