After a season filled with chaos Sunday night provided proper closure. Not AFL style closure, but NRL style closure. Once ANZ Stadium had emptied, Dragons coach Wayne Bennett stood in a hallway surrounded by family and friends. It was the most jovial and at peace I’d ever seen him.
It must have been a sense of relief more than anything else. Despite already speaking at a post match press conference, he was even willing to answer the questions of eager journalists, myself included, looking for one more gem of wisdom for the morning news.
He said this season was all about unfinished business.
I also asked whether he could’ve been satisfied had he reached the end of his coaching career without winning a premiership with a club other than the Brisbane Broncos. He replied that coaching is all about the satisfaction of getting the best out of those under his tutelage.
Well, Wayne, job done.
It seemed strange that for once a Sydney crowd hailed him as a hero. When he made his way down to the touchline, the crowd rose as one to salute the master. In case you’re wondering the usual response to Bennett’s appearance on any big screen in Sydney is far from positive due to his strong and proud ties to Queensland.
In another room, down the hall from Bennett, premiership-winning players shuffled in and out to fulfil their post-match media commitments.
Fullback Darius Boyd, with the Clive Churchill medal draped around his neck, spoke of his annoyance at the players being labelled boring and chokers. It wasn’t a petulant response, but more a measured come-back from a player who has matured greatly since his now infamous 50 second press conference at a training session.
Jamie Soward had a champagne bottle in one hand and a beer in the other. This was a moment of triumph for a player who was continually told he wasn’t good enough. On his taped left wrist was the word “divots”. Asked what it meant he said “no comment”. Natural curiosity still has me wondering what it means.
Winger Jason Nightingale, who scored two tries in the decider, showed off his premiership ring to my cameraman while Mark Gasnier revealed he’d already locked his away.
Why?
He wanted to be able to take it out when the whirlwind few hours after the grand final had passed, and in a quiet moment of reflection, gaze at the impressive piece of jewellery. You could tell Gasnier almost felt bad for having collected one. He came to the club mid-season after a stint playing rugby in France and cashed in on the back end of two years of toil from the rest of the group. Gasnier has to remember, and I’m sure he will in the days to come, that he deserved a ring earlier in his career. Things have a way of working out.
Dean Young sat on a bench wearing a premiership t-shirt.
After scoring during the match he thumped the Dragons badge on his chest and spoke of his love for the club. The years ruined by injury and the hours of treatment and rehabilitation were a distant memory.
The teary full time embrace with his father Craig, who captained the Dragons to the title in 1979, is a moment he’ll never forget. “He’s cries all the time,” he tells me referring to his dad. That is a classic grand final moment and will no doubt be replayed for years to come.
He said he wasn’t thinking of selection in Australia’s 24-man squad for the four nations, but by 11:30am yesterday I bet it was all he could think about as the selectors read out his name.
There was an overwhelming sense that the right team had been crowned champion.
In the Roosters dressing room the disappointment felt by Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce would’ve been compounded by his non-selection for the Australian squad.
He will be the Australian halfback one day, but I don’t think that day has come yet. Cooper Cronk deserves his spot and there is adequate cover in Todd Carney, Kurt Gidley and Robbie Farah if needed.
It’s also worth remembering that this was the Roosters fourth grand final appearance in 11 years. They’ve converted just one of those opportunities into a title. That was a performance inspired by a battered and bloodied Brad Fittler against the New Zealand Warriors in 2002.
Next season holds plenty of promise for the Bondi-boys, but whether coach Brian Smith can shake the hulking grand final gorilla off his back remains to be seen. His record on the biggest day of the season now stands at 0 and 4 and 0 and 3 when Bennett is in the other box. He is too good to end his career without a title and next year will be as good a chance as any he’ll get.
The Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans will also be in the hunt next season while the New Zealand Warriors have the potential to go all the way.
The two biggest disappointments have to be the Bulldogs and the Eels. Those two squads are filled to the brim with talent and how they didn’t make the finals is beyond me. You can also throw North Queensland into that basket.
All three clubs are capable of considerably more than they produced for their fans.
Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan faces one of the biggest tasks in 2011. The top job in the shire has reduced many a talented man to his knees over the years. Only time will tell whether the long time understudy to Ricky Stuart has what it takes to lead the Sharks back into the eight.
For now though it’s time for the Dragons to bask in the glory of a first premiership as a joint venture, the first for St George since 1979 and the first ever for the Illawarra Steelers side of the merger.
Bring on the Four Nations, an independent commission and season 2011.
You can follow Luke on twitter @luke_doherty and on Sky News Australia.
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