Final Ladder

1. Melbourne Storm

2. Sydney Roosters

3. South Sydney Rabbitohs

4. Canberra Raiders

5. Parramatta Eels

6. Manly Sea Eagles

7. Cronulla Sharks

8. Brisbane Broncos

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9. Wests Tigers

10. Penrith Panthers

11. Newcastle Knights

12. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

13. Warriors

14. North Queensland Cowboys

15. St. George Illawarra Dragons

16. Gold Coast Titans

Finals Results

Week One

Qualifying Final: Sydney Roosters vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs

Qualifying Final: Melbourne Storm vs. Canberra Raiders

Elimination Final: Manly Sea Eagles vs. Cronulla Sharks

Elimination Final: Parramatta Eels vs. Brisbane Broncos

We're at the pointy end of the season once again and I thought I would share my favourite football code in the world: Rugby League.

As far as this year is concerned, the old addage the more things change the more they stay the same readily applies. A lot of changes took place during the off-season, coaching swaps, players leaving the code, players receiving life-bans etc. but as we saw last year the top three teams in the competition remain Melbourne, Sydney and Souths.

It's a remarkable achievement, especially for Melbourne. Last year, Melbourne farewelled one of the greatest players of all-time in Billy Slater. The year before, they farewelled Cooper Cronk who signed with Sydney to be closer to his wife's family. In the history of this great game, these type of setbacks would normally see a club fall back into the pack in a big way, not Melbourne. Not only have they managed to survive without these first ballot hall of famers, but they've thrived going 20-4 to sit alone on top on the table and edging closer to premiership #4.

It's difficult to pin-point how they've managed to improve in the face of adversity. Yes, they still have the best coach in the game in Craig Bellamy. Yes, they still have the best captain in the game in dummy half, Cameron Smith. However, there has to be more to it, otherwise they wouldn't be head and shoulders the best team in the competition.

They have been a marvel to watch really. A well oiled machine who move the ball into the right areas, continue to apply pressure and have exciting fliers like Ryan Papenhuyzen, Josh Addo-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu that can change a course of a game in an instance. Papenhuyzen in particular is somebody to keep an eye on. He made his first grade debut back in April of this year and was usually brought on as cover just in case of injury and would only get 10-20 minutes tops a game. Then during the Magic Round in Brisbane, fullback Jahrome Hughes suffered an injury giving young Papenhuyzen an opportunity and since then he has been among the most exciting players in the competition. He's essentially forced Bellamy's hand, winning the fullback position, shifting Hughes into halfback with Croft being dropped from the team altogether.

It's actually bizarre to see a side like Melbourne dominate without a recognised halfback but such is their work ethic they barely seemed faze.

Their biggest competition are the defending premiers, the Sydney Roosters. The Roosters have the strongest team in the competition, but they've struggled to get them all on the park at the one time. The pieces are beginning to fall into place for them now and just about everyone is on board except for dummy half Jake Friend. With the Roosters there is this feeling that they've been coasting through the year, resting players whenever they need to and just doing enough to nab a good spot before putting their best foot forward heading into the finals. It remains to be seen, but if there is something to be said about their season, their fullback James Tedesco has been having a season out.

The Australian fullback was the difference in the State of Origin, scoring a buzzer beater to take the series in one of the most dramatic finishes in Australian sporting history (it also broke my heart). Tedesco quite simply is the best runner of the football in the game and has the perfect combination of balance, speed and power. No other fullback in the final series can return a ball like him and get the set rolling from play one. He is in ominous form right now and after winning the Wally Lewis Medal for Player of the Series, he's expected to be the Dally M player for the regular season. If players like Joseph Manu, Latrell Mitchell and Angus Crichton can go with him and Luke Keary, the Roosters could become the first team since the Brisbane Broncos in 92-93 to go back to back.

At this stage it's shaping up to be a two horse race. Souths have managed to beat Sydney twice during the regular season, and have players like the Australian Dummy Half Damien Cook, NSW Five-Eighth Cody Walker and NSW Lock Forward Cameron Murray who can shred teams through the middle. They're a battle hardened side and they still have a few players from their 2014 Premiership Winning side that know how to get the job done. The issue for Souths is that they've rarely been a dominant side all year and a lot of their wins have been unconvincing. They also enter the finals series without Sam Burgess who was suspended for one week after pulling Billy Smith's hair last week. Burgess is a key player for them and they need him to be at his very best for them to stand a chance.

Canberra surprised a lot of fans by not only qualifying for the finals, but making it into the Top 8. They really should have finished higher on the ladder, but last week they decided to rest half their side and suffered a last gasp loss at home against the Warriors to finish 4th. Canberra have changed their entire ethos, going from one of the most exciting teams in the competition to a rugged high energy defensive unit who rely heavily on individual brilliance. Coach Ricky Stuart has been praised for recruiting in England and his signing of Wigan based forward John Bateman has proven a master-stroke. Last year, the Raiders had two of the biggest front row forwards in the game in Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd. Ricky let both of them go, replaced them with smaller more mobile forwards in Josh Papalii and Iosia Soliola and they've just been a far more consistent side as a result. They did manage to beat Melbourne in Melbourne the last time these two teams met, a wonderful achievement considering they trailed 18-0. With the Raiders, I believe they're the type of side that could cause an upset, but I'd be surprised if they went all the way. They just seem to lack the playmakers the other sides have.

Outside of the four you have Parramatta, Manly, Cronulla and Brisbane. Like Canberra, I don't think any of these teams have a realistic shot of winning the premiership, but if Parramatta and Cronulla get up this weekend and catch their respective on an off day next week, they can change the make-up of the finals considerably. For the Eels, it's been quite the turn-around. They finished on the bottom of the ladder last year, but the return of star players like Clinton Gutherson from injury as well as some inspired signings like Blake Ferguson, Waqa Blake, Maika Sivo, Junior Paulo has given them more physicality and made them more potent with the football. During the off-season, they lost key play-maker Corey Norman and it's actually proved a blessing because halfback Mitch Moses has come out of his shell and really troubled teams.

Cronulla have a stacked roster. They lost Valentine Holmes to the New York Jets and proceeded to replace him with Shaun Johnson, one of the most damaging players in the competition. Johnson hasn't quite fit in at the Sharks and struggles to pick his moments, but when he does assert himself, the Sharks are a far more potent side. They've got close to their full-strength line-up on the field and while they have a habit of being inconsistent, when they get on a roll, there isn't a team in the competition that can stop them.

I may as well touch on Manly and Brisbane. Manly were actually shaping up as potential outsiders, but once Australian Rep Player Tom Trbojevic tore his pec whatever chance they had of matching the top teams was over. They've continued to lose players since then and have limped into the finals, relying on semi-pro players just to get a 17 onto the field.

Brisbane (my team) is proof positive that the Top 8 Finals system is too generous. They've made the finals with a losing record (11-1-12) and a points differential of -57. They have a couple of really good young players, in particular Payne Haas and David Fifita who have carried them in recent times, but they're compromised by a lot of over-the-hill talents who continue to find new ways to let the team down. New coach Anthony Seibold has tried to make his mark, but they're far from the finished product and it may take another season before we see what this young side is capable of.

That's the state of things, the finals kick off tomorrow night with Sydney and Souths meeting for the first time at the SCG for a final since 1938. After the drama at the judiciary with Warea-Hargreaves getting off for a swinging arm, I'm expecting plenty of fireworks. Can Sydney prove third times the charm? Or will Souths make the Chooks their bunnies for 2019?

Qualifying Final #2
Sydney Roosters vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs
SCG, Friday 13 September 2019
Kick Off: 7:50pm

SYDNEY ROOSTERS

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jared Warea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Isaac Liu 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Victor Radley

Interchange: 14. Angus Crichton 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Nat Butcher 17. Sio Siua Taukeiaho

Reserves: 18. Lindsay Collins 19. Sitili Tupouniua 20. Drew Hutchinson 21. Ryan Hall

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

1. Adam Doueihi 2. Alex Johnston 3. James Roberts 4. Campbell Graham 5. Corey Allan 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Liam Knight 11. John Sutton 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Cameron Murray

Interchange: 14 Ethan Lowe 15. Dean Britt 16. Thomas Burgess 17. Mark Nicholls

Reserves: 18. George Burgess 19. Bayley Sironen 20. Connor Tracey 21. Mawene Hiroti

Qualifying Final #1
Melbourne Storm vs. Canberra Raiders
AAMI Park, Saturday 14 September 2019
Kick Off 5:35pm

MELBOURNE STORM

1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Max King 17. Joe Stimson

Reserves: 18. Curtis Scott 19. Tino Faasuamaleaui 20. Brodie Croft 21. Tom Eisenhuth

CANBERRA RAIDERS

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordana Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Iosia Soliola 11. John Bateman 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joseph Tapine

Interchange: 14. Bailey Simonsson 15. Dunamis Lui 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Ryan Sutton

Reserves: 18. Sam Williams 19. Emre Guler 20. Siliva Havili 21. Hudson Young

Elimination Final #2
Manly Sea Eagles vs. Cronulla Sharks
Lottoland, Saturday 14 September 2019
Kick Off: 7:50pm

MANLY SEA EAGLES

1. Brendan Elliot 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Brad Parker 4. Moses Suli 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Dylan Walker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Sean Keppie 11. Corey Waddell 12. Jack Gosiewski 13. Jake Trbojevic

Interchange: 14. Manase Fainu 15. Haumole Olakau’atu 16. Lloyd Perrett 17. Toafofoa Sipley

Reserves: 18. Lachlan Croker 19. Cade Cust 20. Tevita Funa 21. Tony Williams

CRONULLA SHARKS

1. Josh Dugan 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Josh Morris 5. Aaron Gray 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Aaron Woods 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Matt Prior 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen

Interchange: 14. Kurt Capewell 15. Jack Williams 16. Andrew Fifita 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele

Reserves: 18. Billy Magoulias 19. Blayke Brailey 20. Kyle Flanagan 21. Matt Moylan

Elimination Final #1
Parramatta Eels vs. Brisbane Broncos
Bankwest Stadium, Sunday 15 September 2019
Kick Off: 4:00pm

PARRAMATTA EELS

1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Kane Evans 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Manu Ma’u 13. Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14. Brad Takairangi 15. Daniel Alvaro 16. Ray Stone 17. Marata Niukore

Reserves: 18. Tepai Moeroa 19. Will Smith 20. Peni Terepo 21. Josh Hoffman

BRISBANE BRONCOS

1. Anthony Milford 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Alex Glenn 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Darius Boyd 7. Jake Turpin 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Payne Haas 11. David Fifita 12. Matt Gillett 13. Joe Ofahengaue

Interchange: 14. James Segeyaro 15. Thomas Flegler 16. Gehamat Shibasaki 17. Patrick Carrigan

Reserves: 18. Rhys Kennedy 19. Izaia Perese 20. Shaun Fensom 21. Cory Paix

Results

Finals Week 1

Sydney Roosters 30 (J. Manu, M. Aubusson, B. Cordner, S. Taukeiaho, J. Tedesco, L. Mitchell tries; L. Mitchell 3/7 goals) def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 (A. Reynolds try; A. Reynolds goal)

Canberra Raiders 12 (B. Simonsson, J. Bateman tries; J. Croker 2/2 goals) def. Melbourne Storm 10 (S. Vunivalu try; C. Smith 3/3 goals)

Manly Sea Eagles 28 (A. Koroisau, M. Suli, B. Parker, A. Fonua-Blake, B. Elliot tries; R. Garrick 4/5 goals) def. Cronulla Sharks 16 (B. Xerri, A. Gray, J. Morris tries; S. Johnson 2/3 goals)

Parramatta Eels 58 (M. Moses 2, M. Sivo 2, D. Brown 2, M. Jennings, B. Ferguson, S. Lane, T. Moeroa, D. Alvaro tries; M. Moses 6/10, M. Ma'u 1/1 goals) def. Brisbane Broncos 0

Wrap-Up: Sydney blew South Sydney off the park to qualify for the Grand Final qualifier. Wayne Bennett's decision to start Alex Johnston at fullback over Adam Doueihi backfired spectacularly with Johnston spilling a rudimentary punt kick with Souths' first possession of the game. Sydney capitilised and piled on the points to blow the game wide open in the first half. Sydney put the cue in the rack in the second half and coasted to a comfortable 24 point victory.

Canberra threw a spanner into this year's final series, pulling off a remarkable last gasp victory to upset Melbourne at home. With only minutes, it appeared Melbourne were going to hold on and live to fight another day. Winger Josh Addo-Carr lost possession which was claimed by Canberra Centre Joseph Leilua who put English Import John Bateman threw a gap to score the match winner. The match was marred in controversy, in particular there was an incident involving Ryan Papenhuyzen who was interferred with in a try scoring situation. The referees ignored the incident which would ordinarily result in a sin-bin.

The Manly Sea Eagles put aside their injury crisis to dismantle Cronulla 28-16. Manly were considered long odds heading into their clash against Cronulla, but a pulsating 20 minute opening saw them sail out to a commanding 18-0 lead. Cronulla struck back to make it 18-10 only a few minutes into the second half, but whatever hope they had was immediately extinguished the moment barn-storming forward Addin Fonua-Blake crashed over to make it a three possession lead. The win marked the end of former NSW skipper Paul Gallen's career. The controversial forward retired on 348 NRL games, in a career that lasted from 2001-2019.

Parramatta sent shockwaves in the competition when they smashed the record for the biggest win into the final, flogging Brisbane to the tune of 58 points. Infront of their new stadium, Parramatta were red hot and took great delight in scoring try after try against their demoralised opposition. A lot was made about the Broncos effort on the day and serious questions have been asked of the club moving forward. While there is no denying the young talent coming through, especially in the forward pack, the team lacks direction and they're clearly lacking in key positions.

Finals Week 2

South Sydney Rabbitohs 34 (C. Murray 2, A. Johnston, C. Walker, J. Sutton tries; A. Reynolds 7/9 goals) def. Manly Sea Eagles 26 (B. Parker, C. Waddell, D. Cherry-Evans, M. Suli, J. Gosiewski tries; R. Garrick 3/5 goals)

Melbourne Storm 32 (J. Addo-Carr 2, S. Vunivalu, C. Munster, J. Hughes, R. Papenhuyzen, N. Asofa-Solomona tries; C. Smith 1/6, R. Papenhuyzen 1/1 goals) def. Parramatta Eels 0

In a highly controversial game, Manly Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler was left seething as South Sydney finished over the top of Manly to advance to the Grand Final qualifier. With 14 minutes remaining, Manly held a one possession lead before South Sydney Centre Dane Gagai made a break down the western touchline. It appeared Manly had stopped the try and reclaimed possession only for the referees to halt play. Replays showed that Manly lock Jake Trbojevic had interfered with Dane Gagai well after he had passed him the ball and denied him the opportunity to support the carrier. Trbojevic was yellow carded and during his absence, South Sydney raced in two tries to take the game back. It was a fair decision by the referees but Manly felt the call effectively decided the game and was too harsh a call. It was a bitter way to end the season for the Sea Eagles but they will take heart from this season as they battled set back after set back and still nearly made it to the third week of the final.

Melbourne avenged their poor showing against Canberra to smash Parramatta 32-0. Whatever chance Parramatta had was quickly extinguished when Josh Addo-Carr scored one of the tries of the final series to open the Storm's account. In a 70m movement, Addo-Carr beat three defenders as he tried to make ammends for last week's costly error. From there, Melbourne piled on the tries while Parramatta struggled to get their hands on the ball. For Parramatta, it was a complete role reversal of a week before. The only sniff they had was mid-way through the first half when Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith was sin-binned for slapping Reed Mahoney across the face. Mahoney held Smith to the ground and in an attempt to brush his hands off him, Smith collected Mahoney across the face.

Prelim Final
Canberra Raiders vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs
GIO Stadium, Friday 27 September 2019
Kick Off: 7:50pm

Canberra Raiders
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordana Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Iosia Soliola 11. John Bateman 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joseph Tapine

Interchange: 14. Bailey Simonsson 15. Emre Guler 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Dunamis Lui

Reserves: 18. Sam Williams 19. Ryan Sutton 20. Siliva Havili 21. Sebastian Kris

South Sydney Rabbitohs
1. Adam Doueihi 2. Alex Johnston 5. Campbell Graham 4. Dane Gagai 19. Corey Allan 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Damien Cook 10. Liam Knight 11. John Sutton 12. Sam Burgess 13. Cameron Murray

Interchange: 14 George Burgess 15. Junior Tatola 16. Ethan Lowe 17. Mark Nicholls

Reserves: 18. Jaydn Su'A 20. Dean Britt 21. Mawene Hiroti

Prelim Final
Sydney Roosters vs. Melbourne Storm
SCG, Saturday 28 September 2019
Kick Off: 7:50pm

Sydney Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Isaac Liu 9. Sam Verrills 10. Sio Siua Taukeiaho 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Victor Radley

Interchange: 14. Angus Crichton 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Nat Butcher 17. Lindsay Collins

Reserves: 18. Sitili Tupouniua 19. Drew Hutchinson 20. Jake Friend 21. Ryan Hall

Melbourne Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Curtis Scott 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Max King 17. Will Chambers

Reserves: 18. Marion Seve 19. Joe Stimson 20. Tino Faasuamaleaui 21. Sandor Earl

We're less than twenty four hours before the first grand final qualifer, Canberra Raiders vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs, in the first ever prelim final in Canberra. It's been a long time between premierships for the mighty Raiders. The last time they won the title was 25 years ago where Rugby League Immortal Mal Meninga led them to a comprehensive 36-12 victory over Canterbury. Since then Canberra have slowly but surely dwindled into Rugby League obscurity, more or less making the numbers and watching home grown talent achieve success at other clubs.

This year they have surprised everybody, not only did they qualify for the finals, but they finished in the top four. The difference this year compared to other years is that they've traded in size and flamboyancy for endurance and toughness. The Raiders rarely blow teams off the park anymore, instead they frustrate their opposition with their defence and take their opportunities when they present themselves. They've been far from convincing, but they have been impressive in their tenacity and ability to go play for play with any side.

Their transformation coincides with a few roster changes. Wigan Warriors import John Bateman has been outstanding on the right edge for Canberra, troubling teams with his foot-work and his tenacious demeanour. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad surprised everybody with his break-out season and has announced himself as one of the best runners in the competition, while Jack Wighton has shifted into the five eighth role beautifully and has plugged up an area that notoriously leaked a lot of points. Those moves along with Josh Hodgson's clean bill of health has proven the difference in those tight contests the Raiders were renown for losing.

On the other hand, with Souths it's largely a case of been there, done that. They've found themselves in a similar place as last season where they've had to come through the loser's bracket to make the grand final qualifier. They've got the players to take them to the grand final, it's just a matter of whether their best football deserted them five years ago when they last won the premiership. With the most experienced coach in Rugby League history Wayne Bennett at the helm, they're certainly as good a chance as last season, but it would be something of an upset if they were to qualify.

According to most experts, Sydney vs. Melbourne was going to be this year's Grand Final. However, Canberra have thrown a spanner into those plans and the premiership couldwell and truly be decided a week early.

These two teams met twice earlier in the season and split the results 1-1. Heading into this game, Sydney head in as red hot favourites at a $1.58 to Melbourne's $2.35 surprising odds considering how close the previous encounters have been. The reason I believe this discrepency exists is because this is the first encounter played at Sydney's home ground, Sydney will have the bulk of their roster available unlike last time and their previous outing against Souths was the most impressive display in the finals. Even so, if Melbourne can turn this game into a grind and can challenge Sydney through the ruck, I believe they can exploit the absentees in Sydney's side, namely Jake Friend and Jared Warea-Hargreaves. Warea-Hargreaves was suspended for a trip in the Roosters victory over the Rabbitohs, while Friend suffered a pec tear that has kept him out for the bulk of the season. He's been named in the reserves, but it's long odds that he'll play, especially over Verrills who has been doing an admirable job filling in.

It will be a huge day of sport for Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday. In the afternoon 90K+ will pack out the MCG to watch Richmond face off against Great Western Sydney who are starting to see some dividends from all their leg ups in the AFL Grand Final, then in the evening a fraction of that number will flock to the SCG to see Sydney take on Melbourne, writing another chapter in the great 'which is the best city in Australia' debate.

NRL Prelim Results

Canberra Raiders 16 (J. Croker, J Wighton, J. Papalii tries; J. Croker 2/4 goals) def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 (D. Gagai, C. Graham tries; A. Reynolds 1/2 goals)

In the first prelim final to be held in Canberra, the Raiders managed to hold on and qualify for their first grand final appearance in 25 years. In a nervous performance, the Raiders were far from convincing but showed tremendous grit to get on top of the Rabbitohs. At the 15th minute mark, English import Elliot Whitehead offloaded the ball to fellow countrymen Josh Hodgson who proceeded to put a grubber kick through to the corner. Rookie winger Corey Allan appeared to have the ball easily covered for Souths but in the ensuing tackle from Hodgson the ball spilled free for Canberra captain Croker to score opening points.

Canberra proceeded to dominate the next ten minutes until replacement forward Dunamis Lui spilled the ball deep inside his own half. From the ensuing scrum, NSW Five Eighth Cody Walker split the Raiders defence and looked to have scored for all money until Josh Hodgson stripped the ball free as Walker was in the process of grounding the ball. Hodgson saved the day on that occassion, but from the ensuing scrum feed, the Rabbitohs were able to score off a well executed set play. The decoy runners drew in the defence, allowing Gagai to get on the outside of Croker and from only 10m out he proved too strong for Cotric as the Queensland Winger barrelled his way over the line. With Reynolds sideline conversion the scores were levelled after 30 minutes.

Both teams had an opportunity to take the lead heading into half-time. South Sydney interchange forward Tevita Tatola crashed over underneath the uprights but replays showed that Papalii and Bateman had tackled Tatola just short.

Then a richochet off Reynolds' kick gave Wighton the opportunity to race down field with the line wide open. Wighton ran for 65m only to be dragged down 25m short by Dane Gagai who came up with a fantastic cover tackle. Canberra had a full set of six against a disorganised line, but the pressure of the situation got to them with Sezer failing to pick up a desperation offload from John Bateman. After all the madness the scores remained 6-all.

Sezer would make ammends in the 5 minutes into the second half. The Canberra Raiders five eighth put up a pin-point bomb that allowed his fullback Nicoll-Klokstad to bat the ball back to Wighton. Wighton spilled the ball but was able to get a kick through before it bounced, making the ball live and Jack had the presence of mind to ground the ball and regain the lead for Canberra, 10-6.

South Sydney threatened to return serve for much of the second half, but Canberra's defence kept turning them away. It appeared Canberra were about to put the final nail in the Rabbitohs' coffin, but an inside ball from Whitehead to Wighton was intercepted by Reynolds who raced 60m before being dragged down by Nicoll-Klokstad in a great cover tackle. In the ensuing ruck, the ball came free and the referees decided the Raiders fullback had stripped the ball, meaning Canberra would have to spend the rest of the game without one player on the field.

With all the momentum with the Rabbitohs, it appeared the Raiders were about to suffer another heart-breaking loss but once again the defence swarmed in. On the last, Damien Cook put in the worst kick of the mark which was easily marked by Croker and gifted Canberra a 20m seven tackle restart. Canberra worked the ball down field and turned it over 10m out from the Rabbitohs line. As the Rabbitohs were working the ball out, the fullback Doueihi came up with an incorrect play the ball to give Canberra fantastic field position. On the third tackle, Sezer turned the ball inside to Papalii who shrugged off Cook and set sail for the line to give the Raiders the match-winner 16-6.

In the dying stages, Souths were able to spread the ball sideline to sideline to catch the Raiders thin down their right hand side but with only seconds remaining, Canberra were able to record a famous 16-10 win infront of a home record crowd.

Canberra Prop Forward Josh Papalii was outstanding. Papalii ran for 179m, a lot of those carries were deep inside the Raiders territory and usually swung the momentum the Raiders way. He had plenty of support though, in particular Jack Wighton and Josh Hodgson came up with some big plays for their side.

This game also marks the end for South Sydney stalwart John Sutton. Sutton bows out of the game as the longest serving player in Rabbitohs history 337 games and 61 tries to his name. Sutton began his career in 2004 when Souths were perrenial wooden spooners and was a part of their transformation under Hollywood actor Russell Crowe who bought the club and returned them to prominence. In 2014, South Sydney won the premiership under Sutton's leadership, ending a 45 year drought.

Sydney Roosters 14 (B. Cordner, J. Tedesco tries; L. Mitchell 3/4 goals) def. Melbourne Storm 6 (N. Asofa-Solomona tries; C. Smith 1/1 goal)

In a fiery encounter, Sydney prevailed to set up a fairytale finish for former Melbourne Storm halfback, Cooper Cronk. The game opened with plenty of drama, both Asofa-Solomona and Taukeiaho were sent to the sin-bin for striking after an incident in the opening tackle of the game. This allowed the Roosters to open the scoring 2-0.

In the 15th minute mark, Luke Keary put up a bomb for giant winger Daniel Tupou who was able to come down with it and in a sea of hands was able to get the ball free to his captain Boyd Cordner to post the first try of the game.

Then there was another altercation in the 25th minute. Luke Keary objected to a palm in the face from Queensland Rep Felise Kaufusi and proceeded to rip a chunk of his hair out and hit him with a swinging arm to the face. Kaufusi would come off for an HIA, which he failed ending his night.

In a largely uneventful half of football, the only further score was a penalty goal to Latrell Mitchell after Jahrome Hughes was caught off-side by James Tedesco. Sydney went into the sheds with a handy 8-0 lead.

Sydney were well on top in the second half, until the most experienced player in NRL history Cameron Smith was able to catch interchange forward Nat Butcher offside and draw his side a penalty. From the ensuing set, Brandon Smith skittled the defence and Cameron Smith didn't hesitate to give the ball to Asofa-Solomona who slammed the ball down and get Melbourne on the board in the 50th minute. 8-6 Sydney.

Melbourne had an opportunity to take the lead in the 57th minute after James Tedesco turned the ball over on the half-way line. However on the second tackle of the set, rookie fullback Papenhuyzen put in a grubber kick which raced dead and gave Sydney a get out of jail 7 tackle restart. Melbourne almost paid the price then and there as Manu claimed a mid-field bomb to score underneath the posts. However the video referee Jarrod Maxwell determined that James Tedesco had touched the ball rendering it a knock on.

The game then swung Melbourne's way when a Jahrome Hughes bomb was allowed to bounce and Morris spilled the ball in trying to collect it. Melbourne had a full set of six 10m out from the Roosters line, but Sydney's defence was outstanding as they repelled wave after wave of attack.

The game remained in the balance until in the 67th minute, Cronk caught the Storm defence retreated, passed it short to Crichton who broke free and returned the ball back to Cronk in a 50m movement. Only 10m out from the Storm's line and the Melbourne defence in sixes and sevens, Sydney gave the ball to Tedesco who crashed over to give Sydney a strong two possession lead with only 11 minutes remaining.

Melbourne fought valiantly, but when replacement utility back Sandor Earl dropped the ball cold in the 76th minute, it signalled the end of the game as Sydney held on in an enthralling game.

Roosters, NSW and Australian captain Boyd Cordner played one of his finest games of the season. His runs down the left edge gave Sydney the impetus in the ruck and he was supported by Wally Lewis medalist James Tedesco who had the Storm's defence on high alert for the majority  of the contest.

In other news, the AFL Grand Final ended up being a one-sided contest as Richmond made short work of the GWS 114-25. It's one of the biggest winning margins in AFL history and just falls short of Hawthorn's 1988 96 point win over Melbourne. The AFL Grand Final drew a crowd of 100,000+, the NRL Prelim drew 32,000+ (which is actually really good for the Roosters).

Grand Final 2019

Sydney Roosters 14 (S. Verrills, J. Tedesco try; L. Mitchell 3/5 goals) def. Canberra Raiders 8 (J. Wighton try; J. Croker 2/2 goals)

Sydney Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jared Warea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Isaac Liu 11. Boyd Cordner (c) 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Victor Radley

Interchange: 14. Angus Crichton 16. Nat Butcher 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho 20. Jake Friend

Canberra Raiders
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joey Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Sia Soliola 11. John Bateman 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joe Tapine

Interchange: 14. Bailey Simonsson 15. Emre Guler 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Dunamis Lui

The Sydney Roosters have become the first team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992-93 to win consecutive premierships and stake their claim as one of the greatest teams in Rugby League.

In a tense encounter where points didn't come easily, the biggest talking point coming out of the game was about the officials. With scores tied 8-all and less than 10 to go, head referee Ben Cummins signalled six again ruling the ball had come forward off James Tedesco to give Canberra a fresh set of six only 10m out from the Roosters line. Moments later, he changed his call on the advice of his assistant referee as Canberra were in the middle of taking a settler so they could organise themselves, robbing them of a last tackle play. After much confusion, they handed the ball over to the Roosters who produced a wonderful play down the left hand touchline to race 70m and score the winning try. It was a wonderful movement with Australian Test Centre Latrell Mitchell showcasing his wonderful skill-set throwing a superb flick pass to put Tupou away who found Tedesco supporting on the inside.

The referees came under scrutiny earlier in the contest when they sent Roosters' halfback Cooper Cronk to the sin-bin for a professional foul. In a rare circumstance, the referees had ruled that Cooper Cronk had tackled Josh Papalii off the ball in a try scoring situation. Their interpretation of events was correct, but players have rarely been sin-binned for being off-side on their own goal line. It appeared that the upset was well and truly on, but after the Raiders took the penalty conversion to lock the scores up, they rarely found themselves in decent field position to test their one man advantage. They only had one opportunity the entire set of six, where their centre Joseph Leilua got on the outside of Latrell, drew in Tupou, but held the pass too long and ended up passing it forward off the ground.

Unfortunately it's going to be a game that's remembered for the controversial six-again fake out from the referees. What will get lost in the coverage is how tightly contested the game was and how despite Canberra's grit, Sydney just appeared to be a fraction better. When Cooper Cronk was binned, the Roosters kept Canberra at bay for the entire 10 minute duration. Then when Canberra enjoyed a glut of possession down the Roosters half, Sydney made a big break through a Radley pass to Taukeiaho which suggested the Raiders line had fatigued. Canberra did exceptionally well to keep Sydney to 6, but the class of the Roosters' roster told.

In another controversy, the Clive Churchill Medal for Player of the Game went to Jack Wighton of the Canberra Raiders. Wighton was a worthy contender, but originally the award was set to go to Jared Warea-Hargreaves who had been informed after the game he had won it. Supposedly one of the judges, former Australian Test skipper Darren Lockyer hadn't cast his vote. The panel had it right the first time, in a forward dominated game, Warea-Hargreaves was the biggest difference maker, making the most amount of metres and won the majority of his defensive battles. Other contenders were Victor Radley, Brett Morris, Josh Papalii and Daniel Tupou.

The game marks the end for Cooper Cronk who joins the short list of players who got to retire with a premiership. Cronk was always considered one of the best halfbacks of his era, but his influence on the Roosters back to back titles has boosted his stock and now he's in the conversation for the best player of the generation. While I feel that honour still belongs to his former team mate and former Australian Test skipper Cameron Smith, Cronk has built a wonderful legacy for himself, winning three premierships in his last three seasons of NRL.

Cooper Cronk
38 Tests for Australia
22 State of Origin Games for Queensland
372 NRL Games
Clive Churchill Winner 2012
Dally M Player of the Year 2013 and 2016 (Think the MVP Award)
Dally M Halfback of the Year 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016.
4 Premierships (2012, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Not bad considering Cronk had two premierships stripped following the Melbourne Storm Salary Cap saga where Melbourne were found paying players undisclosed money to keep them at the club.