2009 NRL Grand Final

The 2009 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership season. Played on 4 October 2009 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium was contested between the Parramatta Eels and the Melbourne Storm, the latter competing in their 4th grand final in a row. It was also the first Grand Final to feature the two referee system, with Shayne Hayne and Tony Archer being the first referees to jointly officiate in an NRL Grand Final.

The Melbourne Storm led 10–0 at halftime and fought off a Parramatta comeback to eventually win 23–16 and claim their third premiership since entering the competition. This has since been stripped due to salary cap breaches. Melbourne went on to defeat the Leeds Rhinos, winners of the 2009 Super League Grand Final, in the 2010 World Club Challenge. The latter title was also stripped from the Storm.

Background

Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm finished the regular season in 4th position with 14 wins, nine losses and one draw. As the minor premiers of the last three seasons and premiers in 2007, some commentators believed that the Storm were below their best in 2009 and doubted they would make a 4th straight grand final. But in the first week of the finals series they easily accounted for the defending premiers, the Manly Sea Eagles, with a 40 – 12 victory. They then defeated the 2006 premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, 40 – 10 to qualify for the grand final. The Melbourne Storm are the first side to make four consecutive grand finals since the Eels did so in 1981–84.

2009 NRL season

The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first match played on 13 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 4 October. The Grand Final was won by the Melbourne Storm in their fourth consecutive grand final appearance. However, they were stripped of their Premiership on 22 April 2010 after they were found to be guilty of breaching the league's salary cap.

The second season of the National Youth Competition also commenced in line with the Telstra Premiership.

Season summary

This season the NRL introduced a second on-field referee. Previously when the ball changed possession the lone on-field referee would have to change his position to stay with the defending team. He also could only observe the ruck from one direction. The two-referee system saves the referees some running back and forth to get into position as possession changes and also improves watchfulness over the ruck.

Grand final

A Grand final is a game that decides a sports league's championship (or premiership) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North American sports, grand finals have become a significant part of Australian culture. The earliest competitions to feature a Grand final were Australia's AFL (Australian rules football) and NRL (rugby league football). They influenced other competitions such as soccer's A-League, the National Basketball League, netball's ANZ Championship and European rugby league's Super League to adopt grand finals as well. Most grand finals involve a prestigious award for the player voted best on field.

History

The Anglo-Norman term "grand" to describe a sporting event, documented in England as "grand match" in 1836, was used in Australia from the 1850s. A steeplechase in England has been called the "Grand National Steeple Chase" ("Grand National" alone for short) since at least 1839.

Use of the term in Australian Football dates back to the first organised and widely publicised match between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College on August 7, 1858 at Yarra Park, Melbourne (formerly Richmond Park). The game was advertised as the "grand football match" in the Melbourne Morning Herald and several other local newspapers.

1972 Grand Final

1972 Grand Final may refer to:

2013 NRL Grand Final

The 2013 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2013 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 6 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the minor premiers Sydney Roosters and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, the Sydney Roosters won the game 26–18, thus becoming the first team since the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2010 to win the minor premiership and the premiership in the same season.

Background

The NRL premiers for the 2013 season were decided between two Sydney based clubs, the minor premiers Sydney Roosters and the 4th-placed Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. It was the first time in 41 years the two sides played for a premiership title, which Manly last were victorious in claiming the 1972 title in the then NSWRL competition. Both the Roosters and the Sea Eagles have now featured prominently in grand finals since the turn of the new century, with the Roosters making the grand finals in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2010 whilst the Sea Eagles have featured in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Despite making the most appearances in the past 14 seasons the Roosters had only been successful in one of their five previous appearances, when they defeated grand final debutants New Zealand Warriors 30 points to 8 in 2002. The Sea Eagles' last premiership victory was also against the Warriors when they defeated them in the 2011 decider 24 points to 10. It marked the first time since 2005 that either Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy or Des Hasler will not coach a side to a grand final, as each have claimed a grand final victory for the past seven seasons. Both Trent Robinson and Geoff Toovey were debutant grand final coaches in their first and second respective years in the NRL.

2015 NRL Grand Final

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. North Queensland won the match 17–16 in extra time, claiming their first premiership in its history. It is considered one of the greatest Grand Finals in NRL history.

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 has 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 21-year history, the previous having been a loss in 2005.

It was the second time in history that no New South Welsh team featured in the Grand Final; the other was in 2006.

2014 NRL Grand Final

The 2014 NRL Grand Final was the concluding and premiership-deciding match of the 2014 NRL season. Played on the evening of Sunday 5 October 2014 at ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. South Sydney won the premiership, their 21st, with a 30 points to 6 victory, ending a 43-year premiership drought.

The match was preceded by the 2014 National Youth Competition Grand Final and the 2014 NRL State Championship. British-American musician and songwriter Slash and American alternative rock band Train performed at the event as pre-match entertainment, and Simon Gleeson performed the Australian National anthem. The match was broadcast live throughout in Australia by the Nine Network.

Souths' premiership victory qualified them for the 2015 World Club Challenge, their first ever appearance in the match.

Background

History

Founded in 1908, Souths had won more premierships—20—than any other club. However, they had not appeared in a Grand Final since 1971. Over the subsequent decades, the club had battled financial problems before being excluded from the National Rugby League competition ahead of the 2000 season due to a failure to meet the league's criteria for inclusion. After litigation and high-profile public campaigns, the club was readmitted into the competition for the 2002 season.