2010 NRL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 2010 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2010 NRL season
. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters
. It was the first time the two sides met in a grand final
. They had played each other twice before during the season, with St. George Illawarra winning on both occasions. The Dragons finished the season as minor premiers as they had the previous season. The Roosters were the previous year's wooden-spooners and only after playing and winning for five consecutive weeks were able to reach the 2011 decider.
In the grand final, the Dragons trailed by 2 points at halftime, but broke the shackles in the second half, keeping the Roosters scoreless while adding 26 points to their score. The game finished with a 24 point margin in favour of the Dragons, claiming their first premiership as a joint-venture club, and for St George fans, the first since the 1979 NSWRFL season.
and the Wests Tigers
in the finals series. The club had finished the regular season as minor premiers
for the second consecutive season. The Dragons suffered a poor record in finals matches, having been knocked out of the finals series in straight sets in 2009, and having qualified for a Grand Final only once (in 1999, their first year as a joint venture) in eight finals appearances since the joint venture came into existence. It had been 31 years since the St. George Dragons
side of the joint venturt last won a premiership, while the Illawarra Steelers
club had never won a premiership or qualified for a Grand Final.
, and having signed troubled star Todd Carney
, the Roosters improved to finish sixth on the ladder in 2010, before consecutive finals series victories against the Wests Tigers
, the Penrith Panthers
and the Gold Coast Titans
launched the club into the Grand Final. The Roosters were thus in a position where they could become the first club since the Western Suburbs Magpies
in 1934 to win a premiership after finishing last in the previous season.
headlined the pre-match entertainment, which also featured Jessica Mauboy
, Australian dance act Justice Crew, an ensemble of the Sydney Children's Choir, the Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir and the Glebe Public School Choir and a tribute to the NRL's retiring players. The 21 Australian soldiers
killed in the war in Afghanistan
also received a tribute that concluded with the traditional arrival of a Blackhawk helicopter.
The Grand Final commenced at approximately 5.15pm, following the grand finals of the NSW Cup between Windsor Wolves
and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Toyota Cup between South Sydney Rabbitohs
and New Zealand Warriors
. The weather was overcast, 13 degrees celsius, with light rain which meant the two earlier matches had caused the centre of the field
to become muddy. A crowd of 82,334 was in attendance for the match.
position, Jamie Soward from the ten-metre line kicked the ball over into the Roosters' in-goal and Mark Gasnier, racing through from the right side, leapt to catch it on the full and put it down just inside the dead ball line. The video referee Bill Harrigan
awarded the try and Soward's conversion was successful, so St. George Illawarra were leading 6-0 after eight minutes. However, video replays showed that in the lead up to the try, Dragons winger Brett Morris had passed the ball with a foot outside the touch-line so play should not have been allowed to continue. Later, in the sixteenth minute, the Roosters had made their way up into better field position when Todd Carney, twenty metres from the opposition try-line's right side, kicked high to the left corner. His winger Joseph Leilua caught the ball, crashed over the try-line, and while attempting to put it down had it knocked from his outstretched hand by Jamie Soward's knee, but Roosters captain Braith Anasta was there to ground it. The video referee was again called upon to award the try, and with Carney's kick going wide the score was 6-4 in favour of the Red & Whites. Less than two minutes after the re-start of play St. George Illawarra knocked on in their own half and the Tricolours, after getting within fifteen metres of the try-line, moved the ball through the hands from the left side of the field to the right where Mitchell Aubusson crashed over near the corner. Carney again missed the conversion but his side was now in the lead 8-6 with a quarter of the match gone. In the twenty-sixth minute the Dragons were awarded a penalty in a goal-kicking position but Soward missed. At the thirty-minute mark St. George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman was helped off the field after getting a swinging arm to the head from Daniel Conn which was placed on report. The third quarter of the match was played in both ends of the ground with neither side able to turn their opportunities into points, so the teams left the field with The Sydney roosters leading 6-8.
It was the third time in the 2010 season that the Dragons had trailed the Roosters at halftime before keeping them scoreless in the second half to win. St. George Illawarra fullback Darius Boyd
was judged by Australian selectors to be awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
for man of the match. Boyd became the fourth fullback to win the Clive Churchill, after Newcastle's Robbie O'Davis
(1997), former Broncos teammate Darren Lockyer
(2000) and Melbourne's Billy Slater
(2009). Boyd had a hand in both of Nightingale's tries and made 111 metres from 13 hit-ups. This was Boyd's second premiership win, having won with the Brisbane Broncos
in his debut year of 2006.
, Goal: Soward
)
16th: Roosters 6 – 4 (Try: Anasta
)
20th: Roosters 8 – 6 (Try: Aubusson
)
46th: Dragons 12 – 8 (Try: Nightingale
, Goal: Soward)
60th: Dragons 18 – 8 (Try: Nightingale, Goal: Soward)
63rd: Dragons 24 – 8 (Try: Young, Goal: Soward)
67th: Dragons 26 – 8 (Penalty Goal: Soward)
70th: Dragons 32 – 8 (Try: Fien, Goal: Soward)
in the following February's World Club Challenge
.
2010 NRL season
The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 October at ANZ Stadium...
. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. It was the first time the two sides met in a grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
. They had played each other twice before during the season, with St. George Illawarra winning on both occasions. The Dragons finished the season as minor premiers as they had the previous season. The Roosters were the previous year's wooden-spooners and only after playing and winning for five consecutive weeks were able to reach the 2011 decider.
In the grand final, the Dragons trailed by 2 points at halftime, but broke the shackles in the second half, keeping the Roosters scoreless while adding 26 points to their score. The game finished with a 24 point margin in favour of the Dragons, claiming their first premiership as a joint-venture club, and for St George fans, the first since the 1979 NSWRFL season.
Lead-up to the grand final
| Dragons | Roosters | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rd.1 | Eels | Rabbitohs | ||||||||
| Rd.2 | Bulldogs | Tigers | ||||||||
| Rd.3 | Cowboys | Bulldogs | ||||||||
| Rd.4 | Storm | Broncos | ||||||||
| Rd.5 | Broncos | Panthers | ||||||||
| Rd.6 | Titans | Raiders | ||||||||
| Rd.7 | Roosters | Dragons | ||||||||
| Rd.8 | Cronulla | Tigers | ||||||||
| Rd.9 | Sea Eagles | Cowboys | ||||||||
| Rd.10 | Bulldogs | Knights | ||||||||
| Rd.11 | Raiders | Bye | ||||||||
| Rd.12 | Eels | Titans | ||||||||
| Rd.13 | Warriors | Sharks | ||||||||
| Rd.14 | Bye | Storm | ||||||||
| Rd.15 | Sharks | Bye | ||||||||
| Rd.16 | Tigers | Warriors | ||||||||
| Rd.17 | Panthers | Raiders | ||||||||
| Rd.18 | Bye | Rabbitohs | ||||||||
| Rd.19 | Rabbitohs | Bulldogs | ||||||||
| Rd.20 | Titans | Broncos | ||||||||
| Rd.21 | Broncos | Eels | ||||||||
| Rd.22 | Roosters | Dragons | ||||||||
| Rd.23 | Sea Eagles | Sharks | ||||||||
| Rd.24 | Raiders | Titans | ||||||||
| Rd.25 | Knights | Sea Eagles | ||||||||
| Rd.26 | Rabbitohs | Cowboys | ||||||||
| QF | Sea Eagles | Tigers | ||||||||
| SF | DNP | Panthers | ||||||||
| PF | Tigers | Titans | ||||||||
| Legend: | ||||||||||
St. George Illawarra Dragons
The Dragons qualified for the Grand Final having defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesManly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
and the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
in the finals series. The club had finished the regular season as minor premiers
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
for the second consecutive season. The Dragons suffered a poor record in finals matches, having been knocked out of the finals series in straight sets in 2009, and having qualified for a Grand Final only once (in 1999, their first year as a joint venture) in eight finals appearances since the joint venture came into existence. It had been 31 years since the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
side of the joint venturt last won a premiership, while the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
club had never won a premiership or qualified for a Grand Final.
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters entered the Grand Final from a markedly different path to that of the Dragons. The Roosters had finished the 2009 season on the bottom of the ladder. Under new coach Brian SmithBrian Smith (rugby league)
Brian Smith is an Australian coach and former player of rugby league football. He is the current head coach at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. Smith played for St. George and South Sydney Rabbitohs , appearing in a total of 31 first grade games...
, and having signed troubled star Todd Carney
Todd Carney
Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011...
, the Roosters improved to finish sixth on the ladder in 2010, before consecutive finals series victories against the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
, the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
and the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
launched the club into the Grand Final. The Roosters were thus in a position where they could become the first club since the Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
in 1934 to win a premiership after finishing last in the previous season.
Grand final day schedule
Australian rock band You Am IYou Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
headlined the pre-match entertainment, which also featured Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
, Australian dance act Justice Crew, an ensemble of the Sydney Children's Choir, the Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir and the Glebe Public School Choir and a tribute to the NRL's retiring players. The 21 Australian soldiers
Australian Defence Force casualties in Afghanistan
Operation Slipper is notable for the first Australian combat deaths since the Vietnam War, and to date all casualties have occurred during operations in Afghanistan. 32 Australian soldiers have been killed and 213 wounded, the majority since October 2007...
killed in the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
also received a tribute that concluded with the traditional arrival of a Blackhawk helicopter.
- 11:45am Gates Open
- 12:00pm NSW Cup Grand Final Kick Off – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Windsor WolvesWindsor WolvesThe Windsor Wolves are a Rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, NSW. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith district competitions and, since 2003, the semi-professional NSWRL Jim Beam Cup competition in NSW, Australia...
- 1:45pm NSW Cup Grand Final official presentation
- 2:00pm Toyota Cup Grand Final Kick Off – South Sydney RabbitohsSouth Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
v New Zealand WarriorsNew Zealand WarriorsThe New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia... - 3:15pm Coin Toss
- 3:50pm Toyota Cup Grand Final official presentation
- 4:25pm Telstra Premiership Grand Final teams highlight package
- 4:36pm Presentation to 300-game and Retiring Players
- 4:45pm Ken Stephen Medalist, Andrew Ryan, and Toyota National Volunteer of the Year, Greg CareyGreg CareyGreg Carey is an Australian voice actor known for his role as "Hun" in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Carey joined the Charles Sturt University theatrical production, in Bathurst, New South Wales. Carey started acting in 2001 in Are you Game?, a University project. He became a stage manager for One...
, deliver Telstra Premiership Grand Final Trophy via the Telstra Child FlightChild FlightChild Flight is an Australian helicopter service dedicated to the emergency transport of sick children. It operates two twin-engined instrument-flight rated helicopters...
helicopter - 4:50pm Pre-game entertainment – Justice CrewJustice CrewJustice Crew are an all-male hip-hop dance and pop music group based in Sydney. They are most notable for winning the fourth season of Australia's Got Talent in 2010. The group consists of Emmanuel Rodriguez, Samson Smith, Len John Ruela Pearce, John Len Ruela Pearce, Lukas Bellesini, Paulie...
, Jessica MauboyJessica MauboyJessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
and You Am IYou Am IYou Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
with Dan SultanDan SultanDan Sultan is an Australian singer and songwriter. Sultan plays what he calls country soul rock ‘n’ roll.-Biography:Daniel Leo Sultan was born in 1983 and grew up in Williamstown, Melbourne. His father was Irish and his mother, Roslyn Sultan, was Aboriginal from the Arrernte and Gurindji people...
and Phil JamiesonPhil JamiesonPhil Jamieson is an Australian musician from Wauchope, New South Wales. He is the founder and frontman for the rock band Grinspoon.-Biography:... - 5:18pm National Anthem performed, both in Dharawal indigenous language and in English, by Jessica Mauboy with Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir and Glebe Public School Choir
- 5:20pm 2010 Telstra Premiership Grand Final – 1st half – St George Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters
- 6:05pm Blackhawk arrival and Defence tribute
- 6:20pm 2010 Telstra Premiership Grand Final – 2nd half
- 7:03pm Telstra Premiership Grand Final official presentation
Match details
| St. George Illawarra Dragons |
Position | Sydney Roosters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Darius Boyd Darius Boyd Darius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger... |
FB | 1. Anthony Minichiello Anthony Minichiello Anthony Minichiello is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who, to date, has played his entire career for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League. He plays at fullback and on the Wing. Minichiello has represented New South Wales and Australia... |
| 2. Brett Morris Brett Morris Brett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St... |
WG | 2. Joseph Leilua Joseph Leilua Joseph "BJ" Leilua is an New Zealand rugby league player for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League. His position is at centre. He made his NRL debut against the Gold Coast Titans in June 2010. He was selected in the New Zealand training squad for the 2010 Four Nations but did not make... |
| 3. Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... |
CE | 3. Kane Linnett Kane Linnett Kane Linnett is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League. A centre, he played in the 2010 NRL Grand Final.... |
| 4. Matt Cooper | CE | 4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall Shaun Kenny-Dowall Shaun Kenny-Dowall is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays in the centres.-Early years:... |
| 5. Jason Nightingale Jason Nightingale Jason Nightingale is a professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the Australian National Rugby League... |
WG | 5. Sam Perrett Sam Perrett Sam Perrett is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League. A representative for New Zealand at international level. A versatile back who is capable of playing on the wing, in the centres and at fullback... |
| 6. Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
5/8th | 6. Todd Carney Todd Carney Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011... |
| 7. Ben Hornby Ben Hornby Ben Hornby is an Australian Naruto loving professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... (c) |
HB | 7. Mitchell Pearce Mitchell Pearce Mitchell Pearce is an Australian rugby league footballer currently playing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League... |
| 8. Neville Costigan Neville Costigan Neville Costigan is a professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Papua New Guinea international representative, Costigan previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and most recently, the St... |
PR | 8. Jason Ryles Jason Ryles Jason Ryles is an Australian rugby league player. He has played in the National Rugby League for the Sydney Roosters and the St. George Illawarra Dragons and in Europe's Super League for the Catalans Dragons. He is contracted to play for the Melbourne Storm from 2012... |
| 9. Dean Young | HK | 9. Jake Friend Jake Friend Jake Friend is a rugby league player for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League. He plays as a hooker.On March 17, 2009, Friend was found guilty of drink-driving. He was disqualified from driving for 16 months.... |
| 10. Michael Weyman Michael Weyman Michael Weyman is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
PR | 20. Lopini Paea Lopini Paea Lopini Paea is an Australian rugby league player of Tongan descent who currently plays for the Catalans Dragons in the European Super League. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League... |
| 11. Beau Scott Beau Scott Beau Scott is an Australian rugby league player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. His position of choice is at second row, however due to his versatility can also play in the centres.... |
SR | 11. Nate Myles Nate Myles Nate Myles is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he previously played for the Bulldogs club... |
| 12. Ben Creagh Ben Creagh Ben Creagh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
SR | 12. Mitchell Aubusson Mitchell Aubusson Mitchell "Mitch" Aubusson is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the Australian National Rugby League competition. Aubusson primarily plays at centre but is also capable of playing in the second row. Aubusson made his debut in Round 1 of the 2007 Season vs... |
| 13. Jeremy Smith | LF | 13. Braith Anasta Braith Anasta Braith Anasta is a Greek-Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League... (c) |
| 14. Nathan Fien | Int. | 10. Frank-Paul Nu'uausala |
| 15. Trent Merrin Trent Merrin Trent Merrin is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. Primarily a prop forward, he has played his whole career to date at the Dragons, winning the 2010 NRL Grand Final with them.... |
Int. | 14. Martin Kennedy Martin Kennedy (rugby league) Martin Kennedy Martin Kennedy Martin Kennedy (born 20 February 1989 in Lismore, New South Wales, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League... |
| 16. Matt Prior Matt Prior (rugby league) Matt Prior is an Australian professional Rugby League footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the NRL. He plays primarily in the forwards and has spent his entire professional career to date at the Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL Premiership with.His position of choice is at... |
Int. | 15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves Jared Waerea-Hargreaves Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is a rugby league player currently with the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. He plays in the second-row.-Early years:Waerea-Hargreaves first made a name for himself playing schoolboy rugby union at Iona College in Queensland, through some impressive performances in the AIC... |
| 17. Jarrod Saffy Jarrod Saffy Jarrod Saffy is an Australian professional rugby union player. He played league for St George Illawarra Dragons , before switching to rugby to the train with the Melbourne Rebels in preparation for the 2011 Super Rugby season.-Early career:Saffy moved to Australia as a 15-year-old and continued... |
Int. | 16. Daniel Conn Daniel Conn Daniel William Conn is an Australian model and rugby league player for the Sydney Roosters club in the National Rugby League... |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Brian Smith Brian Smith (rugby league) Brian Smith is an Australian coach and former player of rugby league football. He is the current head coach at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. Smith played for St. George and South Sydney Rabbitohs , appearing in a total of 31 first grade games... |
The Grand Final commenced at approximately 5.15pm, following the grand finals of the NSW Cup between Windsor Wolves
Windsor Wolves
The Windsor Wolves are a Rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, NSW. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith district competitions and, since 2003, the semi-professional NSWRL Jim Beam Cup competition in NSW, Australia...
and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Toyota Cup between South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
and New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
. The weather was overcast, 13 degrees celsius, with light rain which meant the two earlier matches had caused the centre of the field
Rugby league playing field
The rugby league playing field, also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of rugby league football and is surfaced exclusively with grass....
to become muddy. A crowd of 82,334 was in attendance for the match.
First half
After a sixth-minute penalty to the Dragons helped them up into good fieldRugby league playing field
The rugby league playing field, also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of rugby league football and is surfaced exclusively with grass....
position, Jamie Soward from the ten-metre line kicked the ball over into the Roosters' in-goal and Mark Gasnier, racing through from the right side, leapt to catch it on the full and put it down just inside the dead ball line. The video referee Bill Harrigan
Bill Harrigan
-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
awarded the try and Soward's conversion was successful, so St. George Illawarra were leading 6-0 after eight minutes. However, video replays showed that in the lead up to the try, Dragons winger Brett Morris had passed the ball with a foot outside the touch-line so play should not have been allowed to continue. Later, in the sixteenth minute, the Roosters had made their way up into better field position when Todd Carney, twenty metres from the opposition try-line's right side, kicked high to the left corner. His winger Joseph Leilua caught the ball, crashed over the try-line, and while attempting to put it down had it knocked from his outstretched hand by Jamie Soward's knee, but Roosters captain Braith Anasta was there to ground it. The video referee was again called upon to award the try, and with Carney's kick going wide the score was 6-4 in favour of the Red & Whites. Less than two minutes after the re-start of play St. George Illawarra knocked on in their own half and the Tricolours, after getting within fifteen metres of the try-line, moved the ball through the hands from the left side of the field to the right where Mitchell Aubusson crashed over near the corner. Carney again missed the conversion but his side was now in the lead 8-6 with a quarter of the match gone. In the twenty-sixth minute the Dragons were awarded a penalty in a goal-kicking position but Soward missed. At the thirty-minute mark St. George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman was helped off the field after getting a swinging arm to the head from Daniel Conn which was placed on report. The third quarter of the match was played in both ends of the ground with neither side able to turn their opportunities into points, so the teams left the field with The Sydney roosters leading 6-8.
Second half
Less than six minutes after the break and having forced the Roosters to do a goal-line drop-out, St. George Illawarra got their first try of the half. On the second tackle and twenty metres out, the ball made its way through their hands to right winger Jason Nightingale who stepped around his defender and dove over in the corner. Soward's kick from the sideline added the extra two points, so the Dragons led 12 - 8. The rain had started falling heavily when the Red & Whites scored another similar try, with a long cut-out pass going to ground but Nightingale was able to pick it up and cross in his corner again. Soward again kicked the extras, pushing his side's lead out to 18 - 8 with a quarter of the match remaining. About two minutes later St. George Illawarra had again worked the ball up into an attacking position when Nathan Fien, less than ten metres from the uprights, darted ahead from dummy-half before passing to Dean Young who juggled the ball as he crashed through the defence and over the line. The video referee awarded the try 'benefit of the doubt' and with Soward adding the extras the Dragons were now leading 24 - 8. The Roosters, still unable to get the ball out of their danger zone conceded another penalty in front of their posts and Soward added another two points for his team, making it 26 - 8. Further errors from the Tricolours led to another White & Red attacking wave and another close-range try, with Fien pushing through the goal-line defence from dummy-half. After another simple kick for Soward, St. George Illawarra lead 32 - 8, and with no more points in the remaining eight minutes this was the full-time score.32 |
St George Illawarra Dragons |
|---|---|
| Tries | 2 Nightingale Jason Nightingale Jason Nightingale is a professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the Australian National Rugby League... (46', 60') 1 Gasnier Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... (8') 1 Young (63') 1 Fien (70') |
| Goals | 6/7 Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... (9', 47', 61', 64', 67', 71') |
8 |
Sydney Roosters |
| Tries | 1 Anasta Braith Anasta Braith Anasta is a Greek-Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League... (16') 1 Aubusson Mitchell Aubusson Mitchell "Mitch" Aubusson is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the Australian National Rugby League competition. Aubusson primarily plays at centre but is also capable of playing in the second row. Aubusson made his debut in Round 1 of the 2007 Season vs... (20') |
| Goals | 0/2 Carney Todd Carney Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011... |
Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
was judged by Australian selectors to be awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
for man of the match. Boyd became the fourth fullback to win the Clive Churchill, after Newcastle's Robbie O'Davis
Robbie O'Davis
Robbie O'Davis is an Australian retired rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Queensland and Australia, and played his entire club career with the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won two premierships.O'Davis' primarily played at fullback though he also occasionally played...
(1997), former Broncos teammate Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
(2000) and Melbourne's Billy Slater
Billy Slater
Billy Slater is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League . An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative fullback, he has played his whole NRL career to date at Melbourne...
(2009). Boyd had a hand in both of Nightingale's tries and made 111 metres from 13 hit-ups. This was Boyd's second premiership win, having won with the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
in his debut year of 2006.
Timeline
8th: Dragons 6 – 0 (Try: GasnierMark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
, Goal: Soward
Jamie Soward
Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League...
)
16th: Roosters 6 – 4 (Try: Anasta
Braith Anasta
Braith Anasta is a Greek-Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League...
)
20th: Roosters 8 – 6 (Try: Aubusson
Mitchell Aubusson
Mitchell "Mitch" Aubusson is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the Australian National Rugby League competition. Aubusson primarily plays at centre but is also capable of playing in the second row. Aubusson made his debut in Round 1 of the 2007 Season vs...
)
46th: Dragons 12 – 8 (Try: Nightingale
Jason Nightingale
Jason Nightingale is a professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the Australian National Rugby League...
, Goal: Soward)
60th: Dragons 18 – 8 (Try: Nightingale, Goal: Soward)
63rd: Dragons 24 – 8 (Try: Young, Goal: Soward)
67th: Dragons 26 – 8 (Penalty Goal: Soward)
70th: Dragons 32 – 8 (Try: Fien, Goal: Soward)
Audience
australia's national television audience for the match was over 3.1 million and up on the previous year's decider in Sydney And Brisbane. 197,000 people watched the game live in New Zealand.Telecast Details
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
(live from 5pm AEST with coverage beginning at 12pm) also simulcast on Gem HDGEM (Australian TV channel)GEM is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 26 September 2010 at 6am...
. A replay of the game will be played on Fox SportsFox Sports (Australia)Fox Sports is an Australia group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
at 8pm AEST on the same night. - New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
(live from 6:30pm NZ time), Prime (Delayed Coverage) - Asia-PacificAsia-PacificAsia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
- Australia NetworkAustralia NetworkAustralia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
(includes China, Hong Kong/Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Palau, Malaysia, Cambodia, Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Brunei, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, East Timor, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Micronesia, Kiribati) - Indian subcontinentIndian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
- Australia NetworkAustralia NetworkAustralia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
(includes India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan) - Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
- Australia NetworkAustralia NetworkAustralia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
and ShowSportsShowSportsShowSports is part of the Orbit Showtime Network. ShowSport 1 HD, 2, 3, 4 and Extreme Sports Channel are available on many Orbit Showtime Network packages. They began showing from the first of April 2007.-ShowSports 1 HD:... - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- America OneAmerica OneAmerica One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
(live from 9pm ET/PT) - Canada- Setanta Sports (Canada)Setanta Sports (Canada)Sportsnet World is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Rogers Media. Sportsnet World primarily airs top level association football , featuring exclusive coverage of the Barclays Premier League along with content from other leagues in Europe...
(live) - United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
- Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
(live from 7am), Premier SportsPremier SportsPremier Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels, operated by the Luxembourg registered Premier Media S.à r.l., broadcasting in United Kingdom.-History:...
(Delayed Coverage)
2011 World Club Challenge
Having won the NRL grand final, St. George Illawarra had earned the right to play against 2010 Super League Champions, the Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
in the following February's World Club Challenge
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
.