The Sydney Roosters are the NRL premiers for the second year in a row, defeating the Canberra Raiders in a controversial grand final at a packed ANZ Stadium. Here are my talking points from the biggest game of the season
The referees butchered it, but didn’t directly change the result
We are going to keep it to one point talking about the referees, but given the impact they had on the late stages of the game, they have to be talked about.
Everyone knows exactly how it went down by now, unless of course, you’ve been living under a rock since halftime last night.
A call of six to go was initially signalled, followed by a reversal back to the last tackle for Canberra. Jack Wighton then died with the ball thinking he’d be able to get up and play it, and things unravelled from there for the Green Machine.
Raiders fans won’t agree with me, and you know what, that’s fair enough. I wouldn’t agree with the following sentence if it was my time who ended up in that mess.
But in the light of day, the decision turned the ball over 85 metres from the Roosters tryline. The defending premiers scored in the very next set.
Did the decision change the mental state of the Raiders? Yeah, probably, but if they had have done what they had done for most of the previous 70 minutes and made a tackle, the decision would be a non-issue, and we probably wouldn’t even be mentioning it this morning.
That doesn’t change the fact it was a howler of a decision, and will go down as the talking point in the match, but it should just be taken with a pinch of salt, is all that needs to be said.
It did lead to the second-best team on the night winning, but sometimes, that’s footy. More on the Roosters soon, but there is no guarantee that another set would have brought a Raiders try with it again, given they spent all that time on the attack and couldn’t find one, including that time against 12 players.
It didn’t cost the Raiders the game.
Oh, and just tacking onto the end of this point – the rule regarding the ball hitting a trainer needs to be looked at with an urgent review done.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
So, it isn’t possible to go back-to-back
I’d ruled it impossible when the Storm failed to do it last year despite making it all the way back to the grand final, but apparently, it isn’t actually impossible to win two premierships in as many years.
The Roosters are now the living proof of that, but boy oh boy do you need to be good to do it.
There are so many reasons the second premiership is harder than the first. For starters, roster changes normally strike under the salary cap, then there is the fact that every other team is out to get you, as well as a pre-season trip to England and a shorter pre-season thanks to winning the grand final the year before.
It’s why the Storm making three in a row was miraculous enough over the last handful of years, even if they were only able to walk away with a solitary premiership.
But the Roosters have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they are the best team of this era with last night’s victory.
And it’s the way they have gone about the finals series. They have been absolutely ruthless, belting the living daylights out of everyone with incredible footy.
Sure, their attack is good, but it’s their defence which has set them apart, with the club letting in just three tries across their three finals games, played against the other members of the top four.
That’s a miraculous stat, and while they didn’t win a minor premiership, Trent Robinson deserves a mountain of credit for the way he has timed his side’s run to another victory.
Now, the question is, can they do the three-peat?
Surely not.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Jack Wighton is a worthy Clive Churchill Medal winner
There will undoubtedly be questions over why the Clive Churchill Medal winner came from the losing side, however, at the end of the day, Jack Wighton was the best player on the better side.
The better side didn’t win the game of footy, but the selection panel got their decision right with Wighton.
Sure, James Tedesco was strong, the Roosters wingers phenomenal at both ends of the park and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was everywhere in the first 20 or so minutes of the game, but Wighton is the worthy winner here.
He had the Raiders try in the first half for himself with a lovely bit of work taking the line on, and looked dangerous multiple times throughout the game doing the same thing, while he ended with 97 metres, six tackle busts, a line break and defended well.
The Raiders attack has been clunky at times this year, and was again last night in the face of the best defensive line we have maybe ever seen in the NRL, but it wasn’t through a lack of trying from Wighton, who barely put a foot wrong in doing so.
(AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
Cooper Cronk will go down as one of the greats
This point more or less writes itself, but the retiring Cooper Cronk is going to go down as one of the greats of the game.
Not the greatest, but certainly one of the best, and he is going to leave a monstrous hole in Trent Robinson’s plans for 2020 and beyond.
While he wasn’t what you might consider a standout last night – there were very few of those on the Roosters side – he did his job for the most part.
But it’s the overall career which has to come under the microscope when you talk about the legacy Cronk is going to leave, with a staggering nine NRL grand finals, six of which he has won for a grand total of four legitimate premierships.
Nine grand finals means he has spent more seasons playing in grand finals than he hasn’t throughout his career, and while the argument could be made that he has played in the ‘best’ teams throughout his time in the sport, he is a big reason why they are the best teams.
Moving away from Melbourne was the best thing he could have done for his legacy. Doing it at another club, under another coach, and making everyone around him better was the way to do it, and for the last two years, that’s what Cronk has none.
With a minimal level of fuss, he has delivered two premierships in two years to Bondi, and that is the exact job he was signed to do.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Even when James Tedesco isn’t at his best, he is still great
Here’s a little secret that I don’t mind sharing, because frankly, it’s not really a secret like it was at this time last year. When I put together my top 50 players series of articles this week for publication in the following week, there is very little doubt who is going to come in at number one.
His name is James and he plays for the Roosters.
The fullback, who has been an integral part of the Roosters’ two premierships, and the New South Wales Blues’ last two Origin campaigns, is the best player in the game, and you can’t even form an argument to fight it.
And normally, he rises to the occasion of big games like few others in the competition.
But last night, something just felt a little bit off. He wasn’t quite as safe in the air, and he didn’t have his usual offensive punch until he scored the final try.
And yet, even without setting the world on fire like he normally tends to do, Tedesco came away with over 190 metres, a handful of tackle busts, and enough on the stat sheet to say he worried the Raiders when he had the footy in hand.
It’s incredible that he can end up with those metres without being a star on the park, but he adapted to the style of game and did what he needed to do to give his team a massive boost each time it was most-needed.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The Raiders will be a force to be reckoned with in 2020
While last night is going to sting for the Raiders, their staff, and their fans, once the pain subsides and a proper reflection of the season can be done, there is no question that in the grand scheme of things, it should be looked upon fondly.
Whether Raiders fans admit it now or not, this is well ahead of even the wildest expectations of the most optimistic fans coming into the season.
Sure, it would have been disappointing for fans of the men in green if they hadn’t made the top eight, but fighting for a spot in September was about where they expected to be.
Now, it’s critical that they build on the experience the last three weeks has given them, and start charging towards 2020 once the batteries are recharged.
A lesser team than the 2019 Raiders, or an older Raiders side, would have rolled over and been thumped last night after struggling through the first 20 minutes.
It’s those first 20 minutes which, when you sum up the Canberra season, can be used to show exactly how far Ricky Stuart’s men have come.
The end result of the grand final is going to burn for Canberra. There is no doubt about that, but they need to be able to use that as a driving force for the new season when it rolls around.
To use the pain, feeling and heartbreak of last night to surge into next season, where they should be able to keep most of their first-grad squad together and go close to finishing at the top end of town again.
Something is building in the nation’s capital, and this is just the beginning.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Roarers, what did you make of the NRL grand final? Drop a comment below and let us know.
Before I sign off, thanks for following this column all year. They are great fun to write and then defend in the comments, so I hope you have all got as much out of them as I have.
Until next year. (Or, the Nines and international footy, anyway).
T.Raymond
Guest
Well said P Air! By the sounds of it more and more people like yourself are doing the exact same thing. There is no stopping this trend that I can see
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
See ya :laughing:
Barry Beeth
Guest
Not sure how the Raiders can be deemed "the better side".. They had more possession, made more metres, got more penalties and still came up with more errors and failed to score against 12 men.. Also slightly interesting that although Sticky declined to comment on the 6-again, he also decline to comment on some pretty average defence from his side.. Declined to mention an up and coming superstar fullback and their most powerful forward missing a dummy half run from a rookie with a handful of first grade games 3m out after only 6 minutes in the clubs biggest game in 25 years? He also declined to mention on Sezer jumping up-and-in and failing to lay a hand on either Latrell or Tupou which led to the try.. As the case with Sticky, its always someone elses fault.
Matt From Pony Land
Roar Rookie
Have to agree that Sezer was pedestrian throughout the finals ball in hand. His kicking game was good though. Whighton needs to work on not drifting so much when attacking the line. It leaves the centre too little space once he's received the pass. That being said, he had an amazing first year playing 6, almost Daley reborn. If we could meld the attack from the 2016 Raiders with the defence and grit of 2019 we'd have the perfect team.
Pickett
Guest
Ok George, Enlighten me. What you talkin about?
Brian George
Guest
Quite hypocritical of you given your comments after Wales v Wallabys..
CNS
Roar Rookie
This is how I see it as well. The ref call did not rob the Raiders. It robbed the Roosters of a legitimate win.
Greg
Roar Pro
Seriously??? 2 tries from dodgy refereeing? The first was in no way dodgy refereeing, dodgy rule maybe, but the referee enforced the rule correctly. Even then the break in play and scrum allowed the Raiders to regroup and organise their defence, yet they still conceded the try several play later. The 2nd, yes i give you the fact that the Roosters received possession from some dodgy refereeing. But they received it 85m out!!!!!! They still had to create the try. The refereeing wasn't responsible for the Mitchell flick pass or Tedesco's support play, nor the Raiders' inability to stop it. Everyone is acting like the not 6 again call cost Raiders a try. It did not look like they would have scored on that play if Wighton haf of known it was the last, and they were far from certainties to get a repeat set from a second kick (or score from one if they did). We will never know what would of happened. What we do know is they were unable to stop the Roosters the following set, just like they were unable to capitalise against a 12 man defensive line. Roosters were deserved winners!!!!
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Thanks Fish. Good clear analysis. Leilua is heavier and slower than usual still coming back from an injury layoff, he was cooked late in the game and guaranteed Easts had prepared to exploit that, and didn’t they nail the opportunity. Maybe Ricky could have subbed Leilua instead of CNK. Rapana was furious at the try opportunity they butchered, they will miss him if the reports are correct that he is leaving. But a new halfback next year and new combos to form - will take some time to gel as it did for Easts in 2018.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Yeah, late in the game and Leilua still isn’t fully match fit coming back from an injury, plus that was Seizer defending out on the wing. Canberra had not got themselves reorganised yet after the “six again” handover and Keary spotted this momentary opportunity and attacked it hard, every pass stuck at pace. And there is Tedesco anticipating, putting in the effort play and pushing up on the inside. And there is Jarrod Croker, anticipating, putting in the effort play and within a couple of metres of Tedesco at the try line... The best players, seeing it early, reacting first and putting in the big effort. Tedesco has draw dropping flash, but like Slater before him is always putting in the Origin champion level effort. As does Croker, who has also had a huge finals series and should be on stand by for the Australian team in the instance Mitchell is unavailable or injured.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Did you notice in the final play of the “six again” set, Cronk completes one tackle, gets up and chases the play to make a second tackle on Wighton, a one-on-one tackle to force the turnover? There are plenty of effort plays from plenty of players on the field. Cronk’s vision is exceptional and his effort is relentless. He had a massive game.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Got to love a game where both teams are in it up to the final minute. Have to disagree that Cronk “wasn’t what you might consider a standout last night”. Brilliant goal line defence all through the finals and again in the grand final, and a number of try saving tackles through the finals series and again on Papa in the grand final. A fraction of a second early on slow motion... maybe, but that try saving tackle was the ball game. I read elsewhere that he “rushed up out of the line” to hit Papalii early, but that’s rubbish - he set his feet and got his weight moving forward as the bigger Papalli was about to crash into him. The effort and timing of Papalii’s run was brilliant, the timing and technique of the Cronk tackle was brilliant. The pass arrived a tenth of a second before first contact of this collision and the consequence was a try saving tackle that rewarded Papalii and Canberra with a penalty and an extra player for 10 minutes. This didn’t look like cynical play, it was just a brilliant bit of footy. A typical everything-i’ve-got effort from Cronk, and an effort from Papalii that Webke or Civinoceva would be proud of. Papalii really is an elite player now at the top of his game.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Thanks Nat. Will be really interesting to see how G Williams goes in the NRL. I think we got as much as we could out of Aidan Sezer. He put his heart and soul into the green jumper and was as devastated as anyone when that final whistle blew last night. But he's had a few seasons to make his mark as a half back and hasn't quite delivered. And I'm really liking the look of some of the young blokes such as Horsburgh, Simonsson, Guler etc along with Hudson Young who has a future if he can cut the facials out of his game. Horsburgh will play Origin for Qld from what I've seen.
Nat
Roar Guru
Williams is quality over in SL Geoff but it is a different style here. Where the chooks will lose a few next year I can only see the Raiders getting better with On a positive Ricky should be able to attract decent talent with the team you have. I can imagine there would be a line up going forward. Hard luck last night but not many other teams would've come that close. A game and a season to be proud of.
Pickett
Guest
Classy.
RoryStorm
Guest
There's an awful lot of supporters who would gladly take their team playing in three Grand Finals for a solitary win. The majority of the so called experts wrote the Storm off last year. I can't remember how many times I read on here at the start of the season that the Storm were now coming back to the rest of the pack. To even make the GF last year was an achievement in itself. I dare say if Cronk had still been at the Storm last year we win the GF. Even this season most of the Storm supporters I sit with at home games didn't seriously think we would make the GF. It didn't stop us hoping. I don't care if people laugh at me but I said on an earlier post on here that I would be happy for the Storm to win the minor premiership because I didn't believe we could win the GF. Some silverware is better than no silverware. Congratulations to the Roosters supporters for their win. Winners are grinners. Congratulations to the Raiders supporters for the great year your team has given you and making the Roosters work hard for the win yesterday.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
So now I can add you tipping us to the list of issues from 1993??
Bonza
Roar Rookie
Canberra simply need to use this result as fuel to go all the way next year. Even if it means changing their uniforms which worked so well for 91 Panthers.
Pickett
Guest
Those few things would have been: Verrills try and Tedesco's beautiful 80 metre try. Last nights game reminded me of the '93GF where St George were the dominant team against the Bronco's but 2 moments of Kevin Walter's magic made them premiers. Brad Mckay got CCM. I was rooting for the Dragoons because I hated the Bronco's at the time, but that's footy.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Not to forget the additional help from trainers...