2019 NRL Grand Final
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rugby league |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand |
2019 NRL Grand Final
The 2019 NRL Grand Final served as the conclusive fixture of the 2019 NRL season, staged at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The contest pitted the reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters, against the Canberra Raiders. The Roosters emerged victorious with a 14–8 scoreline, claiming their 15th premiership and becoming the first team in 26 years to secure back-to-back titles in a unified competition since the Brisbane Broncos achieved this feat in 1993. This triumph marked the Roosters' first consecutive premierships since 1975.
The Clive Churchill Medal, awarded to the game's standout player, was presented to Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton. The match remains notable for a contentious moment involving referee Ben Cummins reversing a "six again" decision shortly before the decisive try.
Background
Sydney concluded the regular season in second place with a 17–7 win-loss record. They advanced to the preliminary final by defeating South Sydney 30–6, then overcame minor premiers Melbourne 14–6 to secure their grand final berth. Having captured the 2018 premiership, the Roosters sought consecutive championships, aiming to be the first side since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992-93 to accomplish this in a unified competition. Under coach Trent Robinson, this marked Sydney’s third grand final appearance within seven years.
Canberra secured fourth position with a 15–9 record. Their path to the grand final included victories over Melbourne (12–10) in the qualifying final and South Sydney (16–10) in the preliminary final. This was Canberra’s first grand final appearance since 1994, ending their longest absence from such a stage. Coach Ricky Stuart led Canberra into his inaugural grand final with the club during his sixth year; it was his fourth grand final overall as a coach.
This encounter represented the first grand final meeting between the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. During the season, Sydney claimed both regular-season matches: winning 30–24 at Suncorp Stadium during Magic Round and 22–18 at GIO Stadium.
Broadcasting
The event was broadcast live across Australia on Nine Network and later on Fox League, with New Zealand viewers able to watch via Sky Sport. Radio broadcasts were provided by ABC, Triple M, 2GB, SEN, and Koori Radio.
Curtain-raiser matches
Two preliminary matches were arranged on match day prior to the main event.
Entertainment
Performances featured headline acts including OneRepublic, Darryl Braithwaite, and Christine Anu.
Teams
| Sydney Roosters |
Position | Canberra Raiders |
|---|---|---|
| James Tedesco | Fullback | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| Daniel Tupou | Wing | Nick Cotric |
| Latrell Mitchell | Centre | Jarrod Croker (c) |
| Joseph Manu | Centre | Joseph Leilua |
| Brett Morris | Wing | Jordan Rapana |
| Luke Keary | Five-eighth | Jack Wighton |
| Cooper Cronk | Halfback | Aidan Sezer |
| Jared Waerea-Hargreaves | Prop | Josh Papalii |
| Sam Verrills | Hooker | Josh Hodgson (c) |
| Isaac Liu | Prop | Sia Soliola |
| Boyd Cordner (c) | 2nd Row | John Bateman |
| Mitchell Aubusson | 2nd Row | Elliott Whitehead |
| Victor Radley | Lock | Joseph Tapine |
| Angus Crichton | Interchange | Bailey Simonsson |
| Nat Butcher | Interchange | Emre Guler |
| Sio Siua Taukeiaho | Interchange | Corey Horsburgh |
| Jake Friend | Interchange | Dunamis Lui |
| Trent Robinson | Coach | Ricky Stuart |
Compared to their previous year's grand final squad, Brett Morris, Sam Verrills, Angus Crichton, and Nat Butcher were new inclusions for the Roosters. For Canberra, every player except one was making their debut in an NRL grand final; centre Joseph Leilua had previously participated in the 2010 decider representing the Roosters. Second-rower John Bateman brought valuable experience from four Super League grand finals with Wigan Warriors.
Sydney's halfback Cooper Cronk played his final game—their 372nd overall (323 with Melbourne Storm)—retiring as the second most experienced player in terms of NRL appearances. This match marked his ninth first-grade grand final appearance—the first player since Ron Coote in 1975 to reach this milestone—and he became the first player since nine members of Parramatta Eels (1981–83) to win three consecutive premierships, having been part of championship teams with Melbourne in 2017 and Sydney in both 2018 and 2019.
Officials
The officiating crew consisted of two referees, a pair of touch judges, two video review officials, along with reserves assigned to each role. All four match officials on the field—Ben Cummins, Gerard Sutton, Nick Beashel, and Chris Butler—brought previous experience from NRL grand finals.
| Position | Stand-By | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Referees: | Ben Cummins (5) | Gerard Sutton (5) | Grant Atkins | |
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Touch Judges: | Nick Beashel (3) | Chris Butler (2) | David Munro | |
| class="table-rh" Template:Rh |Bunker: | Jared Maxwell | Ben Galea |
Figures in parentheses denote the number of grand finals officiated, including this 2019 event.
First half
Early in the match, Canberra missed a scoring chance in the third minute when a charged-down kick by prop Sia Soliola rebounded off a Roosters trainer positioned behind play. This interference led to a scrum awarded to Sydney. From that possession, the Roosters launched an aggressive attack; after Boyd Cordner was held up close to the line, Sam Verrills crossed for a try in the seventh minute. Latrell Mitchell successfully converted, putting Sydney ahead 6–0.
Canberra then controlled much of the field position with multiple attacking raids but could not capitalize on scoring. Meanwhile, Roosters forward Mitchell Aubusson left the field due to a knee injury. At the 19-minute mark, Sydney increased their lead to 8–0 through a penalty goal kicked by Mitchell following a high tackle by Canberra’s Joseph Tapine.
In the 30th minute, Canberra took advantage of an error from Sydney when full-back James Tedesco mishandled the ball near his own try line. Jack Wighton broke through defenders to score Canberra’s first try, with Jarrod Croker converting to reduce the deficit to 8–6.
A subsequent mistake from Canberra handed Sydney territorial control, but no additional points were added before halftime. A late penalty against Croker for interference led to a missed penalty attempt by Mitchell from near the sideline, leaving the halftime score at 8–6.
Second half
The second half began with Canberra exerting early dominance and generating several scoring opportunities within ten minutes. In the 50th minute, John Bateman’s short pass intended for Josh Papalii was intercepted by retiring Roosters half-back Cooper Cronk, who received a ten-minute sin-bin for professional foul play. The video review considered awarding a penalty try but ultimately declined. Croker then leveled the game at 8–8 with a successful penalty kick. During Cronk’s absence, Canberra retained possession but failed to convert chances into points; notably, Brett Morris had a potential try disallowed due to an offside forward pass from Joseph Leilua.
At the 67-minute mark, Radley’s pass facilitated Sio Siua Taukeiaho’s line break, swinging momentum back toward Sydney. Following this, Sydney earned a repeat set and were awarded a penalty for a high tackle on Luke Keary; however, Mitchell missed the resulting penalty kick, keeping the scores tied at 8–8.
The decisive moment occurred in the 71st minute when referee Ben Cummins initially signaled 'six again' after a contested bomb kick but reversed his call to fifth tackle after consulting his assistants. Jack Wighton was unaware of this change and took a conservative tackle rather than attacking, leading to possession turnover. From the subsequent set, Latrell Mitchell broke through defenders and set up Daniel Tupou for a try completed by James Tedesco; Mitchell converted successfully to extend Sydney’s lead to 14–8. The Roosters maintained their defensive resilience over the final six minutes to secure victory.
Overall
Although Canberra dominated in terms of territory and scoring chances—maintaining 54% possession, completing 19 offloads compared to Sydney's single offload, and executing a greater number of kicks—the Raiders were unable to translate their control into scoreboard success. Jack Wighton received the Clive Churchill Medal, recognized for his try and his leadership in orchestrating Canberra’s kicking strategy.
The Sydney Roosters achieved a historic feat by becoming the first team since the Brisbane Broncos (1992-93) to secure consecutive premierships in a merged competition, marking their first back-to-back championships since the 1974-75 seasons.
A key moment remembered from the match was the incorrect 'six again' signal given by referee Ben Cummins just before the Roosters’ winning try. While the NRL admitted the mistake, it upheld Cummins’ discretion to alter his decision based on input from assistant referees. This ruling drew criticism from Raiders fans and commentators who referenced NRL Law 16.9, which limits changes to calls based on another official’s advice strictly to instances involving foul play.
Additional controversies included the 'mutual interference' incident involving the Roosters’ trainer and Cooper Cronk’s sin-binning. Both situations were reviewed and confirmed by the league, although it was acknowledged that the 'mutual interference' rule is outdated in today’s game, which prioritizes possession over territorial advantage.
Curtain-raisers
The grand final was preceded by two preliminary fixtures: the NRL State Championship, where the Newtown Jets clinched a last-second victory against the Burleigh Bears, and the NRL Women's Grand Final, convincingly won by the Brisbane Broncos Women's. Entertainment before kickoff included a performance by American pop rock group OneRepublic, with Natalie Bassingthwaighte singing the Advance Australia Fair. The entire event was broadcast live throughout Australia on the Nine Network.