2014 NRL Grand Final
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rugby league |
| Founded | October 5, 2014 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Sam Burgess (Clive Churchill Medalist), Greg Inglis (match-winning try scorer) |
| Products | Rugby league championship match |
The 2014 NRL Grand Final served as the championship decider for the 2014 NRL season, taking place on 5 October 2014 at ANZ Stadium. The South Sydney Rabbitohs triumphed over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with a score of 30–6, breaking a 43-year premiership drought and claiming their 21st championship title. Despite sustaining a fractured cheekbone early in the match, South Sydney forward Sam Burgess was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the game's standout player.
The event also showcased the National Youth Competition Grand Final and the 2014 NRL State Championship. Entertainment highlights included performances by British-American guitarist Slash and American rock group Train, while Simon Gleeson delivered the rendition of the Australian National anthem. The game was broadcast live throughout Australia via the Nine Network.
History
Founded in 1908, South Sydney had amassed more premiership victories (20) than any other club but had not appeared in a Grand Final since 1971. The club suffered financial difficulties and was excluded from the National Rugby League prior to the 2000 season due to not meeting inclusion standards. Following legal action and public advocacy, they were reinstated into the league in 2002.
Established in 1934, Canterbury was participating in its 18th Grand Final. Their latest final appearance before this was a defeat to Melbourne in 2012, with their most recent premiership victory occurring in 2004 against the Sydney Roosters.
The two sides had previously clashed in a Grand Final only once, back in 1967, when South Sydney narrowly defeated Canterbury 12–10.
2014 season
South Sydney concluded the regular season ranked third and advanced through the finals by overcoming Manly and Sydney Roosters. Canterbury finished seventh but reached the grand final after consecutive sudden-death victories against Melbourne, Manly, and Penrith.
During the regular season, these teams faced each other twice (Rounds 7 and 25), with each club securing one win: Canterbury edged out South Sydney 15-14 in their initial meeting, while South Sydney won 21-14 in their second encounter.
Teams
| South Sydney Rabbitohs |
Position | Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Inglis | Fullback | Sam Perrett |
| Alex Johnston | Wing | Corey Thompson |
| Dylan Walker | Centre | Josh Morris |
| Kirisome Auva'a | Centre | Tim Lafai |
| Lote Tuqiri | Wing | Mitch Brown |
| Luke Keary | Five-eighth | Josh Reynolds |
| Adam Reynolds | Halfback | Trent Hodkinson (c) |
| George Burgess | Prop | Aiden Tolman |
| Apisai Koroisau | Hooker | Moses Mbye |
| Dave Tyrrell | Prop | James Graham (c) |
| Ben Te'o | 2nd Row | Josh Jackson |
| John Sutton (c) | 2nd Row | Tony Williams |
| Sam Burgess | Lock | Greg Eastwood |
| Jason Clark | Interchange | Tim Browne |
| Kyle Turner | Interchange | Dale Finucane |
| Chris McQueen | Interchange | David Klemmer |
| Tom Burgess | Interchange | Frank Pritchard |
| Michael Maguire | Coach | Des Hasler |
Ahead of the Grand Final, both teams were without their primary hookers:
- South Sydney's Issac Luke faced suspension for a dangerous tackle and was replaced by Apisai Koroisau.
- Canterbury's captain Michael Ennis withdrew due to a fractured foot; his position at hooker was filled by Moses Mbye, while captaincy duties were shared between James Graham and Trent Hodkinson.
Match report
The opening half saw limited scoring, with South Sydney taking a 6–0 advantage at the break thanks to a try from Alex Johnston and a penalty goal kicked by Adam Reynolds. Early in the second half, Canterbury levelled the score through a converted try by Tony Williams. However, George Burgess quickly put South Sydney back in front. In the final ten minutes, additional tries from Kirisome Auva'a, Reynolds, and Greg Inglis sealed the victory for Souths, concluding the match at 30–6.
Despite suffering fractures to his cheekbone and eye socket during the opening tackle, Sam Burgess completed the entire game and was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the standout player. Meanwhile, Souths' Dave Tyrrell had to be taken off on a stretcher following a head collision with Canterbury's James Graham.
Fullback Greg Inglis scored the match-winning try in the dying moments, earning his first official premiership ring; his previous appearances in Melbourne Storm’s 2007 and 2009 premiership victories were nullified due to salary cap violations.
Entertainment
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash delivered a performance of "Bent To Fly" from World on Fire, accompanied by vocals from Myles Kennedy broadcast over stadium speakers. The set featured a highlight reel of the 2014 NRL season displayed on ANZ Stadium’s screens, incorporated the iconic riff from Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine", and included an impromptu guitar solo.
The band Train served as headliners, performing hits such as "Hey, Soul Sister", "Angel in Blue Jeans", and "Drops of Jupiter".
Match Officials
The match was officiated by referees Shayne Hayne and Gerard Sutton; this marked Hayne’s fourth grand final appointment while it was Sutton’s debut in this role. Touch judges were Steve Carrol and Jason Walsh. Bernard Sutton and Luke Phillips operated as video referees. Ben Cummins was designated standby referee, with Brett Suttor as standby touch judge.
Records
The 2014 NRL Grand Final achieved record-breaking television viewership for rugby league, drawing an average audience of 2.597 million across five major cities and peaking at 3.098 million viewers. When including regional audiences, the national average reached 3.951 million with a peak of 4.650 million viewers. The attendance of 83,833 was the largest recorded at Stadium Australia since its renovation in 2001.
Post-match
With their premiership triumph, South Sydney earned their inaugural qualification for the 2015 World Club Challenge, where they convincingly defeated St. Helens RFC 39-0 at Langtree Park.