RUGBY LEAGUE - AUSTRALIAN LEAGUES
1980
Queensland Rugby League Grand Final - Norths Devils (17) v (15) Souths Magpies - In a very physical encounter, Norths coach Graham Lowe completed a dramatic win for the Devils, taking them from 5th place in 1979 to a Premiership in 1980. A close 1st half, marred by an all-in brawl, ended 7-7 with the Devils Ross Henrick scoring a great team try and the Magpies Mal Meninga bulling over for his try. The 2nd half saw Norths increase their lead with tries from Brian Dunn and Peter Dutton before Souths pulled with 2 points with tries from George Moroko and Billy Johnstone. But despite the late pressure, Norths held on to claim the improbable win (7, 1 Disc, CH9 - Smith/Veivers, PAL)
1981
Queensland Rugby League Grand Final - Souths Magpies (13) v (9) Redcliffe Dolphins - The Souths finally claimed their 1st title in 28 years with a dramatic last play win over the Dolphins. Despite dominating the game, the Magpies found themselves down 9-8 with 2 minutes remaining but they used their last set of 6 to great effect, scoring the winning try by Mick Reardon on the last tackle and on the last play of the game. Souths also featured Mal Meninga, Bruce Astill and Bill Argeros (42 tackles). Redcliffe featured Arthur Beetson (8, 58 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, ABC - Meares/Wright, PAL)
NSWRL Grand Final - Parramatta Eels (20) v (11) Newtown Jets - The Eels won their 1st ever title, at their 3rd attempt, with a come-from-behind win against the upstart Jets. Parramatta led 7-6 at the half but a try from Tom Raudonikis put the Jets ahead. The Eels then exploded with tries from Brett Kenny (2), Graeme Atkins and Steve Ella and held on for the win. The Eels also featured coach Jack Gibson and Eric Grothe Sr., Mick Cronin, Peter Sterling and Ray Price. The Jets also featured Phil Sigsworth and Phil Gould (9, 1 Disc, CH7 - Mossop/Ross, PAL)
1983
NSWRL Major Semi-Final - Parramatta Eels (30) v (22) Canterbury Bulldogs - The Eels advanced in the playoffs with a big win over the Bulldogs. The Eels raced out to an 18-0 lead with tries from Brett Kenny, Eric Grothe and Peter Sterling. Canterbury managed to claw back to within 2 points but a very late try from Will Harris sealed the win for the Eels. The game is remembered for the Grothe try where he beat 5 players to power in from 40 metres out. The Eels also featured Michael Cronin, Ray Price and Steve Ella. The Bulldogs featured Chris Mortimer, Chris Anderson and Steve Mortimer (8, 1 hour hi-lites, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Anderson/Hughes, PAL)
NSWRL Grand Final - Parramatta Eels (18) v (6) Manly Sea Eagles - In a re-match of the 1982 final, Parramatta beat Manly to claim their 3rd straight title. With tries from Brett Kenny (2) and Eric Grothe the Eels lead 18-0 early in the 2nd half and cruised home despite a late Manly try from Phil Sigsworth. Parramatta also featured Peter Sterling, Michael Cronin (3 goals), Ray Price and Steve Ella. Manly also featured Graham Eadie, Chris Close, Paul Vautin and Noel Cleal (8, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Anderson/Hughes, PAL)
1984
NSWRL Regular Season - Round 8 - St. George Dragons (24) v (20) Parramatta Eels - On Anzac day, the Dragons upset the Champions with a big win at the Jubilee Oval. The Dragons led 16-12 at the half with tries from Michael O'Connor and Steve Morris + 2 goals from Steve Gearin. The Eels tries came from Brett Kenny and Eric Grothe. Grothe's try was a great 60 metre combination try with Brett Kenny. Peter Sterling and Eric Grothe both left the game in the 1st half with injuries and the Dragons capitalised as a try from Craig Young off-set a 2nd try from Brett Kenny and St.George held on for the win. The Eels also featured Steve Ella and Ray Price (8, Player-to-Recorder copy, 40 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Anderson, PAL)
NSWRL Preliminary Final - Parramatta Eels (8) v (7) St. George Dragons - The Eels booked their place in their 4th straight Grand Final with a tight, late win against the Dragons. St.George executed a great gameplan to bottle up the Eels stars Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny and the Dragons led 7-4 with 2 minutes remaining thanks to an opportunistic Steve Morris try and a Steve Rogers goal. But the Eels had 1 last attack and after a desperation pass from Brett Kenny, Eric Grothe powered over to put the Eels in front and into the Final. The Eels also featured Michael Cronin, Steve Ella and Ray Price (8, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Glover, PAL)
1985
Minor Preliminary Semi Final - Parramatta Eels (38) v (6) Penrith Panthers - An experienced Parramatta team dominated the first-time-finalists Panthers and advanced to the next round. The Eels led 22-0 at the half with tries from Ray Price, Mick Cronin, Eric Grothe and David Liddiard and piled on the pressure in the 2nd half with further tries from Grothe, Brett Kenny and Michael Moseley before the Panthers scored their consolation try from Brad Izzard. The Eels also featured Peter Sterling and Steve Ella. The Panthers also featured Greg Alexander (8, Player-to-Recorder copy, 1 hour 4 minute hi-lites, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Anderson/Hughes, PAL)
1986
NSWRL Minor Semi-Final - Balmain Tigers (36) v (11) South Sydney Rabbitohs - The 5th place Tigers of Balmain booked their place in the Minor Premiership final with a physical win over the Rabbitohs. The teams were tied 8-8 at the half and the Rabbitohs took an early 11-8 lead in the 2nd half before the Tigers gained momentum and scored 28 unanswered points to win the game. The Tigers tries came from Scott Gayle, John Davidson and 3 from Great Britain captain Garry Schofield including an 80 metre intercept try to complete his hat-trick. Balmain also featured Gary Jack, Benny Elias, Steve Roach and Paul Sironen. South Sydney featured Phil Gould, off the bench in the 2nd half despite a leg injury (8, Game of the week - Missing opening 5 minutes but no scoring, 1 Disc, CH10 - Warren/Anderson/Hughes, PAL)
NSWRL Grand Final - Parramatta Eels (4) v (2) Canterbury Bulldogs - In the final game for Parramatta players Mick Cronin and captain Ray Price, the Eels played a great defensive game to beat the Bulldogs and deny them a 3rd straight title. All the points came from the kicking game with 2 penalties from Mick Cronin off-setting 1 penalty from Terry Lamb. The Eels also featured Steve Ella, Eric Grothe Sr., Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny. The Bulldogs also featured Adrew Farrar, Michael Hagan, Chris Mortimer and Steve Mortimer. Coverage also includes the U23 Final Penrith (0) v (13) South Sydney (9 mins hi-lites) that includes a young Mark Geyer and the Reserve Grade Final Paramatta (2) v (10) Eastern Suburbs (12 mins hi-lites). The National Anthem was sung by the young cast of Neighbours including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan (9, 2 Discs, CH10 - Warren/Anderson/Hughes, PAL)
1988
NSWRL Minor Semi-Final - Balmain Tigers (19) v (6) Manly Sea Eagles - Balmain advanced to the Major Semi-Final with a big win over Manly. The star for the Tigers was British import Ellery Hanley who scored 2 tries. The Tigers also featured Gary Jack and Ben Elias. Also includes the 1988 Dally M awards ceremony presentations to Gary Jack, Wayne Pearce and Ben Elias (6, 1 hour hi-lites - Bad Ghosting, 1 Disc, X Sports - Mossop/Maurice/Hughes, PAL)
1989
NSWRL Grand Final - Canberra Raiders (19) v (14) Balmain Tigers - In arguably the greatest Grand Final ever, Canberra tied the game with 90 seconds left to force extra-time and finised the comeback with the winning try from Steve Jackson. The title was the Raiders first and they became the first team to win from the 4th spot when the playoffs started. Canberra featured Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Glen Lazarus and Bradley Clyde. Balmain featured Ben Elias, Paul Sironen, Wayne Pearce, Steve Roach and Garry Jack (9, 2 Discs, CH10 - Mossop/Maurice/Hughes/Anderson, PAL)
1990
NSWRL Regular Season - Round 5 - Easts Roosters (4) @ (66) Canberra Raiders - On a record-setting day in Canberra, the Raiders got back to winning ways with a big win over Eastern Suburbs. The Raiders Mal Meninga set a team record for most points in match (38) as he scored 5 tries and kicked 9 goals. The Raiders led 26-0 at the half and coasted home. The other Raiders tries came from Gary Belcher, Laurie Daley, John Ferguson (3), Ricky Stuart and Mark Bell. The lone Easts try came from Tim Dwyer. Easts also featured Paul Vautin and Trevor Gilmeister (9, 1 Disc, CH10 - Chapman/Morrow/Lidbury/Keeley, PAL)
1992
NSWRL Grand Final - Brisbane Broncos (28) v (8) St.George Dragons - The Broncos, in only their 5th year, won their first Grand Final with a big win over the Dragons. The Broncos took a 6-4 lead in at the half and then dominated the 2nd half with Clive Churchill medal winner Allan Langer pulling the strings. Langer scored 2 tries, Alan Cann scored 2 tries and Steve Renouf scored a spectacular 90 metre try for the highlight of the match. The Dragons featured Michael Beattie and Mark Coyne (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
1994
NSWRL Regular Season - Round 1 - Newcastle Knights (43) @ (14) South Sydney Rabbitohs - The opening game of the season for both teams saw the debut of Andrew Johns for Newcastle. Johns joined his brother Matthew in the first team and led the Knights to a comfortable win, scoring 23 points on 2 tries, 7 goals and a field goal. The 23 points was a league record for a player on debut (8, Player-to-Recorder copy, Movement of the players seems a little jerky but still very watchable, 1 Disc, NBN - Rabbitt/McMahon/Jones, PAL)
NSWRL Grand Final - Canberra Raiders (36) v (12) Canterbury Bulldogs - Canberra dominated the Bulldogs to win their 3rd title in 5 years and sent Raiders legend Mal Meninga into retirement with a win. Canberra scored 7 tries with the last coming from Meninga himself, a 40 metre run off an intercepted pass. Canberra also featured Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart and Bradley Clyde. Canterbury featured Terry Lamb, Martin Bella and Darrl Halligan (9, Missing trophy presentation, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
1995
NSWRL Regular Season - Manly Sea Eagles (34) @ (18) Newcastle Knights - The largest ever home attendance for the Knights (32,642) saw a physical game as Manly ended Newcastle's unbeaten home streak in 1995. The Knights Paul Harragon and Manly's Mark Carroll started the game with a huge punch-up in the 1st minute and the action continued in the 2nd half when Harragon attempted a huge hit on Caroll, only to knock himself out. Manly took a 20-8 lead in at the half and withstood a small fight-back by the Knights to run away with the win. The Man-of-the-Match was Cliff Lyons who scored 2 tries including a 70 metre interception try. Manly also featured Jeff Toovey, Des Hasler and Steve Menzies. Newcastle featured Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns, Chris Joynt and Brett Kimmorley off the bench (8, Slight Jitter in the 1st half, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin/Roach, PAL)
1997
NSWRL Grand Final - Manly Sea Eagles (16) v (22) Newcastle Knights - The Knights staged a dramatic comeback to win their 1st ever Premiership, scoring the winning try with the last play of the game. Newcastle were down 16-8 at the half but blanked the Sea-Eagles in the 2nd half as Andrew Johns inspired the Knights with a penalty goal and 2 passes to put through Robbie O'Davis and Darren Albert for tries. The pass to Albert came with 20 seconds left in the game and sealed the win. The Knights also featured Matthew Johns and Paul Harragon. The Sea Eagles featured Geoff Toovey, Steve Menzies, Cliff Lyons and Mark Carroll (2 versions; 10, Hi-Lites, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL / 8, Full Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
Super League Grand Final - Brisbane Broncos (26) v (8) Cronullla Sharks - The first and only Superleague Grand Final went the way of the Broncos, in their home town of Brisbane. In a steady downpour, the Broncos withstood a strong 2nd half attack by the Sharks and, with the help of 3 tries from Steve Renouf, pulled away late to win their 3rd Premiership title. The Broncos were led by Allan Langer and also featured Darren Lockyer, Wendell Sailor, Kevin Walters, Shane Webcke and Gordon Tallis. The Sharks were led by Andrew Ettingshausen and also featured Mat Rogers and Tawera Nikau (9, Transfer from Official VHS, 1 Disc, FOX - Clark/Freeman/Lewis, PAL)
1998
NRL Round 1 - Melbourne Storm (14) @ (12) Illawarra Steelers - In their 1st ever game, the Melbourne Storm shocked the NRL with a come-from-behind win at a rainy WIN Stadium. The Steelers had the better of the 1st half and led 12-6 at the break and still led 12-8 late in the game. The Storm then launched one last attack and with 3 minutes left, Scott Hill wriggled free of a tackle and dived over from 5 yards out for the tieing try, his 2nd try of the game. Craig Smith then won the game with the conversion. The Storm also featured Tawera Nikau, Glenn Lazarus, Robbie Kearns, Robbie Ross and Brett Kimmorley. The Steelers featured Trent Barrett but were missing Rob Wishart to injury (8, 1 Disc, Sports Australia - Young/Roach/Fenech, PAL)
NRL Semi-Final - Canberra Raiders (10) @ (24) Melbourne Storm - The Storm won their 1st ever post-season game with a big win at the Olympic Park Stadium. The Storm came out of the gates on fire and ran out to a 20-0 lead at the half and never looked back. The Raiders did score a late 45 metre interception try from Ricky Stuart, who was playing in his final NRL game. The Storm tries came from Tony Martin (2), Marcus Bai, Scott Hill and Matt Geyer with Brett Kimmorley adding 2 conversions. The Raiders other try came from Brett Mullins (7, Missing upto 4:19 of 1st half including 1st Storm try, 1 Disc, FOX - Voss/Freeman/Vautin, PAL)
Preliminary Final - Parramatta Eels (20) v (32) Canterbury Bulldogs - The Bulldogs booked a place in the Grand Final with a sensational comeback win against the Eels. Parramatta led 18-2 with 11 minutes left in the game when the Bulldogs started their comeback, topped by the game-tieing try and conversion in the final minute. In the extra-time period the Bulldogs rode the momentum and sealed the win with 2 more tries. The Bulldogs tries came from Craig Polla-Mounter (2), Travis Norton, Rod Silva and Willie Talau with Daryl Halligan kicking 5 conversions and Polla-Mounter adding 2 drop-goals. The Parramatta tries came from Shane Whereat (2) and Clinton Schifcofske (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
1999
NRL Regular Season - Parramatta Eels (10) @ (20) Balmain Tigers - On an emotional night at Leichardt Stadium, Balmain played their last home game as the Balmain Tigers before merging with Western Suburbs to form the Wests Tigers. In a steady downpour of rain, the Tigers withstood strong pressure from top-of-the-table Parramatta to lead 8-4 at the half and scored 2 tries in the 2nd half to clinch the win before the field turned into a swamp. The stars for Balmain were Joel Caine, Craig Hancock and Craig Field. Parramatta featured Nathan Cayless, Nathan Hindmarsh, Jim Dymock and Clinton Schifcofske (8, 1 Disc, C7 - Smith/Lewis/Harragon, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Melbourne Storm (20) v (18) St.George Illawarra Dragons - The Storm won their 1st ever Grand Final in only their 2nd year of existence but had to rely on a penalty try with 3 minutes left to take the win. The Dragons dominated the 1st half and led 14-0 at the break with tries from Craig Fitzgibbon and Nathan Blacklock. In the 2nd half the Storm pulled to within 4 points with tries from Tony Martin and Ben Roarty and, with 3 minutes left, looked to be scoring a try when Craig Smith gathered a cross kick in the Dragons in-goal area. But Jamie Ainscough arrived before he had a chance to ground the ball and caught Smith acorss the face with a swinging arm, knocking the ball loose as Smith hit the deck. The video referee awarded a penalty try to level the scores and Matt Geyer kicked the conversion to take the win. Melbourne also featured Glen Lazarus (in his final game), Tawera Nikau, Brett Kimmorley, Marcus Bai and Stephen Kearney. The Dragons featured Trent Barrett and Rod Wishart (9, Missing action between 72:04 and 73:10 as channel was changed during recording - no scoring missed, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
2000
NRL Round 17 - Wests Tigers (22) @ (24) Canberra Raiders - In a first for the NRL, both teams started the game in a snow storm at Bruce Stadium, with the Raiders finally coming out on top with a late try. The Raiders had the better of the 1st half and went in 18-10 at the half. The Tigers then rallied with 12 unanswered points before the Raiders claimed the win with a try and conversion after a charge down with 6 minutes left in the game. The Canberra tries came from Brett Mullins, Greg Wolfgramm, Lesley Vainikolo and Mark McLinden. Canberra also featured David Furner and Laurie Daley. The Wests tries came from Laloa Milford, Kevin McGuiness, Graig Field and Tyran Smith. Wests also featured John Hopoate (10, Official DVD, 1 Disc, ? - Kennedy/Roach/Garlick, PAL)
2001
NRL Grand Final - Newcastle Knights (30) v (24) Parramatta Eels - The Knights upset the favoured Eels with a stunning1st half that saw them take a 24-0 lead into the break. The Eels fought back to within a try but couldn't avoid the loss. The man-of-the-match was the Knights Andrew Johns who kicked 5 goals. The Knights also featured Danny Buderus, Matt Gidley and Timana Tahu. The Eels featured Nathan Cayless, Nathan Hindmarsh, Brett Hodgson and Jamie Lyon (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin/Gould, PAL)
2003
NRL Grand Final - Penrith Panthers (18) v (6) Sydney Roosters - Penrith claimed their 2nd title in the all-Sydney final with a tight win at Telstra Stadium. Churchill Medal winner Luke Priddis was the difference, breaking open a 6-6 tie in the 2nd half by scoring a try and setting up a try, all in the final 14 minutes of the game. Penrith also featured Luke Rooney (2 tries), Craig Gower, Scott Sattler and Trent Waterhouse. Sydney featured Anthony Minichello, Brad Fittler, Michael Crocker and Adrian Morley (10, 2013 Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin, PAL)
2005
NRL Regular Season - Canterbury Bulldogs (36) @ (37) Wests Tigers - In a sensational finish at ANZ stadium, the Tigers upset the reigning champions with a drop-goal with the last kick of the game. The Tigers led 36-18 with 13 minutes remaining when the Bulldogs Braith Anasta (2 tries) engineered a comeback and tied the game with a try in the final minute. But that left enough time for the Bulldogs to fumble on their ensuing set of 6, which was recovered by the Tigers and set up Scott Prince (2 tries) for the game-winning kick with 17 seconds left. The Tigers also featured Benji Marshall, Brett Hodgson (16 points) and Pat Richards. The Bulldogs also featured Hazem El-Masri (12 points), Willie Tonga and Sonny Bill Williams (8, FOX Re-broadcast, 1 Disc, CH9 - Voss/Sterling/Gould)
NRL Regular Season - North Queensland Cowboys (18) @ (22) Newcastle Knights - Newcastle, led by Andrew Johns, comeback from an 18-4 deficit for only their 2nd win of the season (8, rebroadcast missing some action but no scoring, 2 Discs, CH9 - Voss/Sterling, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Wests Tigers (30) v (16) North Queensland Cowboys - The Tigers, in their 1st ever Grand Final, took home the silverware with a big win over the Cowboys, who were also playing in their 1st Final. The Tigers held a 12-6 lead at the half and kept the Cowboys at arms length throughout the 2nd half, only making sure of the win with a try on the final play of the game. The Wests tries came from Bryce Gibbs, Pat Richards (who was playing on a fractured ankle), Anthony Laffranchi, Daniel Fitzhenry and Todd Payten. The Cowboys tries came from Matt Bowen, Travis Norton and Matt Sing. The game is remembered for Pat Richards try which came from a great break and behind-the-back pass from Benji Marshall. Tigers captain Scott Prince won the Clive Churchill medal (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Vautin/Gould, PAL)
2006
NRL Grand Final - Brisbane Broncos (15) v (8) Melbourne Storm - In an upset at Stadium Australia, the Broncos knocked off the Minor Premiers to win their 6th Grand Final. Both teams were well matched and the game ebbed and flowed with the Broncos taking an 8-4 lead in at the break. The Storm drew level in the 2nd half but a great team try finished by Tonie Carroll and a late kick from Darren Lockyer sealed the win for the Broncos. The Storm tries came from Steve Turner and Matt King. The win made Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett the most successful Australian rugby league club coach of all time. The game was also the final NRL game for Shane Webcke (9, Slight Pixellation, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2007
NRL Regular Season - North Queensland Cowboys (28) @ (24) Canberra Raiders - The Cowboys, led by Jonathan Thurston, staged a 2nd half comeback to beat a stubborn Raiders team, led by Terry Campese. The Cowboys won on a controversial 100 meter try with 10 minutes left and then held on in the final minute to win the game (9, 2 Discs, CH9 - Braybrrok/Daley, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Gold Coast Titans (18) @ (19) Brisbane Broncos - A hard-fought game, dominated early by Scott Prince and the Titans, was sent into Golden-Point extra-time by a late try from Dave Taylor. Broncos captain Darren Lockyer ended the game on the 1st series with a 37 metre drop-goal that bounced off of both posts before dropping over the cross-bar (9, 56 minute hi-lites, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Melboune Storm (34) v (8) Manly Sea-Eagles - Melbourne banished the despair of their 2006 Finals loss with a dominating 7 try demoltion of the Sea-Eagles. Churchill medal winner Greg Inglis and Anthony Quinn eached scored 2 tries with further tries from Michael Crocker, Clint Newton and Matt King, in his final game for the club (9, 3 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2008
NRL Regular Season - St.George Illawarra Dragons (12) @ (13) Cronulla Sharks - The local derby seemed to be heading the Dragons way as they led 12-6 with 5 minutes remaining but Sharks Half-Back Brett Kimmorley scored a try and a 79th minute drop goal to steal the win. A defensive 1st half ended 6-0 to the Dragons with a Brett Morris try the only score. A 2nd half try from Josh Morris extended their lead before a Luke Covell try set up the late heroics from Kimmorley (10, 2 Discs, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Belcher, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Melbourne Storm (16) @ (10) Manly Sea Eagles - In a re-match of the previous seasons Grand Final, #2 ranked Melbourne ended their 9 year losing streak at Manly, as they upset the #1 ranked Sea Eagles. In a very physical game, the Sea Eagles were the better team but 2 sensational tries by Matt Geyer and Israel Folau and desperate defence won the game.Manly had 4 consecutive sets at the Storm goal-line in the last 5 minutes but Melbourne held firm for the upset win (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Johns, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Newcastle Knights (2) @ (24) Brisbane Broncos - In the final week of the season, the Broncos needed a win to finish in the top 4, ready for the playoffs. The Broncos dominated the game, despite greasy conditions, and scored tries from Darius Boyd (2), Ben Hannant, Joel Moon and man-of-the-match Karmichael Hunt. It was also the last home game for Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett after 21 years at the club, and also for Tonie Carroll. The Broncos wore their 1988 jerseys to commemerate the occasion (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Voss/Gould/Ikin/Lewis, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - South Sydney Rabbitohs (4) @ (42) Melbourne Storm - In the final game of the regular season, the Storm needed to win by 26 points to claim the minor premiership and the #1 seed for the finals. Despite having Billy Slater sin-binned for 10 minutes in the 1st half, the Storm scored 8 tries to 1 to win the game. The high-light was a length of the field try by Slater. The game was also used as a farewell for retiring Storm player Matt Geyer (10, 2 Discs, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Raymond, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Brisbane Broncos (24) @ (16) Sydney Roosters - A hard hitting game was won by the Broncos as they cameback from a 16-8 deficit at the half to beat the Roosters. Sydney started well, but the experience of the Broncos shone through as Darren Lockyer and Tonie Carroll guided the team to the win (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Canberra Raiders (10) @ (36) Cronulla Sharks - The Sharks dominated the Raiders with a strong 1st half with Misi Taulapapa scoring 3 tries. The 2nd half saw a brief fightback by the Raiders but 4 tries from the Sharks sealed the win (10, No post-game, 2 Discs, CH9 - Voss/Sterling/Daley, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - St.George Illawarra Dragons (6) @ (38) Manly Sea Eagles - The Sea Eagles made sure that Steve Menzies last game at Brookvale was a winning one as they beat the Dragons with 7 tries from 7 different players. The game was also the last NRL game for Dragons coach Nathan Brown and skipper Mark Gasnier, who also scored the lone Dragons try. The other Manly scorers were Robertson, Watmough, Brett Stewart, L'Estrange, Williams and Perry (10, No half-time or post-game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Johns, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - New Zealand Warriors (18) @ (15) Melbourne Storm - In one of the biggest upsets ever in NRL playoff history, the 8th seeded Warriors used a stunning try in the final minute to beat the #1 seed Storm. The Warriors kept the game close and were rewarded in the 79th minute as they went the length of the field in 2 plays with Michael Witt touching down in the corner. The loss didn't eliminate the Storm but it eliminated the Canberra Raiders (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Semi-Final - Sydney Roosters (13) @ (30) New Zealand Warriors - The Warriors extended their fairytale run in the post-season as they scored 24 unanswered points in the 2nd Half to claim a place in the Preliminary Final. The game also marked the final home game for retiring Ruben Wiki (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Voss/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Semi-Final - Melbourne Storm (16) @ (14) Brisbane Broncos - In the best game of the season, the Storm cameback from a 12-0 deficit at the half to win the game in the final minute on a Greg Inglis try. The loss ended the career of coach Wayne Bennett at the Broncos (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Johns/Ikin, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - Melbourne Storm (28) v (0) Cronulla Sharks - The Storm dominated the Sharks as they advanced to their 3rd straight Grand Final. The Storm scored 5 tries through Steve Turner (2), Israel Folau, Adam Blair and Matt Geyer but the real star was new Captain Cooper Cronk, filling in for the suspended Cameron Smith (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - Manly Sea Eagles (32) v (6) New Zealand Warriors - The cinderella Warriors season ended with a big loss to a strong Sea Eagles team. Manly scored 7 tries with Brett Stewart pulling the strings, scoring 2 tries himself. The match was the final game for Ruben Wiki (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Manly Sea Eagles (40) v (0) Melbourne Storm - In a re-match of the previous years final, Manly exacted revenge and recorded the highest ever margin of victory in a Grand Final. A tight 8-0 lead at the half, with tries from Ballin and Robertson, exploded with 6 tries in the 2nd half from Robertson (2), Kite, Williams, Bell and Steve Menzies in his final game for the club (10, Coverage includes Finals review and the Footy Show Grand Final special, 3 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2009
NRL Regular Season - North Queensland Cowboys (18) @ (19) Brisbane Broncos - In the season opener for both teams, the new-look Broncos beat the local rivals with a late FG in a great game. The Broncos were without long-time coach Wayne Bennett and debuted Israel Folau, who opened the scoring with a 1st half try. The teams traded tries with Willie Tonga, Carl Webb and Matt Bowen scoring for the Cowboys and Corey Parker, Antonio Winterstein and Jharal Yow Yeh scoring for the Broncos. But the game was settled in the 77th minute by a FG by Peter Wallace (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Voss/Johns/Ikin, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Manly Sea Eagles (12) @ (34) Canterbury Bulldogs - The 2008 season's worst team shocked the World Champions with an explosive performance in a monsoon in Sydney. With Lightning flashing around the ANZ stadium, Hazem El Masri became the NRL's all-time points scorer with 2,184 points, surpassing Andrew Johns. The Bulldogs as a team fought through the driving rain to post a 20-0 lead at the half and played great attacking rugby in the 2nd half to close out the game. Manly featured Glen Stewart, Matt Orford and Jamie Lyon but were missing David Williams (injury) and Brett Stewart (suspension). The Bulldogs featured Jamal Idris (2 tries), Josh Morris (1 try) and Brett Kimmorley (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley/Belcher, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Melbourne Storm (14) @ (16) Brisbane Broncos - The Broncos finally beat the Storm at home for the first time since 2005 and exacted a measure of revenge over their elimiation in the 2008 playoffs. The Storm struck first with a try from Billy Slater but tries from former Storm player Israel Folau, Steve Michaels and Peter Wallace gave the Broncos a 16-8 lead in the 2nd half. The Storm reduced the deficit with a Kevin Proctor try to make for a nervous finish but the Broncos held firm and secured the win (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Voss/Johns/Ikin, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Canterbury Bulldogs (28) @ (26) Penrith Panthers - The Bulldogs snatched victory from the Panthers in the last minute to stay unbeaten. Ben Roberts, on the field for only a few seconds, scored to tie the game then Hazem El-Masri kicked the tough conversion for the win. Controversially, the Bulldogs had 14 players on the field at the time and 3 days later were deducted the 2 points gained for the win. The Bulldogs also featured Brett Kimmorley, Greg Eastwood and Jamal Idris. Penrith featured Petero Civoniceva, Paul Aiton and Trent Waterhouse (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Braybrook/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Canberra Raiders (16) @ (18) Parramatta Eels - A dull, error-strewn game from the Eels suddenly sprang to life in the last 18 minutes and the Eels snatched victory from the winless Raiders. With 20 minutes to go the Raiders led 16-4 and were making all the plays. But a Jarryd Hayne 90 metre inteception try turned the tide and the Eels followed up with tries from Krisnan Inu and Eric Grothe (his 2nd of the day) to win the game. The Eels were led on defense by Nathan Hindmarsh who racked up his 3rd game of 50+ tackles. The Raiders were led by captain Terry Campese, who had a great game, and the tries came from Joel Monaghan, Jason Croker and Joe Picker (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Raymond/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Gold Coast Titans (18) @ (6) Melbourne Storm - In a big upset, the Titans humbled the Storm with a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. The Titans, missing star player Scott Prince, held a 10-0 lead at the half and weathered a spirited fightback by the Storm in the 2nd half to hand Melbourne their 1st night home loss since 2005. Tries from Luke Bailey and Chris Walker + 3 goals from Mat Rogers did the damage. The Storm featured Billy Slater and Greg Inglis (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Raymond/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Canterbury Bulldogs (18) @ (20) St George Illawarra Dragons - The Heritage round threw up a #1 v #2 clash and it was the Dragons that clinched the win in controversial fashion. The Dragons led 20-18 entering the final 50 seconds when Luke Patten received a clearing kick at half-way and broke through the covering defense, off-loaded to Jamal Idris and he raced away to score the match-winner. But the referee saw an obstruction during Patten's break and dis-allowed the try. The Bulldog fans in the crowd disagreed and threw bottles onto the field in anger. The head of Referee's agreed after the game that the decision was wrong and the try should have stood. The Dragons tries came from Michael Weyman, Ben Creagh and Justin Poore. The Bulldogs tries came from Brett Kimmorley, Ben Hannant and Jamal Idris (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Brisbane Broncos (4) @ (48) Melbourne Storm - The Storm inflicted their biggest defeat on the Broncos in 4 years with a dominating win in Melbourne. The Storm led 20-0 at the half with tries from Greg Inglis, Joseph Tomane, Cooper Cronk and Will Chambers. The Storm coasted home in the 2nd half with tries from Billy Slater, Tomane (2), Cronk and Aiden Tolman. The lone Broncos score came from ex-Storm player Israel Folau. The Broncos were missing star players Darren Lockyer and Justin Hodges. The star player for the Storm was emerging talent Joseph Tomane with 24 points. 4 days after the game, Tomane was sold to the Gold Coast Titans (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Voss/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Manly Sea Eagles (12) @ (40) Melbourne Storm - The Storm exacted a measure of revenge on Manly for their Grand Final humiliation in 2008 by eliminating the Sea Eagles from the 2009 finals. The Storm scored 7 tries with Billy Slater hauling in 4 of them. The Storm were up 16-0 at the half and cruised home, with the Manly tries coming in the final 10 minutes. The Storm try scorers were Billy Slater (4), Dane Nielsen, Cameron Smith and Aiden Tolman. The Manly tries came from Steve Matai and Keiran Foran (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Brisbane Broncos (40) @ (32) Gold Coast Titans - In a shootout in Robina, the Broncos withstood a furious fightback from the Titans, playing in their 1st ever finals match, to secure the win. The Broncos led 28-10 at the half thanks to a 5 tries to 2 advantage. But the Titans fought back to within 2 points with Scott Prince the driving force before an interception try by Dave Taylor with 4 minutes remaining gave the Broncos the win. The Broncos tries came from Israel Folau (3), Andrew McCullough, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer and Dave Taylor. The Titans tries came from Kevin Gordon (2), David Mead (2), Preston Campbell and Brad Meyers (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Braybrook/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Newcastle Knights (12) @ (26) Canterbury Bulldogs - The Bulldogs eliminated the Knights with a strong display at the ANZ Stadium. The 'Dogs led 18-6 at the half thanks to tries from Josh Morris and 2 from Luke Patten. The Bulldogs then closed out the game with a further try from Ben Hannant. Hazem El Masri kicked 4/4 conversions and 1/2 penalties (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley, PAL)
NRL Quarter Final - Parramatta Eels (25) @ (12) St George Illawarra Dragons - #8 seed Parramatta stunned the Minor Premiers with a great display on attack and defense. The Eels took a 12-8 lead in at the half then held off a spirited fightback to take the win. Tries from Luke Burt, Daniel Mortimer, Eric Grothe and Jarryd Hayne did the damage while the Dragons tries came from Dan Hunt and Josh Morris (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Semi-Final - Gold Coast Titans (2) v (27) Parramatta Eels - The Eels ended the Titans first ever trip to the Post-Season with a dominating win in Sydney. The Eels held a 13-2 lead at the half and coasted home with tries from Fuifui Mateo, Ben Smith, Kevin Kingston and Jonathan Wright. The Titans only points came from the boot of Scott Prince (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Semi-Final - St.George Illawarra Dragons (10) @ (24) Brisbane Broncos - Dragons coach Wayne Bennetts' post-season return to the club he coached for 20 years was a painful one as the Broncos overwhelmed the Minor Premiers and knocked them out of the Post-Season. The Broncos scored 4 tries to 2 for the Dragons with Karmichael Hunt (2), Jharal Yow Yeh and Lagi Setu all crossing the line. The Dragons tries came from Brett Morris (2) but brilliant defense from the Broncos kept them from scoring more in a frantic 2nd half. The win set the Broncos up with a Preliminary Final against old enemy, Melbourne (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - Parramatta Eels (22) @ (12) Canterbury Bulldogs - The Eels continued their run through the post-season with a big win against the Bulldogs. The victory put the Eels into their first final since 2001. Despite a quick start from the Bulldogs, the Eels dominated the rest of the match and scored tries through Joe Galuvao, Luke Burt, Tim Mannah and Daniel Mortimer. The Bulldogs points came from tries by Bryson Goodwin and Josh Morris and the boot of Hazem El Masri who was playing the final game of his career (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - Melbourne Storm (40) @ (10) Brisbane Broncos - The Storm defeated their old nemesis the Broncos in stunning fashion, running in 7 tries to 2, and booked their place in their 4th consecutive Grand Final. The Storm went in 22-0 at the half and coasted home. The tries came from Greg Inglis (3), Billy Slater (2), Will Chambers and Dallas Johnson. The Broncos were led by Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt (playing his last NRL game) but were missing Peter Wallace through injury (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Melbourne Storm (23) v (16) Parramatta Eels - The Storm claimed their 2nd title in 3 years with a hard-fought win against the Eels. The Storm dominated the 1st half and went in at the break 10-0 up thanks to tries from Ryan Hoffman and Adam Blair but the Eels came out strong in the 2nd half with a try from Eric Grothe Jr.. The Storm answered immediately with Greg Inglis and Billy Slater scoring but the Eels fought back to within 6 points with tries from Joel Reddy and Fuifui Moimoi. As the game entered the final minutes, Greg Inglis kicked the all-important drop-goal to put the Storm up by 2 scores and then saw out the clock to take the win. The Storm's Billy Slater was named the game MVP. The Eels were led by Nathan Hindmarsh who had an amazing 62 tackles and 11 hit-ups. Dally M winner Jarryd Hayne had a quiet game for the Eels (10, Disc 1 is the Footy Show Grand Final Preview with Discs 2 and 3 the game, 3 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
Toyota Cup Final - Melbourne Storm (24) v (22) Wests Tigers - In only their 2nd year in the competition, the Storm claimed their 1st title. Led by Englishman Gareth Widdop (2 tries, 2 goals) the Storm led 18-10 at the half before the Tigers fought back to lead 22-18 entering the final 5 minutes. Widdop then popped up with the game-tieing try and won the game with the conversion and claimed the man-of-the-match award as well. The Tigers featured Jake Mullaney (2 tries, 3 goals) (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Russell/Belcher, PAL)
2010
NRL Regular Season - Manly Sea Eagles (20) @ (24) Parramatta Eels - In sensational fashion, the Eels overcame a 20 point deficit to beat the visting Sea Eagles. Manly led 20-0 after only 2 minutes of the 2nd half with tries from Trent Hodkinson, Jamie Lyon, Tony Williams and Matt Cross but that signalled the start of the comeback for the Eels. Led by star man Jarryd Hayne, the Eels scored 24 unanswered points with tries from Timana Tahu, Joel Reddy, Fui Fui Moimoi and Eric Grothe Jr, with Grothe's winning try coming 4 minutes from the end. Tahu's try ended a stunning move that was started by Hayne in his own in-goal area (10, Loud audio, 1 Disc, FOX - Braybrook/Belcher, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Parramatta Eels (34) @ (28) Penrith Panthers - The Western Sydney derby turned into a thriller, as the Eels cameback from a huge deficit to win the game. The Panthers raced out to a 22-0 lead with tries from Brad Tighe, Michael Gordon, Lachlan Coote and Michael Turner before the Eels Jarryd Hayne rallied his team. Parramatta's star man had a hand in all 5 tries, including a sensational 80 metre solo try, as the Eels completed their greatest ever comeback. The other Parramatta tries came from Jonathan Wright (2), Justin Horo, Krisnan Inu and Fui Fui Moimoi. Wade Graham did score a late try for the Panthers but it wasn't enough to steal the win (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley/Raper, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - Manly Sea Eagles (18) @ (16) Melbourne Storm - Manly handed the Storm their 2nd straight loss in a hard-hitting game at the Docklands. Manly led 16-0 early on and 18-6 at the half before holding off a 2nd half comeback by the Storm. The Manly tries came from Glen Stewart and Michael Robertson (2). The Storm tries came from Bryan Norrie and Cooper Cronk (2). The game proved to be the final game before the Salary Cap scandal effectively ended the Storms' season (10, Very Loud Audio, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Regular Season - New Zealand Warriors (6) @ (40) Melbourne Storm - The Storm responded to their salary cap scandal in positive fashion with a thumping of the Warriors. Despite the NRL ruling that they have to give up all the points that they had won and suffer a post-season ban, the Storm ran in 7 tries to give their fans something to cheer. The tries came from Matt Duffie (2), on debut, Adam Blair, Willie Isa, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Ryan Tandy. Gareth Widdop also made his debut for the Storm. The game was also the last game at Etihad Stadium for the Storm before they moved into their new stadium (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Raymond/Alexander, PAL)
NRL Round 15 - North Queensland Cowboys (12) @ (58) Melbourne Storm - Melbourne celebrated Brett Finch's 250th NRL game with a try-fest at AAMI Park. The Storm scored 10 tries with Justin O'Neill (3), Matthew Duffie (2), Billy Slater (2), Jeff Lima, Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis all touching down. Greg Inglis also converted 3 of the tries while Cameron Smith was on the bench. The Cowboys tries game from James Tamou and Shane Gallant (10, Slight pixellation, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley, PAL)
NRL Qualifying final - Manly Sea Eagles (0) @ (28) St George Illawarra Dragons - Minor Premiers St.George showed their post-season intent with a shut-out of an under-manned Manly team. Tries from Ben Hornby, Matt Cooper (2) and Mark Gasnier (from 80 metres out) + 4 penalties from Jamie Soward did the damage (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - St George Illawarra Dragons (13) v (12) Wests Tigers - The Dragons booked a place in their 1st Grand Final since 1999 with a comeback win over the Tigers. Wests led 12-6 at the half thanks to the leadership of Benji Marshall and tries from Lote Tuqiri and Robert Lui but the Dragons fought back with tries from Jason Nightingale and Jeremy Smith to pull level. With time ticking down, Jamie Soward kicked the game-winning field goal with 6 minutes remaining to give the Dragons the edge and they closed out the win with a last-gasp defensive stand to deny the Tigers (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - St George Illawarra Dragons (32) v (8) Sydney Roosters - The Dragons finally ended their Grand Final drought with a big win over the Roosters. The Dragons trailed 8-6 at the half but scored 30 unanswered points in the 2nd half to take the title, their 1st since 1979 and their 1st as the joint team of St. George and Illawarra. The Dragons tries came from Jason Nightingale (2), Mark Gasnier, Dean Young and Nathan Fein. The man-of-the-match award went to Dragons Fullback Darius Boyd (10, Disc 1 is "The Footy Show" pre-game - Disc 2 is the game ; SKY broadcast with CH9 game action, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2011
NRL Round 2 - Gold Coast Titans (12) @ (40) Melbourne Storm - On an historic day for the club, the Storm overwhelmed the visiting Titans to stay unbeaten in 2011. Melbourne raced out to a 28-0 lead at the half and cruised home. The tries came from Billy Slater (2), Cooper Cronk, Sika Manu, Justin O'Neill, Anthony Quinn and Cameron Smith. The 2 tries from Slater made him the clubs all-time leading try scorer with 114 tries (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley, PAL)
NRL Round 4 - Canterbury Bulldogs (16) @ (30) Melbourne Storm - Melbourne upset #1 and unbeaten Canterbury at AAMI Park, with Billy Slater leading the way. Slater was at his best in setting up tries as the Storm took an 18-4 lead at the half and never looked back. The tries came from Matthew Duffie (2), Jesse Bromwich, Dane Neilsen and Kevin Proctor. The Bulldogs tries came from Kris Keating, Andrew Ryan and Steve Turner (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Daley, PAL)
NRL Round 21 - Parramatta Eels (18) @ (22) Melbourne Storm - The Storm upset the home crowd with a remarkable comeback to beat the Eels. Parramatta led 18-0 with 26 minutes left in the game thanks to tries from Reni Maitua and Taniela Lasalo and a sub-par outing from the Storm players. But the Storm suddenly found their rhythm and tries from Sisa Waqa, Billy Slater, Justin O'Neill and Dane Neilsen stole the win from the Eels. The Storm also featured Cameron Smith. The Eels also featured Jarryd Hayne (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Daley, PAL)
NRL Round 25 - Melbourne Storm (4) @ (18) Manly Sea Eagles - #2 Manly upset the #1 Storm in a hot-tempered clash at Brookvale. Tries from Tony Williams and Keiran Foran gave Manly a 14-0 lead at the half and Williams extended their lead after the break with another try. Billy Slater scored in the final seconds to avoid the shut-out. The loss ended the Storm's 12 game winning streak. The major talking point was the 1st half punch-up that saw Adam Blair and Glenn Stewart sin-binned, but as they walked off the field together they started punching again and the referee sent them off (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Round 26 - Manly Sea Eagles (10) @ (18) Brisbane Broncos - The Broncos sent star player Darren Lockyer off with a win in his final regular season game at Suncorp stadium. The Broncos raced out to a 14-0 lead at the half thanks to tries from Jharal Yow Yeh, Matt Gillett and Andrew McCullough and despite 2 quick tries from Tony Williams and Daly Cherry-Evans that pulled Manly back into the game, the Broncos confirmed their lead with a try from Gerard Beale that sealed the win. After the siren, Lockyer was honoured on the field in a special presentation (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Qualifying final - St.George Illawarra Dragons (12) @ (13) Brisbane Broncos - The Broncos booked their place in the Preliminary Final with a sensational finish in Golen Point extra-time. The Broncos led 6-0 at the half and 12-6 with 2 minutes left when the Dragons Darius Boyd scored and Jamie Soward added the tough conversion to tie the game and force Overtime. But the Broncos wouldn't be denied and captain Darren Lockyer kicked the golden point FG to win the game. The kick proved to be Lockyer's last ever involvement in an NRL game as he suffered a season-ending facial injury during the game. The Broncos tries came from Dale Copley and Ben Te'o. The Dragons 1st try came from Adam Cuthbertson. The game was also the final NRL game for the Dragons Mark Gasnier (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Manly Sea-Eagles (24) v (10) New Zealand Warriors - On a rainy day in Sydney, Manly clinched their 8th title with a tight win over the Warriors. Manly led 12-2 at the half with tries from Brett Stewart and Daly Cherry-Evans and extended their lead in the 2nd half with a try from Glenn Stewart after a great inside flick-pass from Will Hopoate. The Warriors wouldn't quit and 2 quick tries from Manu Vatuvei and Elijah Taylor set the game up for a tense finish but Manly sealed the win with a try on the siren from Jamie Lyons. Glenn Stewart won the Churchill Medal for man-of-the-match with 1 try and 37 tackles. The game was the last at the Warriors for Lance Hohaia before his move to St.Helens (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2012
NRL Round 3 - Gold Coast Titans (6) @ (30) Melbourne Storm - Melbourne maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a big win at Skilled Stadium. The Titans had the better of the 1st half but trailed 4-0 at the break. The Storm then dominated the 2nd half, running in 5 tries to take the win. The Tries came from Matt Duffie (2), Billy Slater (2), Sika Manu and Anthony Quinn. With his tries, Billy Slater became the NRL's all-time try scorer for Full-Backs (130 tries) and his 2nd try was outstanding as he flew through the air to catch a kick and managed to place it down 1 handed before flying out of bounds (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Daley/Ikin, PAL)
NRL Qualifying Final - South Sydney Rabbitohs (6) @ (24) Melbourne Storm - Melbourne advanced to the Preliminary Final with a dominating display against the Rabbitohs. South Sydney were making their 1st finals appearance since 2007 and started strong, but it was Melbourne that led 18-0 at the half thanks to tries from Mahe Fonua, Ryan Hoffman and Billy Slater. The Storm then used great Defense to keep the Bunnies at bay and finished the game as a contest with a further try from Sisi Waqa. The Rabbitohs featured Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess and Michael Crocker. The Storm also featured Cameron Smith (4 goals) and Gareth Widdop (10, Missing last 16 secs but no scoring, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Preliminary Final - Manly Sea-Eagles (12) @ (40) Melbourne Storm - The Storm reached their 1st Grand Final since 2009 with a comprehensive win over big rivals Manly. Melbourne dominated the game but only led 12-6 at the half. After the break, Melbourne poured on the pressure and out-scored Manly 4 tries to 1 to take the win. The Storm tries came from Cooper Cronk (2), Billy Slater (2), Jesse Bromwich, Will Chambers and Kevin Proctor. Manly were led by Brett Stewart, Jamie Lyon and Anthony Watmough (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Canterbury Bulldogs (4) v (14) Melbourne Storm - The Storm won their 1st title since 2009 with a strong defensive display at the ANZ Stadium. All the scoring took place in the 1st half, with the Storm scoring tries through Ryan Hoffman, Billy Slater and Justin O'Neill and the lone Canterbury try coming from Sam Perrett. The 2nd half saw the Storm play great Defense to keep out the Bulldogs and they held on to claim the Shield. The title was the Storm's 1st since being stripped of their 2007 and 2009 titles for breach of the salary cap rules. The game also had controversy, as after Perrett scord his try, there was a small brawl where Bulldogs prop James Graham bit Billy Slater's ear and drew blood. After the match, Graham was banned for 12 games. Disc 1 is "The Footy Show" Grand Final preview show, Discs 2 and 3 are the game (10, 3 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2013
NRL Round 3 - Canterbury Bulldogs (18) @ (22) Melbourne Storm - In a re-match of the 2012 Grand Final, it was the Storm that again came out on top to continue their unbeaten start to the season. Melbourne controlled the game early and led 22-6 after an hour before Canterbury staged a comeback with 2 tries that made for a nervous finish. The Melbourne tries came from Ryan Hinchcliffe, Mahe Fonua, Matthew Duffie and Lagi Setu. The Canterbury tries came from Sam Perrett, Krisnan Inu and Kris Keating. The game also marked Ryan Hoffman's 200th NRL game (10, 2013 Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
NRL Round 3 - South Sydney Rabbitohs (44) @ (32) Penrith Panthers - In a shootout at the Centrebet Stadium, South Sydney kept their unbeaten start to the season going with a tight win in Penrith. The Rabbitohs had the better of the 1st half and led 34-16 at the break. But the Panthers fought back to 34-32 with 10 minutes left before the Rabbitohs iced the game with 2 late tries. Both teams combined for 14 tries. The South Sydney tries came from John Sutton, Nathan Merritt (3), Andrew Everingham, Bryson Goodwin, Greg Inglis and Ben Te'o. The Penroth tries came from Sam McKendry, Brad Tighe, David Simmons (2), James Segeyaro and Wes Naiqama (10, 2013 Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Hadley/Sterling/Johns, PAL)
NRL Round 4 - Melbourne Storm (32) @ (26) Brisbane Broncos - The Storm kept the unbeaten start to the season going with a big win at Suncorp Stadium. Melbourne dominated the 1st half and went in 20-6 in front at the half. But Brisbane fought back in the 2nd half with 3 tries to take the lead before 2 late tries from the Storm saw them over the line. The Storm tries came from Billy Slater (3), Matt Duffie (2) and Tafeaga Junior Sau. The Broncos tries came from Josh Hoffman (3), Jack Reed and Alex Glenn (10, 2013 Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game, Half-Time or Post-Game, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
NRL Round 6 - Melbourne Storm (17) @ (10) South Sydney Rabbitohs - The battle between the top 2 teams in the league and the last unbeaten teams lived up to the billing and it was the Storm that emerged with the win. The Storm started the better, taking a 12-0 lead in at the half, and despite better play from the Rabbitohs in the 2nd half, Melbourne held on for the win. The Storm tries came from Kevin Proctor, Mahe Fonua and Gareth Widdop. The Rabbitohs tries came from Andrew Everingham and Greg Inglis (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game or Post-Game, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Gasnier, PAL)
NRL Round 7 - New Zealand Warriors (18) @ (28) Melbourne Storm - The Storm extended their win streak to 15 games with a comeback win in the Anzac day clash. Both teams were evenly matched but the Storm scored 2 tries in the final 9 minutes to pull out the win. The Melbourne tries came from Will Chambers (2), Mahe Fonua, Sisa Waqa and Billy Slater. The Warriors tries came from Ben Henry, Bill Tupou and a great 80 metre interception try from Shaun Johnson (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game or Post-Game, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Ikin/Gasnier/Raymond, PAL)
NRL Round 10 - Manly Sea-Eagles (10) @ (10) Melbourne Storm - Both teams ended their respective losing streaks with a tight, hard-fought draw at Aami Park. Manly dominated the 1st half and led 8-0 at the break but Melbourne re-grouped and dominated the 2nd half, accruing twice as much possession as the Sea-Eagles. But the Storm still needed a Cameron Smith penalty 1 minute from time to force "Golden Point" extra-time. Neither team could find the break-through so the game ended a draw. All the Manly points came from Jamie Lyon (1 try, 1 conversion, 2 penalties) and the Storm try came from Maurice Blair (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game or Post-Game, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Gasnier/Raymond, PAL)
NRL Round 11 - Melbourne Storm (26) @ (18) Sydney Roosters - #2 Sydney and #3 Melbourne squared off at the Allianz Stadium and it was the Storm that came away with the win. After a back-and-forth 1st half that the Storm led 18-12, Melbourne made the most of Roosters turnovers and penalties to increase their lead to 24-12 and they held on for the win. The Storm tries came from Justin O'Neill, Maurice Blair, Cameron Smith and Will Chambers. The Roosters tries came from Luke O'Donnell, Michael Jennings and Roger Tuivasa-Scheck (10, Re-broadcast with no Pre-Game or Post-Game, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Gasnier, PAL)
NRL Grand Final - Manly Sea-Eagles (18) v (26) Sydney Roosters - Sydney claimed their 1st title since 2002 with a comeback win at ANZ Stadium. The Sea-Eagles held an 18-8 lead with 30 minutes left in the game when the Roosters sensationally scored 18 unanswered points to take the win. The Sydney tries came from Daniel Tupou, Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Michael Jennings. The Manly tries came from Jorge Taufua, Jamie Lyon, Steve Matai and Aidan Guerra (10, Re-Broadcast with no Pre-Game or Half-Time or Post-Game, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
2014
NRL Grand Final - South Sydney Rabbitohs (30) v (6) Canterbury Bulldogs - In a tough, hard-fought and physical battle at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, the Rabbioths emerged victorius to win their 1st Premiership since 1971. Souths led 6-0 at the half but Canterbury fought back to tie the game at the start of the 2nd half. With the result in the balance, Souths re-took the lead 6 minutes later then finished off the Bulldogs with 3 tries in the final 7 minutes of the game. The Clive Churchill medal went to Souths Sam Burgess, who became the 1st ever Englishman to win the award. The Souths tries came from Alex Johnston, George Burgess, Kirisome Auva'a, Adam Reynolds and Greg Inglis. The Canterbury try came from Tony Williams (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Sterling/Johns, PAL)
2015
NRL Round 15 - Brisbane Broncos (14) @ (12) Melbourne Storm - For the 1st time since 2003, the #2 ranked Broncos beat the #4 ranked Storm in Melbourne. The Storm dominated every statistic except the final score as the Broncos used a strong defense and an opportunistic attack to take the win. The Storm had 59% possession, completed 35 sets to only 24 for Brisbane, and made only 273 tackles to Brisbane's 385. But the Broncos scored 3 tries to 2 for the Storm, overturning a 12-8 half-time deficit to win. The Broncos tries came from Lachlan Maranta, Jack Reed and Corey Oates. Both of the Storm tries came from Blake Green. Melbourne were missing Cooper Cronk (rested) and Billy Slater (injured) (9, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
NRL Round 16 - Melbourne Storm (4) @ (20) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - The Bulldogs made their return to the Belmore Oval a happy one with a dominating win over the Storm. Canterbury were playing their 1st NRL game at the Oval since 1998. The Bulldogs started fast and held a commanding 16-0 lead after 15 minutes and never looked back. The Storm avoided the whitewash with a consolation try in the final minute. Canterbury got a big game from David Klemmer (18 runs, 206 metres). Melbourne were missing Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater. The Canterbury tries came from Brett Morris, Shaun Lane, Sam Perrett and Josh Morris. The Storm try came from Marika Koroibete (9, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Anasta/Raymond, PAL)
NRL Round 18 - Melbourne Storm (14) @ (28) New Zealand Warriors - The Warriors moved into the top 4 with a sensational win in Auckland. The home side dominated the 1st half and led 16-0 at the break. In the 2nd half, the Storm fought back to 16-8, but the Warriors finished off the Storm with 2 further tries, including a "try of the year" contender from Tuimoala Lolohea. The Warriors other tries came from David Fusitu'a, Bodene Thompson, Shaun Johnson and another from Lolohea. The Storm tries came from Kenny Bromwich and Marika Koroibete (9, 1 Disc, SKY - Voss/Halligan, PAL)
NRL Round 19 - Penrith Panthers (10) @ (52) Melbourne Storm - The Storm celebrated the 300th game of captain Cameron Smith with a big win at Aami Park. The Storm raced out to a 26-0 lead at the half and never looked back. The Melbourne tries came from man-of-the-match Cooper Cronk (2), Marika Korobeite (2), Kevin Proctor (2), Tohu Harris, Blake Green, Mahe Fonua and Richie Kennar with Cameron Smith kicking 6 goals. The Penrith tries came from Waqa Blake and Will Smith (9, 1 Disc, CH9 - Hadley/Lewis/Finch, PAL)
NRL Round 20 - St. George Illawarra Dragons (4) @ (22) Melbourne Storm - In the 1st ever NRL match held in Napier, New Zealand, the designated home side Melbourne continued their winning run by handing the Dragons a club-record 7th straight loss. Both teams created errors and had a number of tries cancelled out for forward passes, but it was the Storm that found their ruthless streak when it mattered, building on a 12-0 lead at the half and only allowing the Dragons on the score-sheet in the final minutes. The Storm tries came from Nelson Asofa-Solomona (his 1st NRL try), Marika Koroibete, Kevin Proctor and Mahe Fonua. The Dragons try came from Peter Mata'utia (10, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Belcher/Kimmorley, PAL)
NRL Round 20 - Newcastle Knights (6) @ (52) South Sydney Rabbitohs - The Rabbitohs ran up their best ever win over the Knights with a 46 point victory at the ANZ Stadium. Despite conceding the opening try, the Rabbitohs responded with 36 unanswered points to lead 36-6 at the half and cruised home in the 2nd half. The South Sydney tries came from Greg Inglis (3), Dylan Walker (3), Alex Johnston (2), Bryson Goodwin and Thomas Burgess. The Knights try came from Kade Snowden. 2 days after the game, the Knights sacked coach Rick Stone (9, 1 Disc, FOX - Voss/Alexander/Walters, PAL)
NRL Round 21 - Melbourne Storm (16) @ (34) West Tigers - In a big upset at the Leichhardt Oval, bottom placed Wests staged a big 2nd half to beat the 6th placed Storm. Melbourne raced out to a 10-0 lead inside 16 minutes but the Tigers recovered to take a 12-10 lead in at the half. Both teams traded a try at the start of the 2nd half before Wests scored 3 unanswered tries to take the win. The Tigers tries came from man-of-the-match James Tedesco (2), Dene Halatau, Kevin Naiqama, Pat Richards and David Nofoaluma. The Storm tries came from Marika Koroibete (2) and Jesse Bromwich (9, 1 Disc, CH9 - Hadley/Lewis/Finch, PAL)
NRL Round 21 - Brisbane Broncos (14) @ (44) Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - Manly ended a week of turmoil by upsetting the league leaders in Gosford. Earlier in the week the club stated that coach Jeff Toovey would not be returning to Manly for the following season. The players responded with a big game, holding the high-scoring Broncos to a 20-0 deficit at the break. Brisbane tried to respond in the 2nd half but the Sea-Eagles piled on the pressure to run out easy winners. The Manly tries came from Tom Trbojevic (2), who had a big game, Keiran Foran (2), Jamie Lyon, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Feleti Mateo and Justin Horo. The Brisbane tries came from Lachlan Maranta, Justin Hodges and Jack Reed (9, 1 Disc, FOX - Voss/Alexander/Caine, PAL)
NRL Round 22 - Gold Coast Titans (14) @ (36) Melbourne Storm - The Storm kept alive their hopes of a post-season berth with a comeback win against the Titans. The Gold Coast started fast and held an 8-6 lead at the break, but the Storm fought back by out-scoring the Titans 6 ries to 1 in the 2nd half to take the win. The Storm tries came from Cameron Munster (3), Matt Duffie (2), Marika Koroibete and Will Chambers. The Gold Coast tries came from Kane Elgey and Josh Hoffman (9, 1 Disc, FOX - Voss/Anasta/Gasnier, PAL)
Preliminary Final - North Queensland Cowboys (32) @ (12) Melbourne Storm - North Queensland booked their place in their 2nd ever Grand Final with an upset win at Aami Stadium. Both teams were evenly matched in the 1st half and the Cowboys held a 16-12 lead at the break. But in the 2nd half the Cowboys scored 16 unanswered points and used great defensive play to book their place in the Grand Final. The North Queensland tries came from Justin O'Neill (2), Michael Morgan (2) and Gavin Cooper (2) with Johnathan Thurston kicking 4 conversions. The Melbourne tries came from Cooper Cronk and Tahu Harris (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Warren/Gould/Johns, PAL)
Grand Final - Brisbane Broncos (16) v (17) North Queensland Cowboys - In arguably the greatest Grand Final ever, North Queensland won their 1st ever Premiership with an extra-time win at ANZ Stadium. The Broncos held a 16-12 lead early in the 2nd half, but the Cowboys piled on the pressure and scored with the final play of the game to force "Golden Point" extra-time. The Broncos then dropped the kick-off to start extra-time and on the 5th tackle, man-of-the-match Johnathan Thurston kicked the game-winning drop-goal. The North Queensland tries came from Justin O'Neill, James Tamu and Kyle Feldt. The Brisbane tries came from Corey Oates and Jack Reed. Discs 1 and 2 are the Footy Show Grand Final preview. Discs 3 and 4 are the game (10, 4 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould/Lewis, PAL)
2016
Round 17 - Melbourne Storm (48) @ (6) Brisbane Broncos - The Storm showed their title credentials at Suncorp Stadium, inflicting on Brisbane their worst ever home defeat. The Broncos started well but Melbourne took control with 5 tries in 19 minutes to lead 30-6 at the half. The Storm didn't take their foot off the gas in the 2nd half, running in 3 more tries to emphatically beat the Broncos. The Melbourne tries came from Suliasi Vunivalu (3), Cheyse Blair (2), Kevin Proctor, Ryan Morgan and Marika Koroibete. Cameron Smith kicked all 8 conversions. The Brisbane try came from James Roberts (9, Downloaded from the internet - No Half-time, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Walters/Raymond, PAL)
Preliminary Final - Canberra Raiders (12) @ (14) Melbourne Storm - The Storms' Cooper Cronk celebrated his 300th first-grade game with a big game against the Raiders at AAMI Park, and helped his team book a place in the Grand Final. An even 1st half ended with the Storm holding an 8-6 lead. But the Storm started the 2nd half with 8 unanswered points and held off a late Raiders comeback to seal the win. The Storm tries came from Cooper Cronk and Cheyse Blair with Cameron Smith adding 2 penalties. The Raiders tries came from Jordan Rapana and Elliott Whitehead. Melbourne also set an NRL record as, with Cronk and Cameron Smith on the pitch at the same time, they became the first team to field two 300-gamers in the same line-up (10, 1 Disc, CH9 - Thompson/Gould/A.Johns, PAL)
Grand Final - Melbourne Storm (12) v (14) Cronulla Sharks - At Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the Cronulla Sharks finally won their first Premiership title in their 49-year history, holding off the Storm to win 14-12. The Sharks came out fired-up in the 1st half and took an 8-0 lead in at the break. The Storm scored 2 unanswered tries to start the 2nd half and led 12-8 with 10 minutes to play, but the Sharks fought back and scored the game-winning try with 10 minutes to go. Great Defense in the final 10 minutes saw the Sharks through and they celebrated a long-awaited Championship. The Churchill Medal winner was Cronulla's Luke Lewis. The Cronulla tries came from Ben Barba and Andrew Fifita. The Melbourne tries came from Jesse Bromwich and Will Chambers. The Storm captain Cameron Smith also recorded 74 tackles (10, 2 Discs, CH9 - Warren/Sterling/Gould, PAL)
2017
NRL Round 1 - Melbourne Storm (12) @ (6) Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs - In the opening game of the season at the Belmore Sports Ground, Melbourne beat the 'Dogs with a big 2nd half defensive effort. All the points in the game came in the 1st half, with the Storm scoring 12 points in the opening 24 minutes and the Bulldogs replying after 30 minutes. After the break, a monsoon swept through Sydney and a combination of poor handling and great Defensive work by Melbourne kept the game scoreless and the Storm held on for the win. The Melbourne tries came from Cheyse Blair and Suliasi Vunivalu. The Canterbury try came from Josh Reynolds. Melbourne also featured Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, with Ryley Jacks and Josh Addo Carr make their Melbourne Storm debuts. Canterbury also featured James Graham, Brett Morris, Josh Morris and David Klemmer (10, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, FOX - Voss/Anasta/Roach/Raymond, NTSC)
NRL Round 2 - Melbourne Storm (26) @ (10) New Zealand Warriors - Melbourne kept their unbeaten start to the season, recording their 3rd straight win at Mount Smart Stadium in a torrential downpour. The star for the Storm was captain Cameron Smith who kicked 5 goals from 5 attempts. The 10 points scored took him past 2,000 career NRL points, becoming the first forward, the first Queenslander, and just the 5th player in history to do so. Both teams were evenly matched in the 1st half and the Storm only led 12-10 at the break. But in the 2nd half, Melbourne scored 14 unanswered points to take the win. The Melbourne tries came from Kenny Bromwich, Cheyse Blair, Suliasi Vunivalu and Cooper Cronk. The New Zealand tries came from Tuimoala Lolohea and Shaun Johnson. Melbourne gave playing debuts to Vincent Leualai and Joe Stimson (10, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, SKY NZ - Larmer/Halligan/Betham, NTSC)
NRL Round 2 - North Queensland Cowboys (21) @ (20) Brisbane Broncos - On a record setting night in Brisbane, the Cowboys Johnathan Thurston once again broke the Broncos hearts with a Golden Point win at the Suncorp Stadium. In the 19th minute, Thurston broke the 2,000 point barrier with a conversion, becoming the 1st Indigenous player to do so in the NRL. Both teams played a physical game with both teams losing players to injury and the game inevitably ended up in extra-time where Thurston ended the game in the 88th minute with a drop goal. The Cowboys tries came from Coen Hess, Michael Morgan and Jake Granville. The Broncos tries came from James Roberts, Darius Boyd and Jordan Kahu (10, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, FOX - Smith/Alexander/Walters/Raymond, NTSC)
NRL Round 3 - Brisbane Broncos (12) @ (14) Melbourne Storm - The Storm celebrated the return of star player Billy Slater from a year out injured with a hard-fought win against the Broncos at AAMI Park. Slater didn't start the game but came off the interchange bench on 29 minutes to a huge ovation from the crowd. Melbourne dominated possession and territory in the 1st half but could only manage an 8-6 lead at the break. The Broncos put their noses in front early in the 2nd half with a try and played great Defense (45 tackles in their defensive 20 metres) to keep the Storm at bay. But with 3 minutes left to play, a twice-deflected pass found it's way to Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr and he ran in to tie the scores. Cameron Smith kicked the game-winning conversion and the Storm saw out the game for their 3rd straight win to start the season. The other Melbourne try came from Ryley Jacks, his 1st career try. The Brisbane tries came from James Roberts and Ben Hunt (10, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, CH9 - Unknown, NTSC)
NRL Round 7 - Melbourne Storm (30) @ (26) Manly Sea-Eagles - In a shootout at the Brookvale Oval, Melbourne got back to winning ways by scoring 6 tries against the Sea Eagles. The Storm raced out to an 18-0 lead in the 1st half, and went in at the break with a 30-16 lead. The 2nd half saw Manly shut-out the Storm while scoring 2 tries of their own but Melbourne used great game management to run out the clock and take the win. The Melbourne tries came from Suliasi Vunivalu (2), Young Tonumaipea, Josh Addo-Carr and Felise Kaufusi (2). The Manly tries came from Frank Winterstein, Jorge Taufua, Brian Kelly, Jake Trbojevic and Brenton Lawrence (8, Downloaded from the Internet, 1 Disc, FOX - Russell/Gasnier/Buderus/Hollis, PAL)