2017 NRL Grand Final

The 2017 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2017 National Rugby League season and was played on Sunday October 1 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.[1] The match was contested between minor premiers the Melbourne Storm and the eighth-placed North Queensland Cowboys. The Storm won the match 34 – 6 to claim their third premiership title. Melbourne fullback Billy Slater was awarded his second Clive Churchill Medal as the game's official man of the match.

2017 (2017) NRL Grand Final  ()
12 Total
MEL 1816 34
NQL 06 6
Date1 October 2017
StadiumANZ Stadium
LocationSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Clive Churchill Medal Billy Slater
Australian National anthemRicki-Lee Coulter
RefereesMatt Cecchin
Gerard Sutton
Nick Beashel (Touch Judge)
Chris Butler (Touch Judge)
Attendance79,722
Broadcast partners
Broadcasters
Commentators

Pre-match entertainment was headlined by American rapper Macklemore, who attracted controversy for his scheduled performance of "Same Love" during the ongoing nationwide postal survey on same-sex marriage. Fairfax Media described the 2017 NRL Grand final as "one of the most one-sided grand finals in the NRL era". [2] [3]

Background

Storm Cowboys
Rd.1 Bulldogs Raiders
Rd.2 Warriors Broncos
Rd.3 Broncos Sea-Eagles
Rd.4 Tigers Titans
Rd.5 Panthers Rabbitohs
Rd.6 Sharks Tigers
Rd.7 Sea-Eagles Dragons
Rd.8 Warriors Knights
Rd.9 Dragons Eels
Rd.10 Titans Bulldogs
Rd.11 Rabbitohs Sharks
Rd.12 Bye Bye
Rd.13 Knights Titans
Rd.14 Sharks Eels
Rd.15 Cowboys Storm
Rd.16 Roosters Panthers
Rd.17 Broncos Raiders
Rd.18 Eels Bye
Rd.19 Bye Rabbitohs
Rd.20 Raiders Warriors
Rd.21 Sea-Eagles Roosters
Rd.22 Cowboys Storm
Rd.23 Roosters Panthers
Rd.24 Knights Sharks
Rd.25 Rabbitohs Tigers
Rd.26 Raiders Broncos
QF Eels Sharks
SF DNP Eels
PF Broncos Roosters
GF Cowboys Storm
Legend:   Win   Loss

This was the third time that a grand final was contested by two non-Sydney/New South Wales based teams, after the 2006 Grand Final (Brisbane defeating Melbourne) and the 2015 Grand Final (North Queensland defeating Brisbane), and the first to feature neither the Brisbane Broncos or a Sydney-based club. The Melbourne Storm qualified for their seventh grand final since 2006, with only coach Craig Bellamy and halfback Cooper Cronk having been involved on each occasion. It was also the first time since 2009 that a side had reached a premiership decider in consecutive seasons, with the Storm having made four straight appearances between 2006-2009. The North Queensland Cowboys made their first grand final appearance since their maiden premiership victory over the Brisbane Broncos in 2015, as well as their third in the club's history. It was the first time since the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2014 that a side reached a grand final from outside the top-four, the first time since the Parramatta Eels in 2009 to reach the grand final from as low as 8th position, and the first club to qualify from 8th under the current final eight system that was implemented in 2012.

Claiming their third minor premiership, the Melbourne Storm finished the regular season on 44 competition points, six points clear of the second placed Sydney Roosters in losing only 4 games from 24 matches. Their points differential of +297 was their highest amount since 2008. With a two-game home ground advantage, they defeated the fourth-placed Parramatta Eels 18–16 to earn a week off and a place in the grand final qualifier, where they would beat the Brisbane Broncos 30–0 to reach a consecutive grand final.[4][5] The Cowboys only made the finals series after the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons in the final round of the regular season. This result denied the Dragons 8th spot and allowed the Cowboys into the finals instead.[6] The Cowboys made a winning run defeating their next three opponents in the finals, all of whom were Sydney-based clubs. They defeated defending premiers, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 15–14 in extra time at Allianz Stadium,[7] the Eels 24–16 at ANZ Stadium,[8] and the Roosters 29–16 at Allianz Stadium,[9] making it the first time they have reached a grand final without losing a finals match.

Melbourne and North Queensland have previously played each other in a finals series on three occasions. Their first meeting was in 2005 at, the then named, Aussie Stadium where the Cowboys defeated the Storm 24-16 in the Semi Final. Their second was in 2015, when the Cowboys defeated the Storm 32–12 at Melbourne's AAMI Park to qualify for the Grand Final.[10] Their third meeting was in the 2016 Qualifying Final, when the Storm defeated the Cowboys 16-10 at AAMI Park; the Storm would earn a week off and finish runners-up that season.

Teams

Melbourne
Storm
Position North Queensland Cowboys
Billy Slater Fullback Lachlan Coote
Suliasi Vunivalu Wing Kyle Feldt
Will Chambers Centre Justin O'Neill
Curtis Scott Centre Kane Linnett
Josh Addo-Carr Wing Antonio Winterstein
Cameron Munster Five-eighth Te Maire Martin
Cooper Cronk Halfback Michael Morgan
Jesse Bromwich Prop Shaun Fensom
Cameron Smith (c) Hooker Jake Granville
Jordan McLean Prop Scott Bolton
Felise Kaufusi 2nd Row Gavin Cooper (c)
Tohu Harris 2nd Row Ethan Lowe
Dale Finucane Lock Jason Taumalolo
Kenny Bromwich Interchange Ben Hampton
Tim Glasby Interchange Coen Hess
Nelson Asofa-Solomona Interchange Corey Jensen
Slade Griffin Interchange John Asiata
Craig Bellamy Coach Paul Green

Melbourne Storm halfback Cooper Cronk played in his seventh grand final after having previously featured in every premiership decider his club have reached since 2006. It will also be his last game for the Storm after playing 323 first-grade games for the club. Cronk, Will Chambers, Cameron Smith, Jesse Bromwich, and Billy Slater were the last remaining members of their last premiership winning team in 2012. The North Queensland Cowboys have twelve players from their 2015 Premiership winning side. Co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott are the most notable absentees from their last Grand Final appearance after both suffered long-term injuries during the season, although Scott was named as a reserve for the starting line-up. They were replaced by Te Maire Martin and Scott Bolton (who was promoted to the starting line-up after coming off the bench in 2015) respectively, with Martin being transferred mid-season from the Penrith Panthers to cover the injured representative halfback. Cowboys utility Ben Hampton made a consecutive Grand Final appearance after playing for the Storm in their loss to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks the preceding year's premiership decider.

Officials

Position Stand-By
Referees: Matt Cecchin Gerard Sutton Ben Cummins
Touch Judges: Nick Beashel Chris Butler Brett Suttor
Bunker: Bernard Sutton Ben Galea

Match summary

Sunday, 1 October
7:30pm (AEDT)
Melbourne Storm 34 6 North Queensland Cowboys
Tries:
Josh Addo-Carr (20', 73') 2
Felise Kaufusi (28') 1
Billy Slater (38') 1
Dale Finucane (64') 1
Curtis Scott (67') 1
Goals:
Cameron Smith 5/6
(21', 29', 39', 65', 75')
1st: 18 0
2nd: 16 6
Report
Tries:
1 (48') Te Maire Martin
Goals:
1/1 Ethan Lowe
(49')

FIRST HALF:

It was a tough night for the Queensland side from the outset when Shaun Fensom was taken out of the game after a freak accident. Fensom tried to prevent a break from the Storm but was tangled up with teammate Ethan Lowe. His leg was forced sideways and his grand final was over after just three minutes with a suspected broken tibia. After a lengthy stoppage of almost 10 minutes, the Storm looked likely to score first despite some bruising defence from Antonio Winterstein. The first try came in the 19th minute when Will Chambers pounced on a loose ball 10m from his own line and beat a couple of defenders before offloading to Josh Addo-Carr, who sprinted 75m for the try. Cameron Smith converted and Storm lead 6-0. From that point on the Storm went about their business with clinical precision. As usual, it was the kicking game of Cooper Cronk which was on fire, ably supported by his captain Cameron Smith. Cronk forced a dropout with a well-weighted kick and on the resulting play in the 28th minute, Slater drew two defenders and set up Felise Kaufusi who had a clear run to the line and gave the Storm their second try. Smith converted and Storm lead 12-0. It went from bad to worse for the Cowboys moments later when Winterstein made a meal of a seemingly innocuous Cronk grubber. In a complete team performance, the “Big Three” had their fingerprints all over the execution of the plan and in the 37th minute, Cronk and Smith combined for Slater to slice through past Justin O’Neil for the Storm’s third try. Smith converted and Storm lead 18-0. Just before the half time siren, Feldt had set off on a long run after fielding a Cooper Cronk kick. The Melbourne chase reflected the sheer determination of the Storm players.

SECOND HALF:

After just one penalty in the opening half, the Storm conceded three in a row early in the second. It gave the Cowboys a rare sniff at the Melbourne try line and in the 47th minute, Te Maire Martin finally broke through the Storm’s defence to score. It was the first points the Storm had conceded in 140 minutes of finals football. Ethan Lowe converted and the Storm lead 18-6. The Cowboys began to build pressure but couldn’t make the most of further sets inside the Storm’s 20. Melbourne lock Dale Finucane all but put the game to bed in the 64th minute with a barge over try on the back of an assist from Smith. Smith converted and Storm lead 24-6. The night was summed up from the Cowboys in the 67th minute when Kane Linnett coughed up the ball coming out of the defence. Curtis Scott scored a grand final try in his debut season after receiving a pass from Josh Addo-Carr. Smith missed the conversion and the Storm lead 28-6. With the game well and truly in the bag the Storm turned into the Harlem Globetrotters with Smith, Cronk, Slater and Tohu Harris combining in the 73rd minute for a party-trick to set up Addo-Carr for his second try of the night. Smith converted and the Storm lead 34-6. It was the icing on the cake for the best team of the season. Captain Cameron Smith was electric for the entire 80 minutes. He was running and kicking from dummy half, had 41 tackles and kept the entire Cowboys defence second guessing themselves every step of the way. He could have easily been awarded the Clive Churchill medal but the honour went to Billy Slater who was uncatchable finishing with 168 run metres, setting up two tries and scoring one himself with his sheer pace and vision.

Opening games

Holden Cup NYC Grand Final

Sunday, 1 October
1:35pm (AEDT)
Parramatta Eels U20s 18 20 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles U20s
Tries:
Dylan Brown (3') 1
Denzal Tonise (16') 1
Greg Leleisiuao (67') 1
Goals:
Dylan Brown 3/4
(4', 11' pen, 17')
1st: 14 10
2nd: 4 10
Tries:
1 (29') Tevita Funa
1 (40') Bilal Maarbani
1 (43') Blake Andrews
1 (79') Keith Titmuss
Goals:
2/4 Tevita Funa
(40', 80')
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Phil Henderson, Adam Cassidy
Jack Gibson Medal: Cade Cust

NRL State Championship

Sunday, 1 October
3:40pm (AEDT)
Penrith Panthers 42 18 Papua New Guinea Hunters
Tries:
Tony Satini (9', 11', 16', 40') 4
Darren Nicholls (20') 1
Viliame Kikau (31') 1
Christian Crichton (38') 1
Maika Sivo (47') 1
Goals:
Darren Nicholls 5/8
(13', 17', 22', 34', 39')
Sin Bin:
Jarome Luai (68')
1st: 38 2
2nd: 4 16
Tries:
1 (69') Adex Wera
1 (72') Bland Abavu
1 (77') Ase Boas
Goals:
3/4 Ase Boas
(3' pen, 70', 77')
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Jarrod Cole, Chris Treneman
Man-of-the-Match medal: Kaide Ellis

Aftermath

By winning the Grand Final, the Melbourne Storm qualified for the 2018 World Club Challenge against the Super League XXII champions Leeds Rhinos. The match would be staged in Australia for only the fourth time, where the Storm defeated the Rhinos 38–4.[11]

Pre-match entertainment

American rapper Macklemore was booked to perform four songs, accompanied by singers Eric Nally and Mary Lambert, including "Same Love".[12] The song topped the Australian charts in 2013, and was regarded as an anthem for same-sex marriage advocates during the campaign in Macklemore's home state of Washington. In the days leading up to the grand final, the single returned to the top of the Australian iTunes charts.[13]

Several prominent conservative politicians voiced strong opposition to the scheduled performance of "Same Love", given its high-profile support for the 'Yes' campaign during the voting period of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.[14][15] Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott tweeted his disapproval of a "politicised grand final," while North Queensland crossbencher Bob Katter described allowing Macklemore's grand final performance as "tantamount to seeping sewage into the debutante ball." Macklemore acknowledged the controversy several days before the final, but vowed to "go harder" as a result.[16]

See also

References

  1. "2017 Telstra Premiership draw launched". Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  2. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-grand-final-2017-north-queensland-cowboys-coach-paul-green-questions-referee-collision-20171001-gys9mc.html
  3. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-grand-final-2017-north-queensland-cowboys-coach-paul-green-questions-referee-collision-20171001-gys9mc.html
  4. Marmont, Andrew (9 September 2017). "Storm edge Eels to book home prelim". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. Marmont, Andrew (22 September 2017). "Storm into grand final after smashing Broncos". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  6. Kennedy, Chris (3 September 2017). "Bulldogs end Dragons' finals hopes". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  7. Kennedy, Chris (10 September 2017). "Cowboys send Sharks packing in extra time". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  8. Newton, Alecia (16 September 2017). "Eels out as Cowboys dream lives on". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  9. Newton, Alecia (23 September 2017). "Cowboys stun Roosters to storm into grand final". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  10. Botoulas, William (26 September 2015). "Cowboys lock in Queensland Grand Final". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  11. "Melbourne to host World Club Challenge showdown". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  12. "MACKLEMORE ANNOUNCES ERIC NALLY, MARY LAMBERT WILL PERFORM AT THE NRL GRAND FINAL". The Daily Telegraph. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  13. Bungard, Matt (28 September 2017). "NRL grand final 2017: Macklemore song Same Love surges up Australian iTunes charts after controversy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  14. Mack, Emmy (27 September 2017). "'No' Campaigners Are Trying To Ban Macklemore From Singing 'Same Love' At The NRL Grand Final". Music Feeds. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  15. Holman, Julia (28 September 2017). "Macklemore singing at NRL grand final like 'seeping sewage into debutante ball', says Bob Katter". ABC News. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  16. Payne, Marissa (28 September 2017). "Macklemore to perform at Australian rugby championship, and it's got some fans very angry". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
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