It was a battle between Bulldogs teammates on Sunday night, and it was Jacob Preston who took the victory, helping Australia en route to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup Final.
Men's Results Semi Finals
Australia vs Samoa: Preston and Crichton Battle for Finals Honours
It was on for young and old at Allianz Stadium in a heavyweight bout between Australia and Samoa, with Jacob Preston going head to head with Bulldogs Captain Stephen Crichton.
After a fast and furious start, Australia eventually propelled through 44-12 - much thanks to Preston's contributions on the left - while Samoa were left to rue what could have been as discipline let them down.
Crichton was in the thick of things early, narrowly denied a try early on which would have brought the scoreline to 16-8 at the half hour mark.
2026 RLWC: Critta Gets Samoa on the Board
But the Bulldogs' skipper was on the board just after the break, giving his side a glimmer of hope with a trademark four-pointer.
He finished the match with eight points from his try and two goals, as well as 17 tackles, while his campaign saw him score 40 points from three tries and 14 goals.
Preston locked down the left for the Kangaroos, topping his side's tackle count with 34 (missing just one), while scoring a try in the 13th minute - marking his third in as many games in the green and gold.
He also helped set up Australia's fifth try, fielding an offload from Cameron Murray before shifting the ball wide to see Bradman Best score in the corner.
2026 RLWC: Preston Makes It Three Tries in Three Games
The fan favourite finished the match with 95 metres, a line break, a line break assist and a try assist.
Now, he has a chance to finish season 2026 as a Rugby League World Cup winner as the Australians face off against the old foe New Zealand in the final on Sunday night at Suncorp Stadium.
Women's Results Semi Finals
New Zealand vs Samoa: Samoan Quartet Brave in Semi Final
It was a harsh end to Fetu Samoa's 2026 Rugby League World Cup campaign, bested by the Kiwi Ferns 32-nil at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Still, the Bulldogs quartet - now including newly-minted signing Mercedez Taulelei-Siala - did their side proud.
The NRLW Rookie of the Year ran for 65 metres from eight runs, including 19 kick returns metres and 32 post-contact. Centre Monica Tagoai was busy with the ball, running for 61 metres from 9 runs, while making two tackle breaks and 11 tackles.
Mary-Jane Taito played a whopping 59 minutes in the middle, which saw her rack up 27 tackles with just one miss for an impressive 93.1% tackle efficiency as she took on the Ferns pack head on.
Leilani Wilson played the full 70 minutes, linking up with Tagoai and Taulelei-Siala on the left-hand side. The Bulldogs' Rookie of the Year finished the match with 65 run metres from seven runs (32 post-contact), a tackle-break, an offload and 27 tackles.
While it was a tough end to their World Cup campaign, it was a proud performance from all four throughout the tournament, with the experience no doubt benefitting them ahead the 2027 NRLW season.
