The 2015 NRL Grand Final is finished, and it’s one we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. The Cowboys claimed their first premiership win 17-16 over the Broncos, in a game full of sub-plots.
MORE NRL GRAND FINAL
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>> IS THERE NO LIMIT TO THURSTON’S ABILITY?
>> PLAYER RATINGS FROM THE NRL GRAND FINAL
Ben Hunt’s worst nightmare
It’s the kind of moment in a game that will haunt a player for the rest of their career – despite the fact that Hunt had played well all night, his knock-on that gave the Cowboys the chance to kick the winning field goal in golden-point time will be his enduring memory of this game.
Even the best of players is prone to making a grave error at any given time in a match, but you have to think this was probably the worst possible time to bugger something up.
At the end of the day, there are no re-dos and Hunt will have to live with the mistake that cost the Broncos a premiership. My tip for him is that the best way to do that would be to come back next year and win one.
Thurston gets a rare second chance
Second chances don’t come along in sport very often, a fact of which Johnathan Thurston must’ve been very aware when his attempt at a premiership-winning conversion after Kyle Feldt’s equalising try struck the metalwork.
It was the start of what could’ve been a nightmare – and had the Broncos triumphed in golden-point time, Thurston might never have forgiven himself for the miss.
In the end though, fortune was kind, and just two minutes into golden-point time Thurston found himself with the ball in hand, given a second chance to ice the game and write his name into the history books. He didn’t make any mistake the second time around.
Broncos, Bennett’s streaks come to an end
Both the Broncos and Wayne Bennett held awesome records coming into the Grand Final, in fact, they were as good as you can get.
The Broncos boasted six premiership wins from six grand finals – twice in the NSWRL, once in the Super League, and three times in the NRL. Bennett coached all six of those grand final wins – and also coached the Dragons to the 2010 premiership – for a perfect record in grand finals.
Bennett and the Broncos looked good to extend their perfect record as the seconds ticked down with a 16-12 advantage in hand – but it was not to be.
Jake Granville’s remarkable rise
You’d have to be pretty happy with your 2015 if you’re Jake Granville – to go from struggling to get a game for the Broncos, to playing a key role in defeating them in the grand final, it’s one incredible transformation to go through in the space of twelve months.
Granville was important to both of the Cowboys’ first-half tries and in the end would’ve been considered one of the best performed players on the ground.
If there was any doubt over who was the recruit of the year in 2015 in the NRL, Granville put an end to it with a big-game performance in the most important match of the year, and has earned himself a place in the history books.
History’s best decider?
There have been some classic grand finals in the history of rugby league in Australia, but there’s a strong argument to say that this one takes the cake.
The first grand final ever to be decided in golden-point time, this was a tight contest throughout that had those watching on the edge of their seats.
It’s the kind of game you can imagine describing to your grandkids many years down the line. The stars aligned for a finish that was dramatic as it gets – the whole thing feels larger than life.
Whether you call it the best or not, there’s no doubt this one was a grand final to remember.
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