The 2019 NRL Grand Final has been played out and the Roosters win back to back premiership since the last time everyone agreed that the Broncos did it.
But how did the 2019 NRL Grand Final play out? What were the key moments, and the things to piss us off.
With so much social media outrage and commentary provided already, we try and jam another spoonful of NRL thoughts with our 2019 NRL Grand Final Best and Blurst.
2019 NRL Grand Final – The Best
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Possibly one of the best Grand Final performances by a losing side in some years. Getting a Clive Churchill medal from a losing side a fair indication of how they went.
They gave it everything, and many will argue deserved more.
But how many times in rugby league does a dominant side who can’t convert their superiority into points gets punished at the first opportunity? Plenty, and tonight’s occurrence cost them a premiership.
Keep this side together and there’s a team capable of making a few more NRL Grand Finals
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Perhaps a bit unfair that the best starts with the losers, but we argue they were the better side for more of the game.
But credit due for holding on against the Raiders at the height of their powers in the second half, and then their superstars just do enough to snatch the lead and win the match.
Respect should be given for the back to back premiership feats too, which is a huge achievement in the modern NRL.
VIKING CLAP
Sure it is borrowed from the Icelandic Football side, but who cares, it is great.
And something for clubs and the NRL to think about what it takes to get a crowd moving.
Anyone not impressed was either a Roosters fans, or someone so hard to please that we don’t care what they think anyway.
THE PLAYERS
CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
The Canberra fullback has proved some find for them this season, and it slightly took the spark plugs out when he went off late in the game. He looked the most likely to do something of the Raiders backs.
JOSH PAPALII
Some second half of the season from the Raiders prop, and he was super again for Canberra tonight.
JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES
Hard to like at times, but easy to admire. Put in a powerhouse performance for the Roosters, and almost deserves the BOG.
BRETT MORRIS
Who’d think that Josh Morris would have been one the Roosters best on their way to another premiership. More stellar de-recruitment from the Bulldogs.
VICTOR RADLEY
As a Billy Slater lookalike, and kept himself in the running for best on ground throughout, especially in the second half when it was tough work.
2019 NRL Grand Final – The Blurst
REFEREEING
It is easy to blame referees when things go wrong, so most will.
We won’t say that the Six To Go fiasco cost the Raiders the game, but you can’t argue against that it was a huge turnaround.
Instead of getting the ball for another set O six, a few plays later they were down by the eventual losing score.
How on earth can you signal six to go and then retract it?
Refereeing is a thankless job, and takes truly passionate people to do it, but it was fitting given the standard of officiating this season that people will be talking about the officials rather than the rest of the on field action.
And why Matt Cecchin doesn’t get a nod on the NRL’s big night out is beyond us.
CHANNEL NEIN COVERAGE
It may only be four times a year for us Fox Sports snobs, but even that is seven times too many.
Tuning into the Channel Nein coverage it doesn’t take long before the moaning starts. And usually, rightfully so.
It’s not that it is especially awful, it is more that despite the absence it never seems to get any better.
At least the 2019 NRL Grand Final isn’t quite the broadcast with a giant shadow of bias that the Origin coverage is, but it still stinks.
Age old regular features like Gus carrying on about one thing for way too long, sub-par contributions from the sidelines and Ray Warren remain, and that’s not a good thing.
For us, there’s not quite enough Peter Sterling, and way too much everything else.
Thankfully it’ll be next May’s Origin before we have to sample again.
TRAINERS ON THE FIELD
We realise that NRL players aren’t all geniuses, but surely they don’t require the tactical hand holding that the modern day trainer offers.
This is not coming from a one off in the Grand Final, which would have given the Raiders a big chance to attack, but a more general dislike of trainers on the field.
Get them off the field unless for injury or actual injured players.
NIGHT TIME GRAND FINALS STINK
If Australian sport has proven one thing over the years, is that the NRL usually copies the AFL because it is better run, and the particular thing they are copying is something the fans cry out for so long for.
The AFL still seem to manage commercial interests, broadcasting and traditional by having their Grand Final at the same old time.
Not the NRL, who seem to offer a cheek whenever an external interest comes in for a kiss.
For us, if our team is not involved, the night time Grand Final feels barely bigger than a hyped up regular season game, which requires a few hearty bets to really get involved.
Move it back to a proper Sunday afternoon kick off and it will feel more like the festival of sport it used to be.
And while are at, it feels more exciting too when the NRL Grand Final is on the same weekend as the AFL. The extra week allows rubbish like the Molan v Johns stuff to fester.
ERIN MOLAN v ANDREW JOHNS BORE-FEST
Sadly, and so typically with NRL media, that the major story this week in generic news places was the rift between Erin Molan and Andrew Johns.
In the Grand Final week you would hope that the sport’s media could find a better headline story, but they can’t help themselves.
The fact that the “feud” is all down to the NRL Footy Show, which had been an irrelevant POS for many years before the “incident” doubles down on the who gives a F— factor.
Perhaps it was all a ploy by Channel Nein themselves to get eagle eyed viewer to check the temperature of the broadcast team.
Perhaps Channel Nein stink.
[…] [ October 6, 2019 ] 2019 NRL Grand Final Best and Blurst NRL […]