The 16 sides played out the most compelling Magic Round ever as league and club supremos planned their next venture from the stands

The promise of Magic Round is all of rugby league in one place, but 2024’s edition was defined by those more distant. Not least the Dragons, whose fans saw the bright side of getting the bye. “At least we get the two points,” anyone wearing a red V slurred along Caxton Street.

The collective brain of rugby league may have descended on Brisbane, but this was a weekend for the sport’s great tentacles. The Women’s State of Origin opener penetrated close to two millions screens around the country on Thursday – no NRL match this season has attracted a higher audience – as well as many of the weekend’s conversations.

• Rugby league bosses meeting with federal government in Brisbane
• Papua New Guinea aiming to become 18th men’s club

Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’Landys said he is prepared to abandon the prospect of a NRL team from Papua New Guinea if the federal government doesn’t improve its offer of support.

The NRL is considering expanding the men’s competition to 18 teams in 2027, and a team from PNG has been championed by the federal government as a way to bring the region closer amidst ”competitive tension”.