If you missed my coverage of the regular league season, you can see it by clicking here.
All the top eight sides hit the first round of the finals. Four have a second life if they lose. For two it's sayonara.
First round: The two that went were the South Sydney Rabbitohs (6th in the league) and North Queensland Cowboys (8th). The NZ Warriors (2nd) and Sydney Roosters (4th) lost so missed out on a bye.
Quarter finals: An out of form Cronulla Sharks (5th) were blown away by the Roosters. The Warriors didn't lift enough for the finals and were ousted by the Newcastle Knights in a somewhat controvesial cliff hanger.
Semi finals: The Dolphins (3rd) had been hot leading up to the finals series but were outplayed by the Roosters. Favourites the Penrith Panthers (1st) were likewise upset by the Knights.
Grand Final: The Roosters were favourites but the diogged Knights were not out of the equation. The Knights led 12-6 at the break but with less possession and a poorer field position, it was always going to be tough. Yet the Knights only lost by one point. That determination summed up how they got there.
The Roosters played a grand final how it should be played. Give the opposition as little as possible. The stats say they should have won by more but the margin of victory isn't the point. Winning the grand final is, no matter how you do it.
The highlights of the final are below. Best watched at YouTube.
No comments:
Post a Comment