Summary
An absolutely elated Sydney Football Stadium as a stadium of Cronulla blue bursts into song. Smiles for Gallen, Ennis and friends. Luke Lewis with a wry smile, he was one of the best for the Sharks, perhaps behind Maloney who was almost a one-man tour de force.
But the Cowboys. What can you say about that! A spectacular first-half implosion from the Premiers. A litany of errors, some of the most baffling you’ll ever witness on a football field. Paul Green must have walked under a ladder dressed as a black cat with a spilt salt shaker to have copped that kind of a showing from his chargers.
An absolutely shattered Johnathan Thurston is asked his thoughts at full-time, and he’s ruefully succinct: “Very ordinary.”
“We just shot ourselves in the foot – if you complete at 60%, really, you’re kidding yourself. We blew it.”
Don’t detract from the Sharks, though. Strong work from Barba, Holmes and Bird meant they were a danger out wide, and the big men – especially Fifita and Gallen – were solid in the middle.
Was it a good enough showing to scare Melbourne or the Raiders?
Probably not. But now the fairytale – manufactured or otherwise – appears one step closer.
The Cronulla Sharks will play in a Grand Final – their first in two decades, and are now just eighty minutes away from that elusive and fabled Premiership.
Bring. It. On.
Updated
Full-time: Cronulla Sharks 32-20 North Queensland Cowboys
80 min: There’s the whistle, there’s the siren. And it’s tears for Townsend, who’s simply overcome at the death.
Ennis has ended up clattered by Morgan on the last play, and some players look on in concern, but the veteran is back on his feet.
The Sharks mascots and fans break into pandemonium – Cronulla have knocked out the reigning Premiers and they’re through to the Grand Final!
Try! Cronulla Sharks 32-20 North Queensland Cowboys (Hess)
79 min: Well, they’re making all the running, but it really is too little too late. The Sharks haven’t taken their foot off, but the desperation of the Queenslanders is making this scoreboard almost lie as to how this game has unfolded.
Thurston with a hurried conversion attempt – he won’t want to see that again, a real shank. No extras.
78 min: Cheeky stuff from the crowd – they’re enjoying themselves even if the Cowboys are running in tries. They reckon they’re home, and they’re almost certainly right too.
They get the Viking clap going – take that Raiders fans.
I thought we’d have to wait for the A-League season to see that one come out, but league fans have claimed it as their own.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 32-16 North Queensland Cowboys (Feldt)
75 min: Taumololo charges about 10m out. Thurston finds Morgan, who has Coote running an inside line, but the Sharks keep him at bay.
Thurston kicks crossfield, looking for Feldt and the winger with the colossal leap is too strong for Feki.
A great curling kick from Thurston, and he makes it a six pointer. Just for pride, and even if he looks shattered out there, he won’t quit, the veteran champion.
73 min: Another wave of Cronulla attack, and another young Shark puts JT on his backside in the tackle. A torrid night for the veteran.
Luke Lewis about 5m out. They spin to the right, as Bird probes. A kick is put through for Townsend – he looks for the regather! But can’t ground it.
Seven tackles for the Cowboys. And a penalty to boot.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 32-10 North Queensland Cowboys (Feldt)
72 min: Well, a great moment of individual skill from Feldt, with a seeming wall of light blue defenders in front of him, he wriggles and stretches and plants an arm through the thicket to cross the try line.
JT from the touchline – he’s copping the razz from the home fans, and it’s not his best to be fair. Not much more than a consolation, that try, surely.
69 min: Granville scampers from dummy half, some of them are still trying, but you can’t help but feel the reaper of grim, grim darkness just hovers above some of the Cowboys players.
A small slice of fortune, Feki is tested with a highball but seems to twist an ankle, or cramp as he takes it – gets in a horrible knot, and puts it down. What can the Cowboys make of it?
Try! Cronulla Sharks 32-6 North Queensland Cowboys (Maloney)
67 min: Unbelievable! The Cowboys try a short kickoff – not sure if it goes the ten, but they regather. But then on about the second play they chance a pass, and who should pop up by James Maloney. A terrific intercept, and with Cowboys players swarming all around him, the former Roster just cuts a path through them all!
Decent attempt with the boot, but the attempt hits the upright. Seems he’s human after all. What a night Maloney’s having.
Penalty! Cronulla Sharks 28-6 North Queensland Cowboys
64 min: Either way, Maloney takes the shot, and makes no mistake.
JT is boiling. Nothing’s falling for the Cowboys.
Key event
63 min: They kick for touch, but a sloppy set piece from the Sharks. A bit too intricate there.
Confusion here, Bukuya’s lost the ball in the play-the-ball, but not sure if the two referees have blown opposite ways? Thurston’s blown up here – almost certainly from his own frustration. He’ll have to be careful, the mics pick up his conversation with the ref, and it’s colourful to say the least.
60 min: Fifita with another barnstorming carry, but just as it opens for them a poor pass bounces off the shoulder of Graham. What can the Cowboys muster? A long range kick.
Barba regathers well and beats the chaser, Thurston. Now Asiata penalised for man-handling Ennis at the play-the-ball.
57 min: Maloney with a perfectly weighted kick to split the Cowboys back two. Good pressure on the Cowboys, but they’ve been penalised for inside ten, and a reliefing kick to touch.
Taumololo brings it to the 30m line. Thurston looks around, nothing happening. Morgan with a chipped effort, but it’s not flash. Feldt tries to bat it backwards but almost puts it on a plate for a 90m.
Thurston penalised for stripping the ball; nothing going right for this great, great champion of rugby league tonight.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 26-6 North Queensland Cowboys (Coote)
56 min: Would you believe that! Maloney’s got three players hanging on him, he appears for all money held up short, and he wriggles, and writhes, and as the tackle never seems to end, he just gets it down!
Coote, almost as an afterthought, tries to stop the grounding. Too late.
The tryscorer converts his own try. 2 more points.
54 min: 36,000+ inside the stadium tonight – pretty good turnout for the Sharks. Maybe they are, just now starting to wonder #WhyNotUs?
Barba jinks from almost a standing start and beats his immediate marker. Maloney stretches and pushes.. He’s held short. Surely. Or wait..
Try! Cronulla Sharks 20-6 North Queensland Cowboys (Lewis)
52 min: North Queensland forced to defend again. Cronulla probe left, they probe right. Ennis delays the pass to Townsend, and as Lewis cuts a run that looks like a decoy, the halfback puts a super ball on his chest, and this time, the veteran does bundle over!
Great move from the Sharks, and Maloney makes it a six-pointer with a fine kick right over the dot.
50 min: Great run from Bukuya! He skips inside the markers and wrestles past about three players. Leutele looks to put Holmes in in the corner, but Morgan knocks the ball to ground.
Six again, Sharks!
47 min: Cripes, Maloney’s good at those – Bowen catches about 50cm into the field of play, but is tackled in-goal, and the Sharks get a repeat six from the drop out.
Cronulla elect not to kick, but go through the hands. A lovely bit of play that ends with the veteran Lewis, almost in a hole about 5m out. Just for a whisper it looked like the former Panther was through, but great scrambling defence shuts him down just as he was looking for an offload. Turnover.
44 min: Cronulla with it as they bring out from their own line. Strong running from Leutele and a tidy enough kick to end the set.
Granville with a good dart from dummy half. Thurston drives a kick into the shins of Feki who traps the ball like a veteran centre back in the soccer days of yore.
Lewis with a good offload and Cronulla keep the ball alive. Leutele again prominent, before Bowen climbs well to defuse an inch-perfect bomb.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 14-6 North Queensland Cowboys (Coote)
42 min: North Queensland progress steadily, before Bolton is pulled down about a metre out. They go left, and Thurston looks for a grubber. It’s not great to be honest, but it rebounds of a leg and sits up awkwardly for Townsend, who’s stripped by Coote in a one-on-one tackle, and Coote crosses.
No mistake from Thurston from about 10m to the left of the uprights.
A touch of fortune there for North Queensland, and haven’t we got a game on now!
Second half: Cronulla Sharks 14-0 North Queensland Cowboys
40 min: And we’re back! Cowboys kick off. Good metres from Heighington, before Ennis drills a regulation kick down to Ponga. The youngster regathers about 20m out.
Penalty to the Cowboys, as Bowen looks to get caught in a ‘crusher’ tackle.
I’m still rubbing my eyes over that one. And to think, with two tries disallowed/butchered, the Sharks could have been another twelve points up.
Is that the message from Paul Green – boys; we could have been dead and buried, but we’re not. Forget that forty, we’ve got same again to salvage some pride?
Some footage of Mick Ennis inside the Cronulla dressing room just absolutely laying it down to his teammates. Cut out the expletives and I imagine that was something like “well met, fellows, let us not become complacent”.
Half-time: Cronulla Sharks 14-0 North Queensland Cowboys
That’s enough, says the siren.
Gee whiz. I really can’t think of a worse half of football played by the Cowboys this season. And in a preliminary final!
The Sharks good enough value for their lead – but they haven’t really done anything too extraordinary.
Go grab a cuppa or splash some cold water in your face. What did you make of that curious, curious forty minutes of footy?
38 min: Morgan with a massive kick, but a barnstorming run from Holmes puts JT on his backside with a really strong return run. Huge impact!
Sharks are having a red hot go at this, Maloney goes to the air put JT cleans up. He’s surrounded by chasers and carried dead.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 14-0 North Queensland Cowboys (Townsend)
35 min: A huge offload from Heighington and Maloney finds a gap. He burst through and looks for a man inside – he finds Townsend – surely a forward pass!
But Gerard Sutton’s had no hesitation and blown a try! Well, you wouldn’t want to try a call like that in Queensland, but this local crowd seems to have enjoyed it.
9 times out of 10; 99 out of 100, surely that’s called forward??
Maloney doesn’t mind, and he calmly slots the extras from dead in front.
Updated
32 min: Barba down in backplay, we’ll monitor that. A lost ball – was it stripped, was it lost cold by Cronulla? Referee opts with the Cowboys, and now they’ve got a penalty.
They take the tap about 20m out. JT goes left. Good carry from Hess, he’s only about 6m out. A lose pass and momentum is lost, they regress over a tackle or two. JT tries a grubber on the sixth, but doesn’t even make the in-goal. Ennis there to clean up.
Barba rejoins gingerly, but he’s not moving too comfortably.
28 min: I’ve always rated Coote, but between this start and the game against the Broncos, gee whiz. Sharks are just peppering with the sixth tackle high balls, but to his credit, Coote’s nailed this one under heavy pressure.
That one’s caught in-goal, so the Cowboys can have a proper six.
Good carry up field, and a difficult kick from JT. Now it’s the Sharks pinned in their own in-goal, and Townsend cleans up from a Holmes spill in the tackle.
Six now for North Queensland. Their first real look at the Sharks’ line.
Updated
Penalty! Cronulla Sharks 8-0 North Queensland Cowboys
26 min: Good grief. Cowboys are having a genuine ‘mare here – Kyle Feldt with the in-goal restart – and he’s put it into touch!
The crowd can’t believe this – who are you, and what have you done with the reigning Premiers?!
Maloney opts for a shot at goal, and this time it’s on target. An extra two for the Sharks.
25 min: Taumololo lines up Gallen, some big impacts here. Cronulla go to the air, a booming, swirling high ball, and Coote’s received it a metre inside the field of play, and then been absolutely nailed into his own in-goal.
Line drop out – another set of six.
Try! Cronulla Sharks 6-0 North Queensland Cowboys (Feki)
22 min: Well, look. This scrambling defence could only take so much. Cronulla throw it left, Fifita with another key offload, they go through the hands, and it’s Sosaia Feki in the corner. Great work, he still had two to beat but the winger stayed in touch.
No extras from the sideline, as Maloney misses with the boot.
Updated
19 min: Speak to soon – Coote looks for a booming kick and puts it over the dead ball line. Mistake that, and Cronulla have seven tackles.
Gallen with some barge, good yards from the skipper. They spin to the right, but Bird is wrapped up. Through the hands to the right and Barba joins in, but decent sliding cover from the Cowboys. Fifita hit’s the line, he’s got them worried, has Fifita.
Ennis tries a grubber from about 3m out, it strikes the legs of a Cowboys player, and referee Cummins adjudges that Scott has knocked on. Six more Cronulla!
Penalty! Cronulla Sharks 2-0 North Queensland Cowboys
17 min: After all that, finally some scoreboard action – is that a letoff of a blow to the Cowboys? They were on the ropes for so long there you’d imagine they’d be stoked with just copping two.
They restart a swirling, curling effort – it appears conditions are wreaking a bit of havoc out there – at least we’ll give Coote and JT’s various errors the benefit of the doubt – and Barba does well.
Cronulla complete the six, and this resumes as a traditional game of rugby league after that frankly bizarre first fifteen minutes.
15 min: Has someone slipped something in JT’s mash? Bizarre last play pass from Thurston and he’s just lobbed it forward! Did it slip as he played? That looked horrid, and it’s a turnover.
Cronulla with a chance to continue the pressure – Cowboys are on the back foot and they’re eventually penalised. And after all this, Maloney elects to take a shot at some points.
14 min: This time Cronulla spin to test the Cowboys right-edge defence. Ennis eventually tries the grubber, but under pressure from Morgan he’s not connected. Finally a scrum for North Queensland, and a chance to build a proper set.
13 min: The Sharks probe, Taumololo with a crucial tackle. Not enough innovation here, as they eventually go to the toe. Coote takes dead, and they’ve earned a third repeat set of six. Excruciating pressure here.
11 min: Would you believe this! Early in the count the Cowboys have absolutely duffed a routine play the ball; and they’re back on the defensive. Young Bowen with a harrowing simple mistake – and the Sharks have six good long looks at the Cowboy’s line.
9 min: Well, it’s all up the Cowboys end. They defend another six from the Sharks, and try to bring their way out.
JT throws it early, and Townsend almost intercepts. He knocks it to ground, and North Queensland get a respite.
Chance to breathe and regather, what can they come up with.
No try! Cronulla Sharks 0-0 North Queensland Cowboys
7 min: The Coote horror show continues! Cronulla kick to the ingoal, and Coote waits for it go dead; but it just won’t! Townsend races through and grounds, and Cronulla think they’ve got a try.
We got upstairs, but Townsend hasn’t got any downward pressure on it! Well, here’s a let off. How have the Cowboys not conceded?
7 min: Nothing flash, that six from the Sharks, but now we have a handling error from the Cowboys, again it’s JT whose pass goes behind the runner. It is ALL happening on the mistake front here from the Cowboys. A real nervy start, this.
No try! Cronulla Sharks 0-0 North Queensland Cowboys
5 min: Well, the crowd explodes as Andrew Fifita bashes his way through, and claims a try – but video ref says, no dice!
Fifita accused of a double movement. Gallen’s not happy, but that’s that.
Well, this is a bizarre start – Thurston has kicked to touch from the restart, and not found it! Sharks regather and attack the line again.
4 min: The Sharks sniff left, they sniff right. A great passage gets Ennis about 3m out and he’s in a one-on-one. All he has to do is beat his man, and he’s through – but phenomenal ball and all bear hug from Matt Scott! Great stuff from the skipper.
Cowboys hang on, and Maloney tries a grubber to the corner. Repeat six – it’s a line drop out.
3 min: Deary, deary me. Well, Flanagan said they’d go after him, but Coote’s having another early game shocker! Cronulla kick to the former Panther, and he’s dropped it cold, with nobody within 20 metres.
Huge opportunity, as the Sharks get a full set of six, well into the danger zone.
Pffffft! First-half
1 min: Cowboys receive and skipper Scott is tackled about 5m out from his own line. Taumololo with some big early metres. Nth Qld go through the hands early and Bowen gets some good metres. First kick from Coote is a bit shanky, but Cowboys retrieve and kick again. Barba defuses about 10m out from the Sharks line.
It’s definitely not a mixed crowd – the players are entering the field of play, JT leads out the Cowboys to a chorus of boos; Gallen brings out his Sharks to rapturous applause.
It’s a sea of blue, well, BW&B, in the crowd, as you’d expect – as both sets of players mark a minute’s silence for the great, late Ron Massey.
Lovely video tribute, and impeccably observed by the fans.
First blood, Sharks.
The Sharks have won the toss & will run right to left in the 1st half #WhyNotUs #NRLFinals pic.twitter.com/BN39tLq6Z4
— Cronulla Sharks FC (@Cronulla_Sharks) September 23, 2016
Incidentally, your referee tonight is Ben Cummins, with Gerard Sutton on the plastic backup whistle.
We talk about experience when it comes to finals and with these two sets of heads, there’s surely a few to choose from. Gallen and Ennis have over 550 NRL games between them, and Thurston is not too far from 300 games himself.
At the other scale of things though there’s some pretty green lads out there. Bowen and Hess have less than 10 games each to their name, and young Ponga makes just his second start. No pressure, kid.
Capewell for the Sharkies has just three showings. Could any of these be weak spots? Or will they play with the abandon of kids who’ve never felt the pain of a finals loss?
Popular consensus seems to suggest the Cowboys should have enough ‘big game experience’ in key positions to edge this – but can you rule out the Sharks, in Sydney?
Send us your predictions, boasts, insights – I promise I won’t hold these as blackmail should the game take a different direction.
We’re not too far away from kickoff as the players take to the hallowed well, existing, grass of the Sydney Football Stadium for final warm ups.
Some team news:
Cronulla –
Ben Barba, Sosaia Feki, Jack Bird, Ricky Leutele, Valentine Holmes, James Maloney, Chad Townsend, Andrew Fifita, Michael Ennis, Matt Prior, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Paul Gallen (c)
Interchange: Gerard Beale, Chris Heighington, Kurt Capewell, Jason Bukuya
So, disregard that Tagataese tease, the big man’s not made the interchange bench as pre-promised. How crucial could that prove for Cronulla? Having Gallen and Graham fit to start though cannot be understated.
Cowboys –
Lachlan Coote, Kyle Feldt, Justin O’Neill, Javid Bowen, Kalyn Ponga, Michael Morgan, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott (c), Jake Granville, James Tamou, Gavin Cooper, Coen Hess, Jason Taumalolo
Interchange: Rory Kostjasyn, John Asiata, Scott Bolton, Ben Hannant
No Kyle Linnett, as discussed, but a massive opportunity for younster Ponga. He put in a pretty tidy shift against the Broncos, but watch to see if the Sharks halves target him early on.
Hihi. Hope this finds you well, from wherever it is you’re following the coverage.
Are you stuck in the field in outer Baku, or Timbukbu, frantically waving your Nokia 3210 around for reception to follow the coverage? Drop us a line – either at @rrjparkin or richard.parkin.casual@theguardian.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
Massive night and a massive game – feel free to shave #WhyNotUs into the back of your colleague’s head as he/she sits slumped over their desk at work. Photos welcome.
Preamble
Moving past the burning issue of whether the games immediately before a Grand Final should mandatorily be called semi-finals, the simple fact remains – whoever wins this eighty minutes of fast, frantic and frame-shuddering footy will be playing in the Big One.
In Cronulla’s case, we’ve been bombarded with this narrative of a 49-year wait for a premiership and #WhyNotUs. Are you sick of it yet? The spin doctors at Cowboys presumably decided against countering this with their own situation: #355DayDrought perhaps doesn’t quite have the same ring.
On the field, the Sharks have had a scratchy finish to the season, notching loses to the Storm, Rabbitohs, St George (need I go on?) – but the only result they’ll worry about is the close-fought win over the Raiders that earned them a week off, thus allowing skipper Paul Gallen to mend his back, stand-in skipper Wade Graham to fix his head, and Sam Tagataese to cure his shoulder – huge additions in a battle where they’ll need every man at his best.
Kane Linnett has reportedly not made it back for the Cowboys, but while it’s a team game, you can’t help but think the players that will really matter tonight will be called JT.
Just to hedge your bets though, there’s two to choose from – mercurial halfback Johnathan Thurston OR the week-on-week reputation-enhancing one-man demolition squad Jason Taumalolo. If he doesn’t have some good ol’ whacks at Gallen or Andrew Fifita then rugby league is broken.
Shane Flanagan tried to get the mind games going during the week by suggesting the Sharks would target Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote after his underwhelming show against the Broncos. Paul Green took no backward steps in pointing out that it’s Cronulla’s halfback Chad Townsend – hooked during the first half against the Raiders – who will really be feeling the pressure.
It’s been a pretty even recent history shared between the two sides, although Moore Park has been a bit of a haunted house for the Cowboys in recent time.
It’s finely balanced, you’d suggest, and a large parochial crowd all furiously baying “#WhyNotUs” could just prove the difference. Game on.
Richard will be here shortly to take you through tonight’s match. In the meanwhile, here’s a nice little piece from Sam Perry about last week’s cracking semi-finals.
Updated
