It was the final which will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
In the first ten minutes of the elimination final between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys, Beau Ryan scored what seemed to be a fair try. What we didn’t know was that it shouldn’t have been awarded at all.
Why? Because if you keep count in the following video, you will notice that it was scored on the seventh tackle.
That try saw the Sharks lead the Cowboys 12-8 at half-time. Without the try, it would have been the Cowboys leading 8-6 at the interval.
But there was more controversy in the second half. With 41 seconds remaining in the match, the Cowboys won a scrum feed close to their line and Kane Linnett scored what appeared to be the match winning try.
Well, that was until replays revealed that his leg had been dragged into the touch line by John Morris, but in all the chaos, the clock had remained frozen at 41 seconds for the entire duration of the Cowboys having the ball.
The match wasn’t over as yet, and the Sharks had to play out those last seconds before victory was officially theirs. And so it was, with the Cronulla side winning 20-18 in one of the most controversial finals in modern history.
It was the second straight year in which the Cowboys had lost a finals match in controversial fashion, having bowed out in the semi-finals the previous year against Manly after Michael Oldfield scored a match-turning try following an apparent knock-on by Kieran Foran.
Not to mention, they also lost a preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters in 2004 after a scrum in their favour could not be packed in time after Anthony Minichiello had knocked on seconds from full-time.
Following the 2013 loss, captain Johnathan Thurston accused the NRL of trying to set up an all-Sydney grand final, saying this was based on Queensland’s recently-broken eight-year domination of State of Origin.
Eventually, the grand final which all Sydney fans had hoped for (and Thurston had feared) eventuated, with the Sydney Roosters and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles facing off in the decider.
It has been ten months in the making but this Friday night’s showdown between the Sharks and Cowboys will mark the first time these two teams have met since that controversial elimination final.
Both sides’ fortunes have changed in the intervention, with the Sharks severely struggling on and off the field this season as the ASADA investigation takes its toll on the club.
Interim coach Peter Sharp fell on his sword last month, leaving it up to James Shepherd to look after the club until Shane Flanagan returns from his suspension later this year.
Sharp’s resignation earlier this month came shortly after the club came from 22-0 down to upend the Brisbane Broncos 24-22, which ended a 324-minute scoring drought dating back to mid-May.
It was also possibly the final NRL match for Todd Carney, who was later sacked by the club after a lewd photo of him in a public toilet went viral on Twitter a few days after the match against the Broncos.
In their first match under new coach Shepherd, the club conjured another miracle comeback from a similar position to stun defending premiers the Sydney Roosters 30-28, also away from home.
Last week, however, the Sharks endured the reverse. From 18-0 up against the Newcastle Knights, they lost 31-18. And this was the first home match the Sharks had played since Sharp’s resignation.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, haven’t had an impressive season either, currently languishing in 12th place on the ladder with seven wins and nine losses for the season.
Of those nine losses, eight have come away from the bowels of 1300SMILES Stadium, where their other loss for the season, against the New Zealand Warriors in Round 3, came.
Their 27-24 loss to the Dragons at Kogarah Oval two weeks ago was their eighth loss from as many road trips this season. It must be noted, however, that the Cowboys were ahead by a small margin before losing narrowly.
If the Cowboys are to remain in finals contention, then they must fix their away woes immediately, or risk missing the play-offs for the first time since 2010.
On this trend, you would think that the Cronulla Sharks would be favoured to win this Friday night, as they continue their battle to avoid what could possibly be their first wooden spoon since 1969.
Despite all the off-field controversies, the Sharks are actually in good form, when you take into account their comeback victories over the Broncos and Roosters, as well as the fact they led Newcastle 18-0 before capitulating to lose 31-18.
However, their captain Paul Gallen will very likely miss the match after he suffered a bicep injury last week. It’s not serious enough, though, to stop him from playing again this season.
Gallen’s loss can be viewed by many as North Queensland’s gain, as they attempt to end their road trip winning drought. Whether it’s a psychological or mental issue remains unknown, but the Cowboys need to start winning if they are to make a late charge for the finals.
And this means finding a cure to their travel curses. Now that State of Origin is over, there are no excuses for not just them, but also the other finals contenders, to start slipping up two months out from September.
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