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The Sydney Roosters won the NRL grand final 19-18 after a late Newcastle Knights comeback fell short. Mark Nawaqanitawase scored two tries and Daly Cherry-Evans kicked the winning field goal.
The Sydney Roosters are the NRL premiers after beating the Newcastle Knights 19-18 in a grand final that went down to the final minutes. Daly Cherry-Evans kicked a field goal with 10 minutes to go to make it 19-12, which proved to be the difference.
The Knights scored a late try through Greg Marzhew with just three minutes remaining, converted to close the gap to 19-18, but there would be no more miracles. All the smarties, and all the rest of us besides, knew that however much popular sentiment was behind the Knights, last year's wooden-spooner workers beating the uppity glory boys of the eastern suburbs would be wonderful. But elite sport just does not work like that.
Knights Defied Expectations In First Half
The Knights, we knew, had left their best on the field by beating Penrith last week and would have nothing left to give. The Roosters, obviously, had too much firepower, too much big-match experience. No-one would have been surprised by a 20-point victory, if not 30 points. And yet all through the first half it was obvious we had a real contest on our hands.
Despite the Roosters dominating possession and territory, the Knights had something the Roosters did not. The only thing they had to show for it from the first half was a piece of individual brilliance from their rugby-bound winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
He did not just toe it through as we have seen players do many times, but used two toes: a tap with the left to bring it under control and a thrust with the right to perfectly push it over the try-line to dive on top of it. How many times are we going to see Marky-Mark do things that we are not quite sure that we have ever seen before? Secondly, the Knights had a bit of luck.
Novocastrians Benefited From Good Luck
There is no doubt that in the opening 40 minutes the Novocastrians had the rub of the green, with the ball bouncing their way. That included the ball going right into Kalyn Ponga's arms just when they needed it most to score a runaway try, their second after a great early effort by Francis Manuleleua. Going into the break, the Knights 12-6 lead was a fitting reward for their efforts.
To that point the Roosters had showed very little bar two tactics endlessly repeated: the up and the under. Sooner or later, was their clear reckoning, the individual brilliance of Marky-Mark must make the difference from whatever scraps their kicks delivered.
Though the Roosters centre Billy Smith scored a good try to close early in the second half to make it 12-12, and Sam Walker nailed a penalty to give the Roosters a 14-12 lead, with 20 minutes to go, who else could it be but Marky-Mark? He went over in the corner again to make it 18-12. A pause here for rugby folk. As I write, let us rejoice that this superb athlete is coming home to the Wallabies.
Good Lord willing and the creeks do not rise, at about this time next year he will be wreaking havoc on the All Blacks, Springboks and French in the World Cup. With Joseph Aukuso Suaalii also in our corner, no team in the world will be better equipped to dominate the aerial game. We now resume our normal service.
In the meantime, as the game went on the Channel Nine coverage gave us regular crosses to the folk watching at home. The cutaways to Newcastle look like a gathering of great Aussies. The Novacastrians looked as if they were hanging on every tackle, every pass. They were the ones we wanted to be rewarded for their passion.
Final Moments Denied Knights Triumph
Please, can the Knights pull this off against all odds? Can the team showing all the heart, all the grit, all the refusal to give up actually triumph against the team just endlessly kicking the damn thing? Alas it was not to be. In the end the smarties were right.
The Roosters really just did have too much firepower, too much Marky-Mark and too many up-and-unders to be denied. When Daly Cherry-Evans put over a field goal with 10 minutes to go to make it 19-12, it was going to need a miracle and there was not to be one. With just three minutes to go, Greg Marzhew sailed over for the Knights in the corner against all odds.
Converted, the score closed to 19-18, and an ordinary match was set for a superb finish. There would be no more miracles. The Roosters won with that score. They are the premiers, and good luck to them.
But the Knights remain the people's choice. They displayed all the qualities we most admire in sport: courage, creativity, refusal to bend. They just did not get there in the end. Bugger.
smh
theage:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Sydney Roosters Newcastle Knights Mark Nawaqanitawase Daly Cherry-Evans
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