2005 NRL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 2005 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2005 National Rugby League season. It was played on the night of Sunday, 2 October at Sydney
's Telstra Stadium
between 4th-placed Wests Tigers
and 5th-placed North Queensland Cowboys
, the only two clubs in the competition that hadn't yet been to the NRL grand final
.
In a match-up suggested by bookmakers as a 500/1 chance for the 2005 grand final's opponents at the start of the season, the fourth-placed Wests Tigers and fifth-placed North Queensland Cowboys had both reached their first decider. The two teams had met three times during the regular season, with the Tigers having won twice. The most recent of these meetings was the Tigers' 50 – 6 victory in the first week of the finals series.
Airline Qantas
added an extra two flights and the Townsville Bulletin
newspaper chartered a Boeing 747
to take North Queensland fans to their team's first grand final.
, their first grand final appearance had come at the end of their sixth season (since the merger of the Balmain Tigers
and the Western Suburbs Magpies
). Only centre Paul Whatuira and full-back Brett Hodgson had previosuly played in a grand final. Whatuira won with Penrith in 2003 and Hodgson lost with Parramatta in 2001. Their fullback, Brett Hodgson was the 2005 regular season's top point-scorer.
For the North Queensland Cowboys
, their grand final debut had come at the end of their eleventh season. Cowboys' five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, the 2005 season's Dally M Medal
list, had won the previous year's grand final with the Bulldogs. Also, winger Matt Sing lost in 2000 with the Sydney Roosters. Their fullback Matt Bowen was the 2005 regular season's top try scorer. However their Queensland State of Origin forward Carl Webb
had been suspended for punching so was forced to watch the grand final from the sideline.
The grand final was played at Sydney
's Telstra Stadium before a crowd of 82,453. Television coverage of the match was provided by Nine's Wide World of Sports with commentary from Ray Warren
, Peter Sterling
, Paul Vautin
, Phil Gould
, Matthew Johns
, Andrew Voss
and Ben Ikin
.
The Veronicas
and Pete Murray provided pre-match performances. A minute's silence was then held for the previous day's 2005 Bali bombings
before Natalie Bassingthwaite sung the Australian national anthem.
, officiating his 2nd grand final, blew time on and the Tigers kicked off. In the eighth minute the Cowboys had almost reached the Tigers' twenty-metre line on the third tackle of the set when Payne ran from dummy-half and passed inside for Rauhihi to hit the ball up and stand in the takle, offloading to Thurston who passed to Matt Bowen. Bowen then threw a deft pass back on the inside to Justin Smith who charged toward the line and threw the ball blindly back over his head before being tackled. The loose ball was picked up by Thurtson and handed to Bowen to dash the remaining few metres to the line and touch down behind the uprights. For the third week in a row, Bowen was the first try scorer of the game. Josh Hannay converted the try so the Cowboys were leading 0-6. Ten minutes later the Tigers were down at the opposition's end of the field
where halfback Scott Prince on the last tackle put up a kick that came down over the try line and was taken by Paul Bowman who was about to be tackled in goal and threw a speculative pass which was not caught by his teammate and Tigers forward Bryce Gibbs was there to fall onto the loose ball near the goal posts. Brett Hodgson kicked the extra two points so the scores were even at 6-6. Cowboys winger Ty Williams crossed the Tigers' try-line in the twenty-third minute but the video referee ruled no try due to an obstruction in back play. A few minutes later, Tigers' left winger Pat Richards (whose fractured ankle required six pain-killing injections for him to defy medical opinion and play in the match) crossed in the corner but the video referee disallowed the try as the ball was not properly grounded. In the thirty-fifth minute the Tigers received a Johnathan Thurston kick on their own try line, the ball going to Benji Marshall who ran with it, splitting the defence and charging down the left side and over the half-way line. Drawing a defender, Marshall then threw a flick pass behind his back to his winger Pat Richards coming through in support. Richards palmed off a Cowboys defender as he ran the remaining twenty metres to dive over and score, finishing one of the most famous grand final plays in history. Hodgson kicked the extra two points so now the Tigers were leading 12-6. Shortly before half time the Cowboys were penalised on their twenty-metre line and Hodgson took the kick at goal but missed.
Rogue Traders
performed during the break.
but missed. Shortly after that Cowboys winger Matt Sing almost scored a try but the video referee found that he'd knocked on. A few minutes later though, the Cowboys were down close to the Tigers' try line where their half-back Johnathan Thurston threw a cut out pass to Matt Sing to score on the right wing. Josh Hannay missed the conversion so the score was 24-16 in favour of the Tigers with under two minutes left to play. Seconds before the final siren the Tigers got one more try when Hodgson from ten metres out put a grubber kick
into the Cowboys' in-goal area for Todd Payten to dive onto. Hodgson then converted the try so the final score was 30-16 and the Wests Tigers had their first premiership as a merged team.
Tigers captain Scott Prince was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
as man-of-the-match before being presented with the premiership trophy by Australian Prime Minister John Howard
. It was the final match with the Tigers for their winger Pat Richards who joined English Super League
club Wigan Warriors
for the 2006 season.
The match had the highest television ratings for a night time grand final in history. As winners of the grand final the Wests club received $400,000 in prize money.
in the following February's World Club Challenge
.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Telstra Stadium
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
between 4th-placed Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
and 5th-placed North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
, the only two clubs in the competition that hadn't yet been to the NRL grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
.
In a match-up suggested by bookmakers as a 500/1 chance for the 2005 grand final's opponents at the start of the season, the fourth-placed Wests Tigers and fifth-placed North Queensland Cowboys had both reached their first decider. The two teams had met three times during the regular season, with the Tigers having won twice. The most recent of these meetings was the Tigers' 50 – 6 victory in the first week of the finals series.
Airline Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
added an extra two flights and the Townsville Bulletin
Townsville Bulletin
The Townsville Bulletin is a daily newspaper published in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the only daily paper that serves the northern Queensland region. The paper has a print edition, a free World Wide Web edition, and a subscription digital edition.The newspaper is published by The...
newspaper chartered a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
to take North Queensland fans to their team's first grand final.
Background
For the Wests TigersWests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
, their first grand final appearance had come at the end of their sixth season (since the merger of the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
and the Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
). Only centre Paul Whatuira and full-back Brett Hodgson had previosuly played in a grand final. Whatuira won with Penrith in 2003 and Hodgson lost with Parramatta in 2001. Their fullback, Brett Hodgson was the 2005 regular season's top point-scorer.
For the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
, their grand final debut had come at the end of their eleventh season. Cowboys' five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, the 2005 season's Dally M Medal
Dally M Medal
The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the Australian rugby league competition, which is given to the player voted by sports commentators as the best and fairest in the competition for that year....
list, had won the previous year's grand final with the Bulldogs. Also, winger Matt Sing lost in 2000 with the Sydney Roosters. Their fullback Matt Bowen was the 2005 regular season's top try scorer. However their Queensland State of Origin forward Carl Webb
Carl Webb
Carl Webb , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer for the Parramatta Eels of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys...
had been suspended for punching so was forced to watch the grand final from the sideline.
Match day
| Wests Tigers |
Position | North Queensland Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League... |
FB | 1 Matt Bowen Matt Bowen Matthew Jeremy "Matt" Bowen is an Australian rugby league player. He has spent his whole professional career with the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League , playing in over 200 matches and holding the club's record for the player with the most NRL appearances. He appeared in the... |
| 2 Daniel Fitzhenry Daniel Fitzhenry Daniel Fitzhenry is a former Australian professional rugby league player in Australia's NRL. He played for Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition before his switch to Hull KR before his release in October 2009. He returned to Wests Tigers in 2010... |
WG | 2 Ty Williams Ty Williams Ty Williams is an Australian professional rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League competition.-Cowboys:... |
| 3 Shane Elford Shane Elford Shane Elford , is an Australian rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers. He has previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League and his position of choice is at Centre.... |
CE | 3 Josh Hannay Josh Hannay Josh Hannay is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He is a former Queensland state representative and the current record holder with the greatest points scored in the history of the North Queensland Cowboys club.-Club career:Hannay was named to make his debut at the age of 16... |
| 4 Paul Whatuira Paul Whatuira Paul Whatuira is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL... |
CE | 4 Paul Bowman |
| 5 Pat Richards Pat Richards Pat Richards is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wigan Warriors of Europe's Super League. An Ireland and Exiles international representative winger, he previously played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers, winning the 2005... |
WG | 5 Matt Sing Matt Sing Matthew Charles Sing is an Australian semi-retired professional rugby league footballer for the Central Comets in the Queensland Cup. His first grade career spanned much of the 1990s and 2000s... |
| 6 Benji Marshall Benji Marshall Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments... |
5/8th | 6 Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys whom he co-captains... |
| 7 Scott Prince Scott Prince Scott Prince is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and current captain of the Gold Coast Titans club of the National Rugby League... (c) |
HB | 16 Justin Smith Justin Smith (rugby league) Justin Smith is an Australian former rugby league footballer. A utility player, Smith played for the St... |
| 8 Anthony Laffranchi Anthony Laffranchi Anthony Laffranchi is an Australian professional rugby league player for St Helens RLFC in the European Super League. He primarily plays in the second-row. He previously played for the Wests Tigers... |
PR | 8 Paul Rauhihi Paul Rauhihi Paul Rauhihi is a retired professional rugby league footballer who represented his country. Rauhihi played in both the National Rugby League and Super League at prop forward.-New Zealand Career:... |
| 9 Robbie Farah Robbie Farah Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back... |
HK | 9 Aaron Payne Aaron Payne Aaron Payne is an Australian rugby league player. He has played for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League competition throughout his professional career. His preferred position is hooker.... |
| 10 John Skandalis John Skandalis John Skandalis is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the NRL. He played previously for the Western Suburbs Magpies and Huddersfield Giants... |
PR | 10 Shane Tronc Shane Tronc Shane Tronc was an Australian professional rugby league player for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League he was previously playing with the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the European Super League and the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League competition... |
| 11 Ben Galea Ben Galea Ben Galea is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Hull Kingston Rovers in the European Super League. He previously played for the Balmain Tigers and Wests Tigers... |
SR | 11 Steve Southern Steve Southern Steve Southern is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for English club Wakefield Trinity Wildcats of Super League... |
| 12 Mark O'Neill | SR | 12 Luke O'Donnell Luke O'Donnell Luke O'Donnell is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the North Queensland Cowboys of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative back-rower, he previously played for the Balmain Tigers and Wests... |
| 13 Dene Halatau Dene Halatau Dene Halatau is a professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League . A New Zealand international representative forward, he previously played club football for the Wests Tigers, with whom he won the 2005 NRL Premiership.-Bipgraphy:Halatau is... |
LF | 13 Travis Norton Travis Norton Travis Norton is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s... (c) |
| 14 Liam Fulton Liam Fulton Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock.... |
Int. | 7 Brett Firman Brett Firman Brett Firman is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s. He now plays for the Helensburgh Tigers of the Illawarra Rugby League. He previously played in the National Rugby League, primarily in the halves, for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, North... |
| 15 Chris Heighington Chris Heighington Chris Heighington is an Australian born England international rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A Country NSW representative lock forward, he has also been selected to represent England at international level... |
Int. | 14 David Faiumu David Faiumu David Faiumu is a professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League... |
| 16 Bryce Gibbs | Int. | 15 Mitchell Sargent Mitchell Sargent Mitchell Sargent is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he played club football in the NRL for the Melbourne Storm, North Queensland Cowboys and Newcastle Knights and in Super League for English side, Castleford... |
| 17 Todd Payten Todd Payten Todd Payten is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Raiders, and played junior football with the Temora Dragons... |
Int. | 17 Rod Jensen Rod Jensen Rod Frederick Jensen is a professional rugby league footballer for the Northern Pride in the QLD CupHe has previously played for Huddersfield Giants in Super League in the United Kingdom.... |
| Tim Sheens Tim Sheens Tim Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League and in 2009 was appointed coach of the Australian national team, the Kangaroos... |
Coach | Graham Murray Graham Murray Graham Murray is an Australian rugby league player and coach. Murray is currently the High Performance Unit Director of Coaching at the Newcastle Knights.-Playing career:... |
The grand final was played at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Telstra Stadium before a crowd of 82,453. Television coverage of the match was provided by Nine's Wide World of Sports with commentary from Ray Warren
Ray Warren
Ray "Rabbits" Warren in Junee, New South Wales is an Australian sports commentator, most famous for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. On occasion he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also calls the action for Australian swimming team...
, Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
, Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin , is an Australian sports television personality and former rugby league footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league matches...
, Phil Gould
Phil Gould
Phil Gould is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and former player and coach. Since the 1990s he has had a prominent role in Channel 9's coverage of rugby league, as a commentator on their match-day coverage, and appears on The Sunday Footy Show and The Sunday Roast...
, Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former professional player...
, Andrew Voss
Andrew Voss
Andrew Voss is an Australian sports commentator for the Nine Network, who currently works on National Rugby League coverage.-Television Career:...
and Ben Ikin
Ben Ikin
Benjamin Ikin is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and former commentator for the Nine Network now employed by One HD...
.
The Veronicas
The Veronicas
The Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007....
and Pete Murray provided pre-match performances. A minute's silence was then held for the previous day's 2005 Bali bombings
2005 Bali bombings
The 2005 Bali bombings were a series of terrorist suicide bomb and a series of car bombs and attacks that occurred on October 1, 2005, in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran Beach Resort and in Kuta away, both in south Bali. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of 20 people...
before Natalie Bassingthwaite sung the Australian national anthem.
1st half
At 19:00 AEST, Tim ManderTim Mander
Tim Mander is a former leading Australian rugby league referee. Mander controlled the National Rugby League grand final in 2004 and 2005...
, officiating his 2nd grand final, blew time on and the Tigers kicked off. In the eighth minute the Cowboys had almost reached the Tigers' twenty-metre line on the third tackle of the set when Payne ran from dummy-half and passed inside for Rauhihi to hit the ball up and stand in the takle, offloading to Thurston who passed to Matt Bowen. Bowen then threw a deft pass back on the inside to Justin Smith who charged toward the line and threw the ball blindly back over his head before being tackled. The loose ball was picked up by Thurtson and handed to Bowen to dash the remaining few metres to the line and touch down behind the uprights. For the third week in a row, Bowen was the first try scorer of the game. Josh Hannay converted the try so the Cowboys were leading 0-6. Ten minutes later the Tigers were down at the opposition's end of the field
Rugby league playing field
The rugby league playing field, also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of rugby league football and is surfaced exclusively with grass....
where halfback Scott Prince on the last tackle put up a kick that came down over the try line and was taken by Paul Bowman who was about to be tackled in goal and threw a speculative pass which was not caught by his teammate and Tigers forward Bryce Gibbs was there to fall onto the loose ball near the goal posts. Brett Hodgson kicked the extra two points so the scores were even at 6-6. Cowboys winger Ty Williams crossed the Tigers' try-line in the twenty-third minute but the video referee ruled no try due to an obstruction in back play. A few minutes later, Tigers' left winger Pat Richards (whose fractured ankle required six pain-killing injections for him to defy medical opinion and play in the match) crossed in the corner but the video referee disallowed the try as the ball was not properly grounded. In the thirty-fifth minute the Tigers received a Johnathan Thurston kick on their own try line, the ball going to Benji Marshall who ran with it, splitting the defence and charging down the left side and over the half-way line. Drawing a defender, Marshall then threw a flick pass behind his back to his winger Pat Richards coming through in support. Richards palmed off a Cowboys defender as he ran the remaining twenty metres to dive over and score, finishing one of the most famous grand final plays in history. Hodgson kicked the extra two points so now the Tigers were leading 12-6. Shortly before half time the Cowboys were penalised on their twenty-metre line and Hodgson took the kick at goal but missed.
Rogue Traders
Rogue Traders
Rogue Traders are an Australian electronic pop rock band fronted by Melinda "Mindi" Jackson with James Ash on keyboards, Tim Henwood on guitars and Peter Marin on drums. The group's original members met in London in 1989. Before forming Rogue Traders, Ash and Davis worked together on many...
performed during the break.
2nd half
In the fifth minute the Tigers were mounting an attack ten metres from the Cowboys line when on the third tackle, hooker Robbie Farah put his prop forward Anthony Laffranchi through a gap to crash over the line and score near the uprights. Brett Hodgson kicked the extra two points so the Tigers were leading 18-6 . Ten minutes later the Cowboys were attacking the Tigers' try line when Thurston, ten metres out flicked the ball back to Travis Norton who charged over to score. Josh Hannay converted the try so the Cowboys were behind 18-12. In the sixty-third minute the Tigers had the ball down near the Cowboys' try-line and moved it out to Daniel Fitzhenry on the right wing to dive over in the corner. Hodgson kicked the goal from near the sideline to convert the try, taking the Tigers' lead out to 24-12. With six and a half minutes remaining, Tigers half-back Scott Prince attempted a field goalField goal
A field goal is a general term used in some sports wherein a goal may be scored either during general play or via some sort of free shot...
but missed. Shortly after that Cowboys winger Matt Sing almost scored a try but the video referee found that he'd knocked on. A few minutes later though, the Cowboys were down close to the Tigers' try line where their half-back Johnathan Thurston threw a cut out pass to Matt Sing to score on the right wing. Josh Hannay missed the conversion so the score was 24-16 in favour of the Tigers with under two minutes left to play. Seconds before the final siren the Tigers got one more try when Hodgson from ten metres out put a grubber kick
Grubber kick
The Grubber kick is a type of kick in various codes of football with an oval ball which results in the ball moving erratically along the ground....
into the Cowboys' in-goal area for Todd Payten to dive onto. Hodgson then converted the try so the final score was 30-16 and the Wests Tigers had their first premiership as a merged team.
30 |
Tigers |
|---|---|
| Tries | 1 Gibbs 1 Richards 1 Laffranchi 1 Fitzhenry 1 Payten |
| Goals | 5/6 Hodgson |
16 |
|
| Tries | 1 Bowen 1 Norton 1 Sing |
| Goals | 2/3 Hannay |
Tigers captain Scott Prince was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
as man-of-the-match before being presented with the premiership trophy by Australian Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
. It was the final match with the Tigers for their winger Pat Richards who joined English Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
for the 2006 season.
The match had the highest television ratings for a night time grand final in history. As winners of the grand final the Wests club received $400,000 in prize money.
Timeline
- 8th Minute: North Queensland 6-0 (M.Bowen try; Hannay goal)
- 18th Minute: Tied 6-6 (Gibbs try; Hodgson goal)
- 35th Minute: Wests Tigers 12-6 (Richards try; Hodgson goal)
- 45th Minute: Wests Tigers 18-6 (Laffranchi try; Hodgson goal)
- 55th Minute: Wests Tigers 18-12 (Norton try; Hannay goal)
- 63rd Minute: Wests Tigers 24-12 (Fitzhenry try; Hodgson goal)
- 76th Minute: Wests Tigers 24-16 (Sing try)
- 80th Minute: Wests Tigers 30-16 (Payton try; Hodgson goal)
2006 World Club Challenge
Having won the NRL grand final, Wests had earned the right to play against 2005 Super League Champions, the Bradford BullsBradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
in the following February's World Club Challenge
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
.
External links
- Grand Final - Tigers 30 d. Cowboys 16 at rleague.com
- NRL 2005 - Grand Final at rugbyleagueproject.org