2015 NRL Grand Final
| 2015 NRL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | 4 October 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Stadium | ANZ Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| Location | Sydney, NSW, Australia | |||||||||||||||
| Clive Churchill Medal |  Johnathan Thurston | |||||||||||||||
| Australian National anthem | Jessica Mauboy | |||||||||||||||
| Referee | Gerard Sutton Ben Cummins | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 82,758 | |||||||||||||||
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| Commentators | ||||||||||||||||
The 2015 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2015 NRL season and was played on Sunday 4 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys.[1] North Queensland won the match 17–16 in golden point extra time, claiming their first premiership title in their twentieth year of competition. Due to its dramatic ending, the match has been regarded as one of the greatest grand finals in rugby league history, drawing comparisons with the 1989 NSWRL Grand Final and the 1997 ARL Grand Final.[2]
Background
Brisbane Broncos qualified for their first grand final appearance since 2006. The Broncos, who finished second in the regular season ladder, defeated minor premiers Sydney Roosters 31-12 in the Preliminary Final. Brisbane had never previously been defeated in a grand final, winning all six it had previously played.
North Queensland Cowboys had finished third on the ladder, and qualified for the grand final after defeating Melbourne Storm 32-12 in their Preliminary Final. It was only the second grand final in the club's 20-year history, after being defeated in the 2005 Grand Final by the Wests Tigers.
It was the second time in history that no New South Wales team featured in the grand final after 2006 which featured the Brisbane Broncos up against the Melbourne Storm.
Pre-match entertainment was notably headlined by Cold Chisel.[3]
Teams
| Brisbane Broncos |
Position | North Queensland Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Darius Boyd | Fullback | Lachlan Coote |
| Corey Oates | Wing | Kyle Feldt |
| Jack Reed | Centre | Justin O'Neill |
| Justin Hodges (c) | Centre | Kane Linnett |
| Jordan Kahu | Wing | Antonio Winterstein |
| Anthony Milford | Five-eighth | Michael Morgan |
| Ben Hunt | Halfback | Johnathan Thurston (c) |
| Sam Thaiday | Prop | Matt Scott (c) |
| Andrew McCullough | Hooker | Jake Granville |
| Adam Blair | Prop | James Tamou |
| Alex Glenn | 2nd Row | Gavin Cooper |
| Matt Gillett | 2nd Row | Ethan Lowe |
| Corey Parker | Lock | Jason Taumalolo |
| Jarrod Wallace | Interchange | Rory Kostjasyn |
| Mitchell Dodds | Interchange | John Asiata |
| Joe Ofahengaue | Interchange | Scott Bolton |
| Kodi Nikorima | Interchange | Ben Hannant |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Paul Green |
Match summary
Sunday, 4 October
7:30pm (AEDT) |
Brisbane Broncos 
|
16 – 17 | North Queensland Cowboys
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Oates (7') 1 Reed (34') 1 Goals: Parker 2/2 (6' pen, 9') Kahu 2/2 (35', 43' pen) |
Golden Point Report |
Tries: 1 (10') O'Neill 1 (25') Tamou 1 (80') Feldt Goals: 2/3 (12', 26') Thurston Field goals: 1 (83') Thurston |
1st half
After an even opening five minutes, the first points of the game were scored by the Broncos in the sixth minute, when a Cowboys handling error in midfield followed shortly by a penalty allowed Corey Parker to kick a 40-metre penalty goal.[4] The Broncos then returned the first tackle after the restart for the opening try of the game, after a late offload on his own ten-metre line from Adam Blair to Anthony Milford allowed Milford to set up a line-break down the left wing, culminating in a try to Corey Oates; Parker converted the try and Brisbane led 8–0.[4] The Broncos then knocked on shortly after the restart, and North Queensland scored its opening try from the ensuing scrum set piece, with Jake Granville breaking the line to set up Justin O'Neill for the try; Johnathan Thurston converted and Brisbane led 8–6.[4] North Queensland nearly scored again three minutes later, with Oates making a try-saving tackle on Kyle Feldt after a pass from Lachlan Coote.[5]
Over the ensuing fifteen minutes, North Queensland had the better of possession and field position. In the 24th minute, attacking from a repeat set which had followed a grubber kick, James Tamou took the first pass out of dummy half and scored under the posts; Thurston converted the try to give North Queensland a 12–8 lead.[4] Brisbane scored an opportunistic try in the 34th minute, when Thurston lost the ball in a tackle in North Queensland territory, and Matt Gillett recovered for Brisbane and broke the line to put Jack Reed over for a try; Jordan Kahu converted and Brisbane regained a 14–12 lead which it took to half time.[4]
2nd half
Jordan Kahu scored a penalty goal in the 43rd minute to give Brisbane a 16–12 lead.[4] From that point, the game played out as a defensive battle in Brisbane territory. North Queensland had the better of possession and territory, and generated several repeat sets in attack, but the Cowboys were unable to score due to a combination of their own erratic attacking play and Brisbane's stout goal line defence. Brisbane actively sought to defend its lead, kicking for touch on sixth tackle throughout most of the second half to kill the clock and manage fatigue.[4] North Queensland's two closest opportunities came in the 61st minute, when Kane Linnett dropped a cut-out pass from Thurston which would have seen Linnett score;[6] and in the 64th minute, when Coote was tackled around the legs by Gillett just short of the try line – Coote reached out to put the ball over the line and was penalised for a double movement.[4]
With four minutes remaining, and the ball deep in North Queensland's territory, Ben Hunt conceded a penalty for a dangerous lifting tackle on Linnett, giving North Queensland field position. North Queensland failed to score on the ensuing set; but on Brisbane's following set, the Broncos failed to get to a sixth tackle kick, after Feldt stripped the ball one-on-one from Hunt at midfield on fourth tackle with one minute remaining.[7] North Queensland attacked, and on the sixth tackle, Michael Morgan ran to the right side, cut in to draw three Brisbane defenders, then flicked a short outside pass to Feldt who scored just inside the right corner as time expired.[4] Thurston's attempted game-winning conversion hit the near upright and bounced out, leaving the game tied at 16–16.[4]
Extra time
North Queensland kicked off first in extra time, and the opening kick-off was knocked on by Ben Hunt, immediately giving North Queensland an attacking scrum on Brisbane's ten-metre line.[7] North Queensland set up for the game-winning field goal, and after aborting attempts on the first and third tackles due to strong defensive pressure from the Broncos, Johnathan Thurston scored with the short-range field goal on fifth tackle to win the game 17–16.[4]
Post-match
At the post-match ceremony, Johnathan Thurston received the Clive Churchill medal as best on ground. This was then followed by the championship ring ceremony and the co-captains holding the Provan-Summons trophy.
Thurston drew praise for his post-match conduct, notably consoling Ben Hunt.[8] Many consider the image of Thurston hugging his daughter to be the 'best image' of the grand final.[9][10]
Aftermath
Both grand finalists, North Queensland and Brisbane, as well as minor premiers the Sydney Roosters, qualified for the first ever World Club Series, played in the 2016 pre-season against clubs from the English Super League.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Newman, Paul (4 October 2015). "NRL Grand Final: North Queensland Cowboys beat Brisbane Broncos in golden-point thriller". ABC News (Australia). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ Brad Walter (5 October 2015). "NRL Grand Final 2015: North Queensland Cowboys triumph in top three grand final wins of all time". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/oct/05/cowboys-thurston-inspired-victory-ranks-up-there-with-the-best-of-all-time
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Thurston kicks Cowboys to premiership". National Rugby League. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Cowboys win classic NRL Grand Final". Triple M. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Kane Linnett the most relieved man in Australia". News.com.au. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ a b Tom Decent (5 October 2015). "2015 NRL grand final: Ben Hunt's three minutes of horror". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/live/2015/oct/04/nrl-grand-final-brisbane-broncos-v-north-queensland-cowboys#block-561100a2e4b06bd936f9cb34
- ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3264162/Cowboys-star-Jonathan-Thurston-says-adorable-two-year-old-loves-attention-dark-skinned-doll-received.html
- ^ http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/oct/08/its-the-connollys-the-guardians-end-of-season-nrl-awards
- ^ Adrian Proszenko (7 October 2015). "Cowboys, Broncos and Roosters to represent NRL in World Club Series". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW. Retrieved 7 October 2015.