Need more? What about the Roosters-Sea Eagles clash in 2013, as Sonny Bill-Williams and James Maloney helped them overhaul a 18-8 deficit in a seven-try contest. In 2015 we saw the greatest finale of all time – with Michael Morgan’s magic on the buzzer, before Jonathan Thurston’s field goal sealed the Cowboy’s first premiership. 2016 was also an epic, as the Cronulla Sharks ended a 50-year wait – just – in a match of almost unbearable tension.
Raiders fans are still dirty about how they lost in 2019 to the Roosters, while Cooper Cronk played with one good shoulder to inspire the Bondi outfit to a win over his old Melbourne teammates the year before and Sam Burgess divided opinions by staying on the field with a broken jaw to help the Rabbitohs end a long wait in 2014.
Johnathan Thurston celebrates the game-winning field goal in the 2015 NRL grand final. Photo / Photosport
It has been a rich menu of sporting excellence, courage and resilience. But it hasn’t always been this way. Just over 40 years ago I watched my first grand final, with Warren Ryan’s Bulldogs taking on the St George Dragons in 1985. I’m not sure it was live on television in New Zealand – but as a kid it felt like it was.
I liked the Dragons team, if only because their fullback was named Glenn Burgess but they were edged 7-6 in a dour affair, despite a clever try by winger Steve Morris. It couldn’t have been more different to today’s spectacle. Played in the afternoon – which was better – on a dustbowl at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as the venerable old ground used to host weekly matches back then (and every finals game).
In 1984 Canterbury-Bankstown had beaten Parramatta 6-4. In 1986 the Eels won 4-2. The following year Darrell Williams, a kid from the Mt Albert Lions, became the first Kiwi to win the premiership, part of a Sea Eagles team that beat the Raiders 18-8. My father, from Manly, was ecstatic for days.
The 1989 decider is often seen as a turning point for the Winfield Cup in New Zealand, as TV1 delayed the start of its 6pm news bulletin to broadcast the extra time period, as Canberra beat Balmain in an incredible game. That was followed by two memorable duels between the Raiders and Penrith in 1990 and 1991 but the rest of that decade had more misses than hits, though 1997 (Manly versus Newcastle) and 1999 (the Storm’s maiden triumph, over the Dragons) were particularly memorable.
The period between 2000 and 2010 had great games, especially 2003, 2004 and 2005 but also a number of one-sided encounters. Since then we have lived through a golden period, with only 2012 (the Storm trumping the Bulldogs), 2017 (the eighth-placed Cowboys running out of steam) and 2022 (Parramatta crushed by peak Penrith) editions having a predictable edge.
Which brings us to 2026. Newcastle are set up for a Cinderella story, trying to become the first team to win from outside the top four since 1995. And they have done it the hard way, knocking out the Rabbitohs, Warriors and Panthers on the way.
That run will surely take its toll, exacerbated by the fact that they have had two fewer days to prepare than the Roosters and emotion and adrenalin can only take you so far. The Sydney team should be too good. They look the more balanced side and have much greater playoff experience. They have a superior halves combination, while coach Trent Robinson has a knack of winning these matches, with a perfect record from three previous appearances (2013, 2018, 2019). But you never know. The Knights could do it, though they will have to start well and ride the partisan crowd.
From a local standpoint, it would be good to see a Kiwi finally win the Clive Churchill medal – for best on ground – and Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga and Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte are decent chances, given the importance to their respective teams.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.