2011 NRL Grand Final
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rugby league |
| Founded | October 2, 2011 |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand |
The 2011 NRL Grand Final served as the culminating fixture of the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership campaign, taking place on Sunday, 2 October 2011. This championship clash featured the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles facing off against the New Zealand Warriors, marking their inaugural grand final showdown. Manly emerged victorious, claiming their eighth premiership title with a final score of 24–10.
Prior to the match, the traditional grand final breakfast was held on the preceding Thursday at Sydney's Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. Both squads attended alongside numerous dignitaries, and the event was broadcast live across Australian television networks.
Background
The 2011 season represented the 104th iteration of professional rugby league competition in Australia and was the final season overseen by the joint administration of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. Sponsored by Telstra, the 2011 Telstra Premiership maintained a lineup of sixteen teams for its fifth straight year. On the ladder, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles secured 2nd place while the New Zealand Warriors finished 6th. This grand final marked their first direct meeting at this stage; previously, they had met in finals during 2008 when Manly won a preliminary final 28–6. Manly appeared in their third grand final within five years, having convincingly defeated the Melbourne Storm in 2008. The Warriors sought their maiden premiership after falling short against the Sydney Roosters in 2002. During regular season play, Manly had recorded a 20–10 win over New Zealand at Brookvale Oval.
| Sea Eagles | Warriors | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rd.1 | Storm | Eels | ||||||||
| Rd.2 | Roosters | Tigers | ||||||||
| Rd.3 | Knights | Dragons | ||||||||
| Rd.4 | Rabbitohs | Sharks | ||||||||
| Rd.5 | Sharks | Roosters | ||||||||
| Rd.6 | Warriors | Sea Eagles | ||||||||
| Rd.7 | Panthers | Storm | ||||||||
| Rd.8 | Cowboys | Panthers | ||||||||
| Rd.9 | Raiders | Titans | ||||||||
| Rd.10 | Titans | Knights | ||||||||
| Rd.11 | Bye | Rabbitohs | ||||||||
| Rd.12 | Broncos | Bye | ||||||||
| Rd.13 | Bulldogs | Roosters | ||||||||
| Rd.14 | Cowboys | Tigers | ||||||||
| Rd.15 | Eels | Cowboys | ||||||||
| Rd.16 | Dragons | Storm | ||||||||
| Rd.17 | Bye | Bye | ||||||||
| Rd.18 | Rabbitohs | Titans | ||||||||
| Rd.19 | Knights | Bulldogs | ||||||||
| Rd.20 | Panthers | Rabbitohs | ||||||||
| Rd.21 | Tigers | Raiders | ||||||||
| Rd.22 | Roosters | Broncos | ||||||||
| Rd.23 | Eels | Knights | ||||||||
| Rd.24 | Bulldogs | Panthers | ||||||||
| Rd.25 | Storm | Dragons | ||||||||
| Rd.26 | Broncos | Cowboys | ||||||||
| QF | Cowboys | Broncos | ||||||||
| SF | DNP | Tigers | ||||||||
| PF | Broncos | Storm | ||||||||
| Legend: Template:Legend2 Win Template:Legend2 Loss | ||||||||||
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Securing second place on the ladder behind the Melbourne Storm, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles accumulated 40 competition points by winning 18 out of 24 games, maintaining an unblemished record at their home venue, Brookvale Oval. Their finals series was complicated by suspensions resulting from an altercation with Melbourne, notably a three-game suspension for key forward Glenn Stewart. Nevertheless, Manly progressed to the Grand Final by overcoming Queensland opponents—the North Queensland Cowboys with a decisive 42–8 victory in the qualifying final and the Brisbane Broncos 26–14 in the preliminary final following a week's rest.
During their triumph over Brisbane, Steve Matai and Tony Williams were reported but managed to avoid suspension, enabling their participation in the Grand Final. Conversely, co-captain Jason King was sidelined due to a pectoral injury, while winger David Williams missed out because of a neck injury.
This Grand Final marked Manly's 18th appearance at this stage and extended their streak to seven consecutive decades reaching the final, presenting an opportunity to claim their eighth premiership. Coach Des Hasler made his third appearance as head coach in a Grand Final, having previously played in three finals for the club.
New Zealand Warriors
For just the second occasion in their history, the New Zealand Warriors contended for their inaugural premiership against second-placed Manly. Finishing sixth with 32 points, they suffered a heavy 40–10 defeat to the Brisbane Broncos in their first finals match—their largest loss of the season—but advanced due to defeats by lower-ranked teams. Subsequently, they upset the Wests Tigers in the semi-finals by overturning an 18–6 halftime deficit to secure a 22–20 victory with a late try from Kristian Inu.
In a major upset during the Grand Final qualifier at AAMI Park, the Warriors defeated minor premiers Melbourne Storm. After falling behind early, tries from Bill Tupou and James Maloney put them ahead 14–12 at halftime. The Warriors' defense dominated throughout the second half, culminating in a late try by Lewis Brown and a sideline conversion by Maloney that sealed a 20–12 win and New Zealand’s second-ever Grand Final berth.
The Grand Final represented coach Ivan Cleary’s final game with the Warriors before his move to Penrith Panthers. Cleary had previously played for New Zealand in their 2002 Grand Final defeat and began his playing career with Manly.
In addition, the Warriors fielded teams in both the NSW Cup and Toyota Cup Grand Finals, becoming the first club since 2004 to reach three grade Grand Finals simultaneously. Their Toyota Cup squad successfully defended its 2010 championship by narrowly defeating North Queensland Cowboys 31–30 in golden point extra time.
Match day
Pre-match
Prior to the NRL Grand Final, two preliminary matches were held. At noon, the New South Wales Cup Grand Final took place, featuring a closely contested game between the Auckland Vulcans and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with Canterbury narrowly prevailing 30–28. Later, at 2:00pm, the Toyota Cup Grand Final showcased the youth squads of the New Zealand Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys. The Warriors emerged victorious after extra time. A significant moment occurred when North Queensland’s winger Kyle Feldt, who would later play a pivotal role by scoring a key try in the 2015 NRL Grand Final, missed a conversion at full time that might have clinched their inaugural premiership.
The entertainment lineup included performances by American vocalist Kelly Clarkson and Australian rock group Eskimo Joe. Clarkson’s appearance was her first at this event since the 2003 NRL grand final, where she delivered her popular track "Mr. Know It All" accompanied by a troupe of 300 dancers.
Match details
For the third year running, rain characterized grand final day. Before kickoff, Russell Packer, Lance Hohaia, and Elijah Taylor were named as replacements for Sam Rapira, Aaron Heremaia, and Feleti Mateo respectively on the interchange bench.
First half
The initial 28 minutes were fiercely contested. During this period, Manly prop George Rose delivered an elbow to Aaron Heremaia, resulting in a penalty and a report but not a send-off. Following this, James Maloney successfully kicked a penalty goal to give New Zealand a 2–0 advantage. Manly responded with two tries before halftime: first through Brett Stewart shortly after, then just before the break via Daly Cherry-Evans. The latter try followed a contentious buildup involving a grubber kick from lock forward Glenn Stewart and a break by winger Michael Robertson, despite an attempted tackle by Manu Vatuvei.
Second half
Manly increased their lead to 16 points when Glenn Stewart scored a try, set up by an unexpected blind flick pass from teammate William Hopoate. The New Zealand Warriors fought back with two tries—one to Vatuvei amid debate over a forward pass, and another to Elijah Taylor—both unconverted, reducing the deficit to eight points. The match was sealed when captain Jamie Lyon scored a last-minute try. Lyon then entrusted the conversion attempt to Robertson for his final kick representing Manly. Robertson converted successfully from a wide angle after the siren, bringing both the game and his NRL career to a close.
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Post-match
Glenn Stewart, Manly’s lock forward, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the standout player of the match. This game marked the tenth instance where brothers Brett and Glenn Stewart both scored tries for Manly in the same match, with their team victorious on all ten occasions. Additionally, it was the first time since the 1929 Premiership final that two brothers each crossed for tries in a premiership decider.
See also
References
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
Posit. | New Zealand Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brett Stewart | 1. Kevin Locke | |
| 2. Michael Robertson | 2. Bill Tupou | |
| 3. Jamie Lyon (c) | 3. Lewis Brown | |
| 4. Steve Matai | 4. Krisnan Inu | |
| 5. Will Hopoate | 5. Manu Vatuvei | |
| 6. Kieran Foran | 6. James Maloney | |
| 7. Daly Cherry-Evans | 7. Shaun Johnson | |
| 8. Joe Galuvao | 15. Russell Packer | |
| 9. Matt Ballin | 14. Lance Hohaia | |
| 10. Brent Kite | 10. Jacob Lillyman | |
| 11. Anthony Watmough | 17. Elijah Taylor | |
| 12. Tony Williams | 12. Simon Mannering (c) | |
| 13. Glenn Stewart | 13. Micheal Luck | |
| 14. Shane Rodney | Interchange | 8. Sam Rapira |
| 15. Jamie Buhrer | Interchange | 9. Aaron Heremaia |
| 16. Vic Mauro | Interchange | 11. Feleti Mateo |
| 17. George Rose | Interchange | 16. Ben Matulino |