25 in 25: Greatest Grand Final moments in NRL era: Cowboys comeback? Benji flick? Sattler tackle? Storm penalty try?

The 25th season of the NRL is almost done and dusted so to commemorate the first quarter-century of this instalment of the premiership, The Roar will be looking back at the 25 best players and moments in 25 categories.

In Grand Final week it’s only fitting to have a look at the best moments from premiership deciders.

There are so many iconic moments where players have stepped up when not only the match but a premiership has been on the line.

We have already gone through the best fullbacks, players to never make Origin and coaches of the era.

In each of these articles recapping the elite performers and standout moments, we have separated the 25 into the top 10 (the best of the best), the next 10 who simply couldn’t miss the cut and the final five who just beat out a bunch of other worthy contenders.

The best of the best – the top 10

1 Johnathan Thurston’s golden point field goal in 2015 
2 Jamie Ainscough’s high shot leading to Craig Smith’s penalty try in 1999
3 Benji Marshall’s flick pass for Pat Richards to score in 2005 
4 Scott Sattler’s cover tackle on Todd Byrne in 2003
5 Kyle Feldt’s last-second try in 2015
6 Andrew Fifita’s match-winning try in 2016
7 The Raiders’ six-again drama in 2019
8 Sam Burgess’ fractured cheekbone in first play of 2014
9 Cooper Cronk walking off exhausted after playing with broken shoulder in 2018
10 Brett Stewart’s post-match feud on the podium with David Gallop in 2011 

Settling on these 10 moments was an excruciating process. These 10 are incidents that either decided a match or are still talked about to this day as defining moments of that year’s premiership decider.

The 2015 Grand Final had three such moments in the final three minutes of playing time which lasted an eternity.

You could argue Kyle Feldt’s try to level the scores on the last play of regulation time was the bigger moment, the fact that Johnathan Thurston missed the conversion means that his field goal in extra time was slightly more monumental.

JT delivers the Cowboys a premiership. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

On the back of Ben Hunt’s fumble from the restart,Thurston turned the ugliest drop-kick into a joy forever for Cowboys fans when he piloted the ball through the sticks to seal the only golden-point Grand Final triumph in history, kick-starting unprecedented scenes of unbridled emotion from North Queensland as they celebrated their maiden premiership success.

When it comes to controversy, there has been no greater drama when it comes to a refereeing call deciding a premiership than in 1999 when St George Illawarra winger Jamie Ainscough clocked Melbourne counterpart Craig Smith with a 76th-minute high shot as he tried to retrieve a Brett Kimmorley bomb. 

Bill Harrigan soaked up the theatre of it all by having a long chat to his touch judge then asking the video ref to check “would he have scored if he had not been fouled, all that sort of thing”. He then trotted to the spot under the crossbar to award a penalty try for the Storm to win a Grand Final in just their second season.

When it comes to try assists in Grand Finals, there has been none better in the NRL era than Benji Marshall’s flick pass – equal parts brave and skilful – to Pat Richards to send the Wests Tigers winger speeding away for a crucial try in the win over the Cowboys in 2005.

Scott Sattler also stands alone at the summit for defensive plays for his cover tackle on Roosters winger Todd Byrne in the wet at the Olympic stadium in 2003 which propelled Penrith to their boilover victory over the premiers.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – King/Getty Images)

Sharks prop Andrew Fifita was controversially denied the Clive Churchill Medal in 2016 but a swarm of Storm defenders couldn’t stop him from scoring under the posts in what turned out to be the final match-winning scoring play of Cronulla’s breakthrough triumph.

Raiders fans are still fuming about the retracted six-again call against Jack Wighton which stalled their momentum when on the attack late in the game in 2019 against the Roosters. The fact that their opponents scored soon after to break an 8-8 deadlock means they will never forget nor forgive either.

It wouldn’t happen nowadays under the concussion protocols but Sam Burgess’ thunderous collision with James Graham in the 2014 Grand Final will forever be a part of Rabbitohs folklore. Burgess not only played out the match but won the Clive Churchill Medal as the club sealed its first premiership in 43 years.

Who can forget the moment late in the Roosters’ 2018 win over Melbourne when halfback Cooper Cronk collapsed into a seat on the sideline, physically and mentally drained, after playing with a broken scapula. His coach, Trent Robinson, rushed down from the box to put an arm around his exhausted star and thank him for putting his body on the line for the team.

When it comes to post-match flashpoints, there have been none more significant than when Glenn and Brett Stewart confronted NRL CEO on the victory podium after Manly’s win in 2011, demanding an apology for the suspension handed down to the fullback for an off-field incident, for which he was later cleared. “It’s fine, I am here shaking your hand but, David, you owe me an apology,” Brett said as he collected his winner’s medallion while Glenn also delivered a few choice words while receiving the Clive Churchill Medal.

The best of the rest

11 Greg Inglis’ goanna try celebration in 2014 
12 Steven Menzies scores in his Manly farewell in 2008
13 Andrew Ryan’s last-ditch cover tackle in 2006 
14 Dean Young and Craig Young in a tearful embrace in 2010
15 Johnathan Thurston’s missed conversion after the siren in 2015 
16 Stephen Crichton’s intercept try in 2021
17 Anthony Mundine fumble over the line in 1999
18 Ricky Leutele’s tackle after Storm’s seemingly endless final play in 2016
19 James Graham accused of biting Billy Slater in 2012
20 Mark Gasnier’s try after Brett Morris put a foot into touch in 2010 

The result was well and truly sealed by the time Greg Inglis scored for Souths in 2014 but his goanna post-try celebration is another moment which has become iconic.

Similarly for Manly fans, their 40-0 triumph over Melbourne in 2008 was phenomenal but the undoubted highlight was retiring legend Steven Menzies scoring late in the contest to kick-start early victory celebrations.

The 2004 decider was promoted as a clash of the heavyweights between Canterbury and the Roosters and it lived up to the billing. With the Dogs clinging to a three-point lead in the dying seconds and Michael Crocker broke free down the right edge but Andrew Ryan threw his body at full stretch to thwart the attacking raid, knocking the Roosters forward to the ground to avert a potential last-gasp try.

St George Illawarra’s 2010 triumph provided one of the great father-son moments when club legend Craig, one of the toughest hombres in a tough era during the 1970s and ‘80s, and son Dean, after playing his heart out in the win over Roosters, enjoyed a tearful embrace amid the post-game on-field hysteria.

Thurston’s missed conversion in 2015 gets its own spot on this list – it looked for all money like it was going to curl over in trademark fashion as it left his boot from the sideline, but it hit the upright, bouncing away. JT screamed into the night sky with unrestrained anguish but it didn’t last long.

Penrith looked like they could have been headed for back-to-back GF defeats last year before Stephen Crichton plucked a Cody Walker pass in what was possibly a 12-point turnaround with the game delicately poised at 8-8 with 13 minutes to go.

Jamie Ainscough is remembered as the player who cost St George Illawarra the trophy in ‘99 but Anthony Mundine could have sealed the win much earlier in the 51st minute when ignored two unmarked teammates to go himself but dropped the ball over the line in a tackle by none other than Craig Smith.

If you ask a Sharks fan about the last play of the 2016 decider, they will tell you the Storm passed the ball from side to side for what felt like approximately 79 minutes – the seemingly endless raid ended when centre Ricky Leutele bottled up Marika Koroibete with a ball and all tackle. Incidentally the ball went through 10 sets of hands and in reality only lasted 25 seconds.

Grand finals don’t usually involve too much foul play with players unlikely to risk ill discipline on the biggest stage but Canterbury prop James Graham was accused of biting Storm fullback Billy Slater during a wild melee. He was later banned 12 matches but protests his innocence to this day.

Roosters fans are still fuming about the opening try in 2010 when the touch judge missed Dragons winger Brett Morris stepping into touch while being tackled as he flung the ball inside in the sixth minute. Mark Gasnier scored off a Jamie Soward kick two plays later in what would be St George Illawarra’s only points of the first half before they roared home in the second stanza.

The final five

21 Timana Tahu’s tremendous try in 2001
22 Cameron Smith scores in his farewell in 2020
23 The Roosters trainer gets in the way of the ball in 2019
24 Adam Reynolds’ conversion miss in the 76th minute in 2021
25 Richard Villasanti smashes Brad Fittler 2002

Newcastle were up 24-6 on their way to one of the great upsets in 2001 against Parramatta when Andrew Johns bombed for the corner, the ball bounced, rebounded into Timana Tahu and ricocheted forward and the young winger slid forward on his knees, regathered and planted the ball down with centimetres to spare to seal the Eels’ night of misery in one of the more spectacular tries in Grand Final history.

There was a similar first-half onslaught in 2020 in Cameron Smith’s farewell game and the veteran hooker rubber-stamped a 22-0 half-time lead when the ball was knocked from his grasp by Api Koroisau but he regathered and dived over under the posts to virtually end Penrith’s chances in his 430th and final match for the Storm.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

When Canberra fans eventually calm down after you mention the six-again call in the 2019 Grand Final, don’t then bring up the trainer incident – the ball hit Roosters physio Travis Touma in back play after a Sia Soliola chargedown but the Tricolours were handed possession, a correct call in the rulebook, and ended up scoring a try soon after on their way to the 14-8 triumph.

The next-most famous conversion miss after Thurston’s in 2015 was South Sydney’s Adam Reynolds last year. One of the greatest goalkickers in premiership history had the chance to level the scores in the 76th minute from the sideline but the kick veered right late and missed and Penrith hung on for a two-point win.

Brad Fittler showed remarkable courage to soldier on in the 2002 decider when he was hit before he could kick by Wairangi Koopu and then smashed in a subsequent hit from fellow Warriors forward Richard Villasanti with his head crashing into the Roosters skipper. A bloodied and bandaged Fittler had the last laugh when he raised the premiership trophy following the 30-8 thumping.

Just missed the cut

These are a few of the other notable incidents from Grand Finals past. There’s many more that could have been given an honourable mention as well. 

There’s Michael Jennings’ diving try in 2013 as the Roosters rallied to beat Manly and Jamie Lyon’s penalty try in the same game or retiring prop Glenn Lazarus doing a wonky old cartwheel/handstand after leading the Storm to glory in 1999.

And there are others that would have been much more widely recognised if their team had gone on to win like Nathan Blacklock’s scintillating try for the Dragons in ‘99, Stacey Jones cutting through the Roosters three years later and Fuifui Moimoi’s barnstorming effort through the Storm defence in 2009 for Parramatta.