Mastercoach Wayne Bennett secured his place as the undisputed greatest by delivering St George Illawarra an NRL premiership with a 32-8 grand final win over the Sydney Roosters to end a 31-year title drought.
On an emotional night at ANZ Stadium where the Dragons exorcised the ghosts of finals past, the joint venture overcame a stubborn Roosters outfit to silence the critics who had labelled them chokers.
Having arrived at the club last year with six titles under his belt and a plan to deliver the Dragons a premiership in his three years at the club – Bennett accomplished his mission in two for the Dragons’ first title since 1979, before the merger with Wollongong Steelers.
“It’s huge for the club … it’s been a long time coming for them,” Bennett said.
“They’re a great club and they’ve had a lot of disappointment over a long period of time, they’ve been much maligned.
“For me personally it’s all about them, I’m so pleased for them.”
Asked to compare the feat to his titles with the Broncos, Bennett said:
“The difference here is it’s been 31 years since they won a premiership, in Brisbane we went three or four years maximum after we won it in 92.
“There was a lot more emotion out there tonight for different reasons and for whatever reason it’s been so long coming.
“They’re much maligned , they feel the pain the players, the criticism. It was a very emotional victory lap there tonight.”
There was emotion in the sheds too where tears flowed as freely as the champagne.
Through it however, the players to a man pointed to Bennett as the difference.
“Greatest coach of all time – full stop,” said five-eighth Jamie Soward, who silenced his own critics in a coming-of-age performance.
“Was there any doubt? (he was the best) – seven from seven – pretty fair record.”
Soward’s efforts with the boot proved critical in giving his side breathing room after the Roosters had taken an 8-6 halftime lead following a first half littered with dubious refereeing decisions.
Mark Gasnier scored the first try after the touch judge had missed Dragons winger Brett Morris putting both feet into touch.
Then Joseph Leilua appeared to knock on in attempting to score before the video referee awarded Braith Anasta the Roosters’ opening try.
When Mitchell Aubusson scored the tricolours’ second four minutes later for an 8-6 lead another choke appeared on the cards.
But Bennett’s reassuring words at the break had the desired effect and the Dragons ran in four unanswered second-half tries, blowing away the Roosters’ attempt to be the first club to go from wooden-spooners to premiers in the space of 12 months since 1934.
“I think they’ve done a great job this season of resurrecting pride in the Rooster jersey and I think the Sydney Roosters are back on the map and we want to keep it that way next year and we want to go a little better if we can,” said coach Brian Smith, now none from four in grand finals.
“We haven’t left ourselves much room for working in for next year, but that’s what our target will be.”
But after being in charge of two of the five grand finals the Dragons have lost since 1979 when he was with the club in 1992-93, Smith admitted some admiration at the joint venture’s effort.
“Probably half the people I know in my life are Dragons fans, so I’m kind of happy for them tonight,” he said.
“It’s been a long wait for them, but I’m hurting at the same time because it’s something that I certainly want to experience myself.”
For the Dragons an experience of a lifetime awaits, the leagues club back at Kogarah heaving in anticipation of the arrival of the holy grail.
“We’ve worked so hard for two years for this – some of us we’ve been going ten years,” skipper ben Hornby said.
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