Forty-three years of heartache has been replaced by an epic hangover for Michael MacGuire’s Rabbitohs team after they demolished (on the scoreboard at least, the actual game was slightly closer) the Bulldogs in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final.
The win reduced Greg Inglis to tears and Sam Burgess’ face to smithereens, but crucially it ends a dramatic drought in South Sydney silverware. The game itself always felt like it was going in South Sydney’s favour. They dominated possession; completed their sets well; looked more dangerous with ball in hand (in particular centres Walker and Auva’a). They even crossed for a disallowed try before finally getting on the score sheet through punters favourite Alex Johnston.
Despite dominating, Souths did not take all of their chances. Things were actually quite tight and still 6-6 after 55 minutes until George Burgess scored. For what it is worth, I actually thought George Burgess was better than Clive Churchill Medal brother Sam in this game. George too suffered the indignity of a head injury yet still managed a huge workload in just over 60 minutes.
George Burgess – 18 Hit Ups for 200m. 3 Tackle Busts. 1 Try. 21 Tackles
Sam Burgess – 22 Hit Ups for 207m. 31 Tackles.
Other than some Tony Williams busts the Bulldogs showed little penetration in attack. Trent Hodkinson went missing, and Josh Reynolds confused the times to run / kick. The weight of pressure eventually told on the Blue and White’s; as a result they fell away significantly in the final quarter. Souths were able to expose some big holes in the middle of the Bulldog’s defence, past a tiring James Graham and co who were struggling without the fortification provided by Mick Ennis.
The Rabbits win is a fair reflection on a great season; a deserved NRL Grand Final win. The turnaround from the 2006 wooden spoon season is nothing short of miraculous. Granted, Russell Crowe has thrown a load of money at the club (and its rumoured James Packer will too if he buys a stake), but take nothing away form a clearly dedicated team who appear to like each other and get on well. The post game emotion outlines a deep respect for the club members, and is in stark contrast to the dressing room scenes described by Kevin Pietersen in the England cricket team, proving camaraderie can heighten performance.
The bookies won’t be at all surprised by the result of the NRL Grand Final. They would have expected to pay out on the Rabbitohs, and on Sam Burgess taking home the Clive Churchill medal. Of my predictions last week none of them were useful; George Burgess scored the second try (not the first I had him for) meaning some sites may have offered money back; Adam Reynolds let us down, and the Bulldogs couldn’t muster first half points.
Souths’ victory brings an NRL season to an end, however the Four Nations tournament begins October 25. I’ll report back in closer to the time with some tips for the tournament featuring Australia, NZ, England and Samoa.
Betfair:
Bet on Henrik Stenson to become the BMW PGA Championship Winner.
Paddypower:
Back Australia to take the Ashes home with them.
Betway:
Back Rafael Nadal to become the Mens French Open Winner.
Coral:
Back One For Arthur to win the Grand National.
Bet365:
Back Mexico to win the Confederations Cup.
