It was the greatest grand final of all-time in the history of “The Greatest Game of All”. With less than 20 seconds to go in regulation, the Cowboys trailed 16-12, their dreams of their first ever premiership all but done.
A wild side-to-side play ended with a dramatic Kyle Feldt try in the corner and the scores level at 16-all. Champion half and four-times Dally M Medal winner Johnathan Thurston had a shot from the sideline to win it all. It looked over. For all money. Yet it clipped the post and fell short.
The drama was far from over. For the second time in premiership history, a grand final was sent to extra-time. The Cowboys had the momentum. They would claim the premiership.
Off the North Queensland kick-off, Ben Hunt spilled the kick-off, reminiscent of Martin Bella 21 years before. Every great game needs a goat. Hunt, one of Brisbane’s stars all year, was the goat for the 2015 decider.
The next set Thurston – as he has done so often – slotted a one-pointer to give North Queensland their first premiership 20 years after playing their first season.
Thurston was awarded the Churchill medal and after his heroics it was impossible to argue. Jake Granville was outstanding. Michael Morgan laid on the decisive try. But Thurston – the brilliant, outstanding half of his generation – deserved the gong.
They will talk about the 2015 grand final in years and decades to come with the same reverence that they do the 1989 decider, such was the ferocity and drama that this year’s most important was played with. Hyenas and lions, the voice of David Attenborough and the natural violence of the wild seem tame in comparison.
The Cowboys had the running in the opening few sets but it was the Broncos who had the first chance at points with a 40-metre penalty goal attempt to veteran Corey Parker. It hung to the left before straightening to give Brisbane a 2-0 lead.
Within a minute it was 8-0. Adam Blair popped an incredible offload on the left side attack to Anthony Milford inside his own 10. The livewire five-eighth linked with centre Jack Reed, who put winger Corey Oates into space. The lanky thoroughbred ran 65 metres without ever looking like getting touched.
The Cowboys didn’t take long to respond. Jake Granville pulled a Featherstone from lock after a Matt Gillett error, making a semi-break before putting Justin O’Neill over with a delightful inside ball to his right.
The points were flowing with an 8-6 scoreline 10 minutes in. Only a desperate tackle from Oates with a metre to spare stopped North Queensland from stealing the lead within the 13-minute mark.
The Cowboys claimed the lead though at 24 minutes. Sharp rake Granville stepped out of dummy-half, put prop James Tamou on the outside of opposite Sam Thaiday, who crashed over for the simplest of four-points. It was Granville’s second try assist of the half. The Cowboys led 12-8 and arguably should have been ahead by more considering their domination of the first half of the opening stanza.
Reed, whose first half could best be described as average, capitalised immediately. Matt Gillett scooped up the loose ball, busted through an unsuspecting Broncos defence and offloaded to Reed who bustled over to level the scores at 12-all before Jordan Kahu converted to mark the third lead-change of the first half and put Brisbane up 14-12.
Within three minutes of resumption Brisbane extended their lead to 16-12 through another penalty goal, this time to winger Jordan Kahu. Teams rarely utilise the penalty goal and no team does so as much as Brisbane, who understand the expected value of an attempted try is typically well short of a certain two points.
The Cowboys had the lead for all certainty when Kane Linnett was put into clear space by Thurston with 20 to go but spilled it with the line wide open. Herschelle Gibbs surely felt for him. Pressing the Broncos line later, Linnett spilled it again. It was a forgettable night for the three-quarter but the disappointment will long be forgotten with the spoils of victory.
Lachlan Coote – just three minutes later – crossed but the try was rightly disallowed for a clear double movement, Coote’s craving for grand final glory usurping his knowledge of the rules of the game. It was an easy vice to concede too.
Those disappointments will all be forgotten in the joys of premiership success. There is nothing like it.
Anyone who watched the game was left as breathless as the players by the end. Feldt’s final try in the corner will be replayed as often as Darren Albert’s in 1997. Thurston will be lauded as one of the code’s true greats.
And the greatest game of all may just have had its most memorable 80 minutes written.
Long live rugby league. Long live Johnathan Thurston. Long live the 2015 premiers, the North Queensland Cowboys.
