PORCH lights across the Shire were ablaze on Sunday night after Cronulla ended rugby league’s longest run of outs with 14-12 win over Melbourne in a grand final thriller at ANZ Stadium.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The feeling leading into the match that it was simply Cronulla’s time proved on the money with the Sharks overcoming a late Melbourne fightback to cling to a two-point lead and tackle there way to victory in the final moments.
To a man, it simply seemed the only way the story could end. Whether it was Berkeley’s own Jack Bird playing the best part of an hour with a dislocated elbow, Michael Ennis – at his niggling scheming best throughout – retiring with the elusive premiership, the old back-rower Luke Lewis claiming the Clive Churchill Medal 13 years after tasting his premiership success as a spindly winger with the Panthers or Andrew Fifta emerging from a month mired in controversy to score the winning try.
If the 83,625 crowd figure was correct it looked, and sounded, like 82,000 were in black white and blue. They were in full voice for over an hour only to fall silent 15 minutes from time when the Storm remarkably got back in front after looking dead and buried.
The found their voice again when Andrew Fifita crossed for what would prove the match-winner with 10 minutes to play, but it didn’t reach a crescendo until several seconds after the siren as Melbourne scrambled desperately to snatch a late miracle.
Any other side would’ve been spent at halftime such was the Sharks dominance of the action to the tune of 61 per cent possession and the overwhelming majority of field position in the opening stanza. To concede just one try was incredible effort. To re-take the lead late the in the game even more so but this was always going to be the Sharks night.
Cronulla opened the scoring in the eighth minute via a James Maloney penalty goal after Marika Koroibete leveled Sharks half Chad Townsend with a high shot, sparking a melee in front of the posts.
The Sharks continued to test the Melbourne wall and Luke Lewis looked certain to have scored after a break from Maloney only to be pulled up a blade of grass short by a last ditch effort from Blake Green.
The relief was short-lived for the Storm with a trick-shot off a scrum from Paul Gallen put Ben Barba across for the opening try two plays later to push the lead out to 8-0 after 16 minutes.
It was their last joy of the half despite peppering the Storm line with Sosaia Feki going close only to be denied by the bunker four minutes before the break. The half ended with the Storm on their heels but only down by eight at the interval.
The onslaught continued after the resumption only for the Storm to hit back against the run of play through Jesse Bromwich, who barged across from close range with Smith’s conversion cutting the lead to 8-6 with 29 minutes to play.
It was suddenly the Sharks who were battling with Feki (knee), Matt Prior and Jason Bakuya (both concussion) all forced from the field in the space of five minutes.
The Storm absorbed another onslaught at the other end before Will Chambers stepped his way across for the go-ahead try with 15 minutes remaining, Smith’s conversion pushed the margin out to four points.
Just as their grip on the contest appeared to be slipping, back to back penalties marched the Sharks up the paddock with Fifita barging across under the posts, allowing Maloney to take a 14-12 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Chambers very nearly created something from nothing to manufacture a match-winner only for a try-saver from Barba at the back to keep his side in front. It wasn’t the final throw of the dice for the Storm who probed relentlessly for a late try only to denied by the some desperate Sharks scramble.