If it was to be anything like the last time the two sides played, Sunday’s NRL Grand Final was destined to be one for the ages.
It was the Immortal-in-waiting Johnathan Thurston and his firing North Queensland Cowboys outfit taking on retiring hero Justin Hodges’ Brisbane Broncos.
Unbeaten in six Grand Finals, Brisbane came in to the clash determined to send Hodges out a winner ring, with the Cowboys desperate to give Thurston that premiership win that he’d strived for since 2005.
Wind back the clock ten years to Thurston’s first year at the club. The Cowboys went so close to their maiden premiership, before they were toppled by the Wests Tigers in the big dance.
But on October 4, 2015 at ANZ Stadium, it felt like it was just going to be Johnathan Thurston’s day.
During the NRL State Championship match between Newcastle and Ipswich, the big screen showed live footage of the Cowboys getting off their bus at the ground.
When Thurston appeared, the noise was deafening. This was the man that would steer the Townsville-based club to their first premiership.
This was going to be a Grand Final for the ages.
The Cowboys met Brisbane in Week One of the NRL Finals Series, only to go down in one of the best games of the year.
A man next to me at ANZ Stadium on Grand Final day remarked that if this years’ decider was anything like that clash in Week One, it could be the greatest Grand Final ever.
Fifteen minutes in, he turned to me again and said, “This game is fifteen minutes old, and it’s already the best game I’ve ever seen.”
So soon, this one had something special about it. You could feel it in the air. This was already a Grand Final for the ages.
The Broncos were clinical from the opening whistle, playing that Floyd Mayweather style of footy for which coach Wayne Bennett is known.
Grind the opposition down, take your chances.
It was fitting that a Bennett-coached side would open the scoring in a Grand Final with a penalty goal. Already the Cowboys would need to score one more try than their opposition to win, and as it turned out, they would need every second.
Corey Oates extended Brisbane’s early lead with a stunning runaway try, before Cowboys hooker Jake Granville put Justin O’Neill over just minutes later to bring the Cowboys to within two.
Another piece of handy-work from Granville saw towering prop James Tamou get his name on the board to edge North Queensland ahead.
Brisbane’s Jack Reed capitalised on a Thurston error to put the Broncos back in front heading in to halftime.
An early penalty goal in the second half from Jordan Kahu saw the Broncos extend their lead to four, and for the next 37 minutes it looked as though it would stay that way.
With four minutes to go, I was in disbelief. At the brilliance of the game, yes. But more so at the people who were making their way out of the ground. It was a four-point ball game with just minutes remaining.
The regret they must feel at missing one of the greatest finishes in sporting history.
Brisbane were fourteen seconds away from being crowned 2015 NRL Premiers when the final play the ball of regular time took place.
The Cowboys shifted left, hitting Thurston, who was forced to run backwards as he shrugged off two would-be tacklers. They couldn’t score from here.
Enter Michael Morgan.
Thurston swung it back to the right hand side, finding Morgan 24 metres out.
“Morgan crosses the twenty,” bellowed legendary Channel Nine commentator Ray Warren, as the crowd of 82,758 rose to their feet.
The siren sounded as the mercurial number six drew in three defenders before flicking an unbelievable pass out the back to an unmarked Kyle Feldt who scores a try in the corner.
Eighty minutes gone, and Johnathan Thurston had the opportunity to do what every young footballer dreams of – to kick a match-winning conversion from the sideline, after the siren, in a Grand Final.
He took his time. He lined it up. The crowd on their feet, cheering and jeering.
He moved in, it looks okay off the boot, it’s got that signature Thurston curve. It’s nearly there… BANG! It hits the post.
For the first time, an NRL Grand Final was to be decided in Golden Point Extra Time.
What happened next is everyone’s worst nightmare. Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt spilt the ball off the kick-off, gifting the Cowboys possession ten metres out from the try-line.
Thurston lined up a field goal off the scrum, but couldn’t get the shot off. A few plays later, he did, and the whole crowd watched it sail through the posts.
And again, it was the voice of Ray Warren attached to one of our game’s greatest moments.
“He’s got the field goal! He’s got the premiership!”
Thurston capped off a memorable night by taking out the Clive Churchill Medal as the Man of the Match, but whether he truly deserved that accolade is up in the air.
Granville was superb, and Cowboys coach Paul Green almost paid the price for leaving him on the sidelines for too long, whilst Morgan’s match-winning play ensured he’ll never buy another beer in North Queensland.
Anthony Milford was the best of a beaten bunch, and it is likely that the Broncos youngster would have taken out the medal if the Broncos had held on.
We all hoped it would happen. The biggest star delivered in the biggest moment on the biggest stage. The 2015 NRL decider was a Grand Final for the ages.
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