One was last year’s fairytale team, one is this year’s fairytale team but only one will take home the National Rugby League (NRL) title this year, bringing their fairytale to the ultimate happy ending.
The Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys are the NRL Grand Finalists for 2005 after vanquishing more fancied foes last weekend to earn their way into the year’s biggest game this Sunday at Telstra Stadium. This is the first grand final for both teams.
The Tigers, this year’s surprise team, beat the St George-Illawarra Dragons 20-12 at a sold-out Aussie Stadium on Saturday night, on the back of two Dene Halatau tries and one try each to Benji Marshall and Chris Heighington. The next day, the Cowboys stunned many in the rugby league world with a 29-0 win over the minor premier Parramatta Eels at Telstra Stadium. Three tries and subsequent conversions at the back end of the first half gave the North Queenslanders an 18-0 halftime lead, on which most of their triumph was built.
After the Tigers’ game, both the captain and coach of this year’s upstarts reflected on what the orange, black and white have achieved, and what lies ahead, heading into their first-ever Grand Final. Halfback and captain, and former North Queensland Cowboy- Scott Prince said “It just feels surreal at the moment. I think as the days go by it’ll start to sink in”.
Coach Tim Sheens, three times premiership winner as a coach with the Canberra Raiders and a former coach of the Cowboys, was less warm and fuzzy than his captain though. Looking ahead to the Grand Final, Sheens said “You don’t want to get this far and ruin the chance because you lose your concentration. We’ve got to be better next week”. North Queensland, who surprised by making the final four last year, has a chance to go two steps better this year. Of their performance in their victory over the Eels, Cowboys coach Graham Murray told Sydney radio station 2UE’s Sports Today “We probably played our best footy for a long time.”
Murray will be hoping for a similar performance in the decider against the Tigers, who the Cowboys have already played three times this year, with the most recent game, in the opening week of the finals, ending with a now-famous 50-6 scoreline in favour of the Tigers. The orange, black and white also beat the Cowboys 28-16 in Round 23 at Campbelltown, but North Queensland triumphed 44-20 in Townsville in Round 6.
Personnel-wise, both teams are sweating on injury concerns arising from the preliminary finals. It was feared Tigers’ winger Pat Richards had suffered a broken leg near the end of the first half of the game against St George-Illawarra. This was later classed as a broken ankle, but word is that there is no break and there now seems to be a chance that he will take his place in the Tigers’ side for the big one.
Cowboy captain Travis Norton left the game against Parramatta with what appears to be a back muscle tear, but Cowboys coach Murray told Sports Today that the team would “give him the most possible time” to be fit for the decider.
Both teams have become known for playing exciting attacking football, but only one thing is for certain: one of these two sides will walk away from Telstra Stadium on Sunday night with the premiership trophy, their fairytale fulfilled.
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