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Season 2015 you have been absolutely magic. Looking back there are so many moments that I remember with fondness.
Seeing Jake Friend shine as he became co-captain at the Sydney Roosters, watching the Parramatta Eels launch their Domestic Violence Action Plan, Blake Austin’s hat-trick with the Canberra Raiders, David Klemmer and Aaron Woods developing a bromance during State of Origin, the surge of the Baby Broncos, and of course, the fairy tale that was Sudnay night.
I have spent so much of this year talking about rugby league and my passion for the game. I have watched with pride as our sport continues to give back to the community and to the adoring fans to whom the game belongs.
I have said phrases like “the NRL is the story when it comes to gender diversity in sport” and “there is no sport which has a greater commitment to gender diversity in Australia than the NRL” a number of times.
I will repeat these messages as many times as I need to to get the message across.
But I cannot do this alone. Despite my greatest attempts, there is still an issue with the reputation of our game which we all have a responsibility to help fix.
And we went part of the way toward fixing it on Sunday night.
As people discuss whether golden point is the correct way to decide a grand final, while others sympathise with Ben Hunt, and marvel at the quality of football we saw, a couple of images have now become synonymous with the 2015 grand final.
Those images are of Johnathan Thurston with his beautiful daughter.
Following the yelps of jubilation, the tears, the speeches, the hugs and the roar of the crowd, lovers of rugby league paused and watched Thurston sit on the grass with his little girl. It was one of the most touching moments I have ever seen.
The little girl is enamoured with her father, with the medal around his neck. JT is smitten with his daughter. In her hands she holds a little dolly. Surrounding them is absolute chaos both on and off the field, but the two of them are in their own little world – taking a quiet moment to enjoy something very special before the moment fades away.
In those few images, rugby league was shown in the light I see it. As a sport played by men with tremendous passion for the game, staunchly supported by their loved ones (including wives, mothers, fathers and children).
It is a game about commitment, about passion, about loyalty and love for your team and your brothers on the field. At its heart, rugby league is a game about family, and on Sunday night Australia cooed as JT celebrated with his.
We were witness to true emotion and pure love and I could not have been prouder to be an onlooker.
I hope the image is used to remember a truly remarkable season. I hope that the next time someone comments ‘NRL is a game played by boofheads and thugs’ or that the NRL is nothing more than a ‘working-class game’, someone else shows them that image and they can take a moment to reflect on a moment of pure joy among the chaos of a grand final.
Congratulations to you JT, we are all proud of you. You are a true ornament of the game of rugby league. And after Sunday night, I can say with even more confidence that it is truly the greatest game of all.
This is @mary__kaye from @ladieswholeague