2015 NRL Grand Final
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rugby league |
| Founded | October 4, 2015 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
The 2015 NRL Grand Final served as the decisive championship match for the 2015 NRL season, taking place on 4 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys. In a thrilling contest that extended into golden point extra time, North Queensland emerged victorious with a 17–16 scoreline, claiming their inaugural premiership title in their twentieth year of competition. This encounter is widely celebrated as one of the most memorable grand finals in rugby league history, often likened to the iconic 1989 NSWRL Grand Final and 1997 ARL Grand Final. Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston, who secured the match-winning field goal, was honored with the Clive Churchill Medal for his outstanding performance. The pre-game entertainment was headlined by Australian rock group Cold Chisel.
Background
The Brisbane Broncos reached their first grand final appearance since 2006, maintaining an unblemished record across six previous finals (1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2006, and the 1997 Super League). Esteemed coach Wayne Bennett made his ninth grand final showing, having guided Brisbane in all earlier appearances and previously coaching the Canberra Raiders to their maiden grand final in 1987 as well as leading the St George Illawarra Dragons to victory in 2010. Meanwhile, the North Queensland Cowboys advanced to their second grand final since joining the league in 1995, their first being in 2005. This final was notable for being only the second since 2006 without any New South Wales teams and marked the first time two Queensland-based clubs contested the decider. Additionally, it was the inaugural NRL grand final captained by two Indigenous Australian players.
2015 season
During the regular season, Brisbane secured second place on the ladder while North Queensland finished third. Their paths crossed in the initial week of finals, where Brisbane edged out North Queensland 16-12 at Suncorp Stadium, earning a week’s rest and home advantage for their subsequent qualifier. Brisbane then overcame minor premiers Sydney Roosters with a 31-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium to book their grand final berth. North Queensland, after their early loss, played an extra elimination round where they dominated sixth-ranked Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 39-0 at 1300SMILES Stadium. They then clinched their spot in the grand final by defeating the Melbourne Storm 32-12 at AAMI Park.
Teams
| Brisbane Broncos |
Position | North Queensland Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Darius Boyd | Fullback | Lachlan Coote |
| Corey Oates | Wing | Kyle Feldt |
| Jack Reed | Centre | Justin O'Neill |
| Justin Hodges (c) | Centre | Kane Linnett |
| Jordan Kahu | Wing | Antonio Winterstein |
| Anthony Milford | Five-eighth | Michael Morgan |
| Ben Hunt | Halfback | Johnathan Thurston (c) |
| Sam Thaiday | Prop | Matt Scott (c) |
| Andrew McCullough | Hooker | Jake Granville |
| Adam Blair | Prop | James Tamou |
| Alex Glenn | 2nd Row | Gavin Cooper |
| Matt Gillett | 2nd Row | Ethan Lowe |
| Corey Parker | Lock | Jason Taumalolo |
| Jarrod Wallace | Interchange | Rory Kostjasyn |
| Mitchell Dodds | Interchange | John Asiata |
| Joe Ofahengaue | Interchange | Scott Bolton |
| Kodi Nikorima | Interchange | Ben Hannant |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Paul Green |
Officials
| Position | Stand-By | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Referees: | Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins, Matt Cecchin | |||
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Touch Judges: | Steve Carrall, Brett Suttor, Nick Beashel | |||
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Video Referee: | Bernard Sutton |
1st half
The initial points were registered in the sixth minute when Brisbane's Corey Parker successfully kicked a 40-metre penalty following an error by North Queensland. Brisbane then secured the first try after Adam Blair's offload to Anthony Milford created an opportunity for Corey Oates, with Parker adding the conversion to establish an 8–0 lead. North Queensland responded swiftly as Jake Granville set up Justin O'Neill’s try, and Thurston's conversion brought the score to 8–6.
For the subsequent fifteen minutes, North Queensland held dominant possession. In the 24th minute, James Tamou scored from dummy half, and Thurston’s successful conversion gave them a 12–8 advantage. Brisbane regained the lead in the 34th minute when Matt Gillett recovered a Thurston knock-on and broke through to assist Jack Reed’s try; Jordan Kahu converted, putting Brisbane ahead 14–12 at halftime.
2nd half
Jordan Kahu extended Brisbane’s lead to 16–12 with a penalty goal in the 43rd minute. The game then evolved into a defensive contest primarily in Brisbane’s territory. North Queensland maintained control of possession and field position, creating multiple repeat sets but were unable to score due to errors and Brisbane’s resilient goal line defence. Brisbane managed the clock effectively by kicking for touch on sixth tackles to conserve energy.
North Queensland’s most promising opportunities came in the 61st minute when Kane Linnett dropped a potential try pass from Thurston, and again in the 64th minute when fullback Coote was penalised for a double movement close to the try line.
With four minutes remaining, Ben Hunt conceded a penalty for a dangerous tackle, providing North Queensland with advantageous field position. Although they failed to score on that set, North Queensland capitalized on a turnover after Feldt stripped Hunt at midfield with one minute left. Following powerful runs from forwards Taumalolo, Tamou, and Scott, Thurston connected with five-eighth Michael Morgan, who drew defenders before passing to winger Feldt. Feldt scored in the right corner as the siren sounded, leveling the score at 16–16.
Jonathon Thurston’s conversion attempt after full time narrowly missed, striking the right upright and sending the contest into golden point extra time.
Extra time
North Queensland commenced extra time strongly; however, Brisbane’s Ben Hunt immediately knocked on from the kickoff, granting North Queensland an attacking scrum on Brisbane’s ten-metre line. After several unsuccessful attempts due to robust Broncos defence, Johnathan Thurston clinched victory with a field goal on the fourth tackle from 20 metres out, sealing a 17–16 win. This was the first NRL Grand Final decided by Golden Point.
Post-match
During the post-match proceedings, Johnathan Thurston was honored with the Clive Churchill Medal as the standout player on the field. This was followed by the distribution of championship rings and the co-captains raising the Provan-Summons trophy together.
Thurston earned commendations for his exemplary sportsmanship, particularly noted for comforting Ben Hunt. The memorable scene of Thurston embracing his daughter has since become emblematic of the grand final’s emotional impact.
Aftermath
The 2015 Grand Final is often regarded as one of the finest contests in history, frequently compared to the classic 1989 showdown.
Nonetheless, Hunt’s early mistake that resulted in a golden point conclusion was seen as somewhat unsatisfactory, leading to a modification in rules introduced in 2016. Under the new system, tied finals are resolved by playing a full 10 minutes of extra time (split into two halves of five minutes), with golden point only applied if scores remain level after this extension.
Both North Queensland and Brisbane, as well as minor premiers Sydney Roosters, secured spots in the 2016 World Club Series, where they competed during the pre-season against clubs from the Super League.