The two teams will expect a tight encounter; the Cowboys destroyed the Sharks 39-0 and waded past the threat of a very capable Melbourne Storm side on their path to the final, while the Broncos claimed the scalp of minor premiers the Sydney Roosters en route to ANZ Stadium.
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In snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, the Cowboys denied Broncos coach Wayne Bennett an eighth premiership – with defeat hard on Brisbane after they had worked tirelessly to preserve a slender advantage throughout the second half.
Meanwhile “Big Brother” the Brisbane Broncos were accumulating premierships nearly at will.
The team was selected from CQ-raised players who have played in the NRL since its inception in 1998.
“I love these boys”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be there live?
Brisbane have downplayed their desire to send out retiring skipper Justin Hodges a victor as chief motivation for the NRL grand final.
He is lucky to be out there.
A tackling machine, the Broncos rake has averaged 44 tackles a game in the Finals including a mammoth 55 against the Cowboys in their fast paced contest three weeks ago.
In a Grand Final that many predict will be one for the ages, players from both teams will be feeling the pinch late in this contest.
Bird shared the same opinion as Burgess, but said if the judiciary were to treat Hodges’ case the same way as his, he could not see his Queensland Origin enemy getting a fairytale finish to his career. Champion half and four-times Dally M Medal victor Johnathan Thurston had a shot from the sideline to win it all.
Finals were watched from afar by Cowboys again in 2009.
Know thy enemy: with the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos preparing for 2015’s ultimate Rugby League match this Sunday, Roy Morgan Research has the lowdown on their supporters.
The 2002 and 2006 grand final victor said he was taking things easy in the lead-up to Sunday.
Pratt has been a model of consistency with Manly, having missed only a handful of games in his two seasons and one of those games was when he was promoted to filla hole in NSW Cup.
Hodges said he would never have been able to recover from the disappointment of missing the grand final if he was rubbed out.
“It’s a bit sore, but this is a grand final, you’d do anything to get out there”, he said. To be the Clive Churchill Medallist.
Fullback Lachlan Coote could trouble his more fancied opposite number.
While the Broncos will be pleased they kept the electric Roger Tuivasa-Sheck fairly quiet last week, they’ll need to keep a close eye on the thrilling Johnathan Thurston, who will take absolutely any opportunity presented to him.
Milford is arguably the NRL’s most elusive ball-runner a fine adlib playmaker, whereas Morgan uses speed and strength to beat his man. It’s surprised his players and might have even surprised Bennett, if he would admit it.
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With strong reports about his performances this season and a goal-kicking success rate of almost 75%, a future in the game is not out of the question. If any one player holds the key to unlocking this Grand Final, Taumololo is that man.
