2011 NRL GRAND FINAL RESULT
10
SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOOTBALL SEA EAGLES 24 - 10 WARRIORS
FULL TIME SCORELINE - Detailed Match Stats Here SEA EAGLES 24
Tries: Brett Stewart 30min, Daly Cherry-Evans 40min, Glenn Stewart 57min, Jamie Lyon 79min.
Goals: Jamie Lyon 3/3, Michael Robertson 1/1 Attempts.
Defeated
WARRIORS 10
Tries: Manu Vatuvei 62min, Elijah Taylor 69min.
Goals: James Maloney 1/3 Attempts.4 Points - Daly Cherry-Evans, MAN
| League Player Rating: 9.0/10 Statistical Rating: 24.2 |2 Points - Glenn Stewart, MAN1 Point - Kevin Locke, WARTHE NRL TWEET's 5 MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
They will be direct linked when NRL.com's Game Analyser comes online at approx 7pm Monday Night.
5th Minute: James Maloney knocks on from a scrum 15m out.
Watch via NRL.com Analyser
Maloney's first bomb of the match is knocked on by Will Hopoate just inside the field of play - giving the Warriors the field position they were after very early. But Maloney dropped Shaun Johnson's pass from the scrum as cold as a spud, under no pressure at all and the stage fright the Warriors couldn't afford to have, reared its ugly head early. As Manly would ensure throughout the game - the Warriors were not going to get many gift wrapped opportunities in the decider. Maloney's drop was a gigantic chance missed by the Warriors.
36th Minute: Kevin Locke stops Brett Stewart on the line with a try-saver.
Watch via NRL.com Analyser - Closest link available, go to 35min for moment.
Brett Stewart had already scored the opening try of the Grand Final with a superb inside line run off a Daly Cherry-Evans' pass in the 30th minute but he looked set to extend Manly's lead in the 36th when he plucked a flukey Steven Matai off-load out of the air and dove for the try-line in the left hand corner. But Kevin Locke was there to stop his opposing fullback with a strong tackle that stopped Stewart's momentum dead and saved the Warriors from falling conceding back to back tries. It was a brilliant play and one that should have kept the Warriors within a try at the break, if not for...
40th Minute: Glenn Stewart's grubber kick 15m out from his own line with 30 seconds left in the 1st half.
Watch via NRL.com Analyser
It will go down as 'the play' of the 2011 decider. With the clock winding down towards half-time, Glenn Stewart ran the ball to the right just 15m out from his own line and saw that Manu Vatuvei had moved up and in... in a split second at the line, Stewart put a short grubber in for winger Michael Robertson who swooped on the ball and ran downfield. With Daly Cherry-Evans in support, Robertson cut back inside Kevin Locke and ran into his support player Cherry-Evans. Normally that's not an issue but Cherry-Evans was then knocked into Aaron Heremaia and denied the hooker a chance to tackle Robertson when the winger stumbled. Robertson then off-loaded to Matt Ballin who was tackled by
a desperate Sam Rapira 5m out from the line. This is where the play should have stopped and a penalty for an obstruction been ruled in favour of the Warriors but the way the referees work these days they never call an obstruction straight away due to the safety net of the video referee. Fortunately for Manly and desperately unluckily for the Warriors - Ballin being tackled nullified any recourse the video referee had to rule on the obstruction. Ballin played the ball and Cherry-Evans would score off the next play. There is no doubt that Stewart's kick was brilliant and Robertson's run was equally so - but the end result where Cherry-Evans scored to make the score 12-2 at the break to Manly - should never have happened. But how the Warriors responded after halftime would be the key to the Grand Final.
57th Minute: Will Hopoate's flick pass to Glenn Stewart puts Manly up 18-2.
Watch via NRL.com Analyser
Manly put the game beyond doubt in the 57th minute when Jamie Lyon battered a Kieran Foran bomb back to Daly Cherry-Evans who found Will Hopoate on the right touchline and the young winger produced an incredible flick pass back infield (as he was going out) to Glenn Stewart who scored. This try however - as great as it was - was merely the cherry on the top of Manly's first 17 minutes of the second half - as they had easily withstood a safety first approach to the second half by the Warriors - when the game was clearly needing the Warriors to try and pry the game over instead. The game was finally finished off with the Stewart try but the Warriors inability to test the Sea Eagles since the half-time break (and the controversial Cherry-Evans try) was the real difference maker.
65th Minute: Manu Vatuvei knocks on a Shaun Johnson bomb, first set after his try got the Warriors back in it.
Watch via NRL.com Analyser
The Warriors finally woke up to the fact they had to attack if they were going to win the game after Manly took their 18-2 lead with 20 minutes left and after Shaun Johnson had weaved some magic to bamboozle Will Hopoate and open up space for Manu Vatuvei to score in the 62nd minute - Johnson's huge bomb on the next set after points came down 15m out from the Manly try-line and Vatuvei out-leapt the Sea Eagles to get first touch on the football. But his touch went forward, which cancelled out Kevin Locke's pickup and freakish off-load to James Maloney who thought he had scored under the posts. But the Video Ref correctly ruled that Vatuvei's touch went forward and the Grand Final was over. Yes, Elijah Taylor would score in the 68th minute from a Johnson cut-out pass but had the Warriors scored under the posts in the 65th minute right after getting back within 12 points through Vatuvei's try in the 62nd minute - this game would have turned. Manly had thought the game won up 18-2 with 20 minutes left but had Vatuvei not knocked the ball forward (this is not a dig at Vatuvei, his touch just happened bounce forward off his bat-back attempt) and Maloney scores - the Warriors are back within 6 points with 15 minutes left.
Game, Set and Match Manly.
STARTERS
Brett STEWART - Fullback
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 15.1
Scouting Report: Scored the first try of the game in typical Brett Stewart fashion. Used his speed to split a small hole on the inside shoulder of Daly Cherry-Evans and beat Kevin Locke to score. Came close to scoring late in the 1st half and absorbed early punishment on kick-returns.
Michael ROBERTSON - Left Wing
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 12.9
Scouting Report: Finished off Glenn Stewart's big play (the grubber that may have been mentioned before halftime) and wisely passed off to Matt Ballin to get tackled so the obstruction he was involved with wasn't referred to the Video Ref. Veteran leaves with two titles to his name at Manly and should have a Clive Churchill to go with it from 2008. Solid.
Jamie LYON (c) - Right Centre
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 18.5
Scouting Report: The Manly captain finished off arguably the best second half of any season he has played to date with a good performance in the Grand Final. Great to see him want the ball in the dying seconds to score a try rather than just put the ball out. Kicked 3/3 when the game was alive.
Steven MATAI - Left Centre
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 7.6
Scouting Report: Pretty ordinary in a team that played very well. Was bashed early and when he tried to get some back he split his right eyebrow open. Returned but was well beaten on the outside by a converted backrower playing centre in Elijah Taylor for the Warriors' 2nd try.
Will HOPOATE - Right Wing
League Player Rating: 8.0/10 Statistical Rating: 18.7
Scouting Report: Superb performance on the wing. Came looking for work and finished with the most hitups in the match with 24 - 5 clear of his nearest rival. May have had the first error of the game dropping a bomb but his amazing flick pass to send Glenn Stewart over was a thing of beauty. Great game.
Kieran FORAN - Five-Eighth
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 13.3
Scouting Report: Didn't have the impact everyone was expecting but his halves partner was riding the hot hand so Foran let the ball go to Cherry-Evans more often than not. Claimed a try that may well have been given in a regular season round after an error by Krisnan Inu but he did set up Glenn Stewart's try with a deftly placed cross kick. Good but not great.
Daly CHERRY-EVANS - Halfback
League Player Rating: 9.0/10 Statistical Rating: 24.2
Scouting Report: The best player on the field. Glenn Stewart may have had one more 'bigger' moment but Cherry-Evans ran the show for Manly, just as he has done all Finals Series. His kicking game was so much better than his Warriors' counterparts and his keenness for the ball time after time no matter where Manly were on the field was influential. Set up two tries, scored on himself and was involved in the fourth and final try to Jamie Lyon. And he's a rookie.
Joe GALUVAO - Prop
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 12.8
Scouting Report: The veteran did his job early and made sure the Manly ruck defence was tight when he was on the field.
Matt BALLIN - Hooker
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 8.3
Scouting Report: You barely notice Ballin most of the time but that means he is just doing his job in defence and feeding his halves in attack. Almost scored a try before half-time but wisely let Sam Rapira run him down so the Video Ref wasn't called into play from an earlier indiscretion.
Brent KITE - Prop
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 14.4
Scouting Report: His hitups in the second half were very very good. Kept returning whatever the Warriors could dish up with strong runs of his own. Maybe played better than his Clive Churchill Medal winning performance in 2008... it's still hard to fathom how he won it that day. But this game made up for that - very good and played 57 minutes.
Anthony WATMOUGH - Second Row
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 19.3
Scouting Report: His best game of the Finals was last week but he was a contributor this week. Missed a few tackles up the middle but put his hand up for the gut busting runs when needed. Came up with a couple of borderline defensive plays that went Manly's way - credit to him for that.
Tony WILLIAMS - Second Row
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 5.0
Scouting Report: A non-factor. Manly's wrecking ball missed his call time for the Grand Final - but Manly didn't suffer as a result. Disappointing.
Glenn STEWART - Lock Forward
League Player Rating: 8.5/10 Statistical Rating: 25.1
Scouting Report: Grabbed the Clive Churchill Medal and you can't deny he had an impact on the game. Scored one try, set up the last try and rolled the dice on the play of the Grand Final when he grubbered 15m out from his own line with 30 seconds left in the first half. Quality performance after missing a month of footy.
BENCH
Shane RODNEY - Bench Backrower
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 4.8
Scouting Report: Did what he had to do in his 33 minute stint but didn't have any moments that you really noticed him being out there.
Jamie BUHRER - Bench Backrower
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 2.6
Scouting Report: Young backrower came on to play centre when Steven Matai cut his eyebrow open, then sat back down when Matai returned.
Vic MAURO - Bench Prop
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 15.9
Scouting Report: Best performing bench player for Manly. His form in the final month or two of the season has been a real bright spot for Manly.
George ROSE - Bench Prop
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 3.2
Scouting Report: Was extremely lucky his errant elbow didn't decapitate Aaron Heremaia soon after he came on the field. Placed on report and faces 2 weeks suspension. Not much else to report other than he was the first person to congratulate Brett Stewart when the fullback opened the scoring... so naturally his support play was excellent.
Total Score: 113.0
STARTERS
Kevin LOCKE - Fullback
League Player Rating: 8.0/10 Statistical Rating: 16.3
Scouting Report: The shining light for the Warriors. Would like that one on one tackle on Brett Stewart back from the opening try but other than that he was superb. Stopped Brett Stewart soon after with a try-saver and popped up all over the place in attack - the only issue was the Warriors didn't try to attack nearly enough to give him more opportunities. His intent on kick returns must be commended.
Bill TUPOU - Right Wing
League Player Rating: 6.0/10 Statistical Rating: 6.4
Scouting Report: Was good for the 47 minutes he was on before a head clash with Steven Matai ended his night.
Lewis BROWN - Left Centre
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 10.7
Scouting Report: A bit player in the game. Tackled well, ran the ball occasionally but apart from one deft grubber late to force a repeat set, didn't make a difference.
Krisnan INU - Right Centre
League Player Rating: 5.5/10 Statistical Rating: 11.1
Scouting Report: Up and down like a yo-yo but that's Krisnan Inu. Pulled off a couple of good hits early and ran the ball well but also came up with a few bad errors. Someone needs to find that intensity switch and lock it into the on position.
Manu VATUVEI - Left Wing
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 17.0
Scouting Report: The Beast made his runs count, saved one try and scored one himself. He can hold his head high for what he contributed but had he knocked that Shaun Johnson bomb back instead of forward right after his try... well, what might have been.
James MALONEY - Five-Eighth
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 14.9
Scouting Report: His early knock on was huge in the context of the game. The Warriors had just got a golden opportunity to score first and he knocked on from the scrum. Never really recovered to put his stamp on the game and bar one line break from a Feleti Mateo pass, was well and truly out of the match.
Shaun JOHNSON - Halfback
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 13.4
Scouting Report: Like Maloney he struggled with his long kicking game in the first half (although his kick for Manu Vatuvei early was almost perfect) but took over both the playmaking and kicking duties in the second half and got the Warriors back in it. Should learn plenty from the game.
Russell PACKER - Prop
League Player Rating: 4.5/10 Statistical Rating: 8.0
Scouting Report: Very disappointing performance from the big unit. Just four runs before being subbed in the opening half then just two after the break when the Warriors needed him to make a statement. Yes he's young but this was disappointing.
Lance HOHAIA - Hooker
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 8.2
Scouting Report: Started for Aaron Heremaia and wanted to get out of dummy half for a run but Manly wouldn't let him. Didn't add a great deal either half.
Jacob LILLYMAN - Prop
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.1
Scouting Report: Hurled himself in the game early but not nearly as effective in the second half.
Elijah TAYLOR - Second Row
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 12.7
Scouting Report: Was asked to play defensive specialist early and did his job. Came back on for Bill Tupou when the winger copped a head knock and beat Steven Matai easily for the Warriors' second try of the game.
Simon MANNERING (c) - Second Row
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 15.0
Scouting Report: Played the same game he has for practically his whole career - effort on effort on effort. Didn't see much ball in attack and as a result didn't get a chance to work over Kieran Foran on Manly's left. Manly wisely went to the other side of the field when they wanted to attack - taking Mannering out of the game's key moments.
Micheal LUCK - Lock Forward
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.2
Scouting Report: Gave his all but was replaced late in an attempt by Ivan Cleary to inject more strike... but sadly for Luck and his team-mates that safety first approach killed the Warriors in the end. But Luck's game is not to blame, he was gallant.
BENCH
Sam RAPIRA - Bench Prop
League Player Rating: 6.0/10 Statistical Rating: 9.5
Scouting Report: His best play of the night actually hurt the Warriors. Tracking back desperately after the Glenn Stewart grubber and Michael Robertson run - Rapira made a try-saver on Matt Ballin just 5m out from the tryline. But had Rapira let Ballin score - the Warriors go to halftime down by just 6-2 rather than 12-2. Tried hard to lift the team in the second half but couldn't.
Aaron HEREMAIA - Bench Hooker
League Player Rating: 5.5/10 Statistical Rating: 3.1
Scouting Report: Another player involved in that 'play' involving Glenn Stewart's grubber. Was obstructed by Cherry-Evans but that's history now. Long held the belief he is a better option to start the game and it showed as the Warriors couldn't provide him a platform when he came on for Lance Hohaia in the first half. Didn't find any room.
Feleti MATEO - Bench Backrower
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.8
Scouting Report: Had to play 80 minutes. Finished with just 57. Yet after benching Mateo the past two weeks - the Warriors went behind early in both games with Mateo on the bench for a defensive specialist - the Warriors actually led 2-0 when he came on. His footwork gave Manly's edge defenders problems all night but he never found the ball two wide enough to really make things happen for his outside men.
Ben MATULINO - Bench Prop
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 18.5
Scouting Report: Just behind Locke as the Warriors' best. Made metres with every run and hit hard. Hopefully his form of the past month is a sign we will see him be a big factor in the Four Nations and more of the dominant runner we've seen this Finals Series - next season. Great young player.
Total Score: 106.5 POST-GRAND FINAL PRESS CONFERENCES
SEA EAGLES - Des Hasler, Jamie Lyon and Glenn Stewart
WARRIORS - Ivan Cleary and Simon Mannering
VIDEO FROM FOX SPORTS: Manly return to Brookvale post-Grand Final victory.
24
Defeated
10
CONGRATULATIONS MANLY-WARRINGAH - THE PREMIERS OF 2011!
The Sea Eagles were just too good and were prepared to keep playing footy every chance they got in the decider. That proved to be the difference, as the Warriors clammed up in the opening 60 minutes and left their charge way too late.
THE NRL TWEET'S GRAND FINAL REVIEW
Includes 4-2-1s for Player of the Grand Final, Full Scouting Reports and Player Ratings on EVERY player and 5 Moments that Mattered in deciding the 2011 Grand Final. Read on...
Includes 4-2-1s for Player of the Grand Final, Full Scouting Reports and Player Ratings on EVERY player and 5 Moments that Mattered in deciding the 2011 Grand Final. Read on...
SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOOTBALL SEA EAGLES 24 - 10 WARRIORS | Match Info | Game Stats | 5:15pm (Local) Sunday 2 October @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney |
Referees: T Archer, M Cecchin. Touch Judges: P Holland, D Eastwood. Video Ref: R Smith, S Hampstead.
NRLTweet Game Summary: Manly-Warringah are Premiers for 2011 after turning a 12-2 HT lead over the Warriors, into a 24-10 victory in front of 81,988 at ANZ Stadium. Glenn Stewart was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.WARRIORS : K Locke, B Tupou, L Brown, K Inu, M Vatuvei, J Maloney, S Johnson, R Packer, L Hohaia, J Lillyman, E Taylor, S Mannering (c), M Luck. Bench: A Heremaia, Sam Rapira, F Mateo, B Matulino. Coach: Ivan Cleary.
FULL TIME SCORELINE - Detailed Match Stats Here SEA EAGLES 24Tries: Brett Stewart 30min, Daly Cherry-Evans 40min, Glenn Stewart 57min, Jamie Lyon 79min.
Goals: Jamie Lyon 3/3, Michael Robertson 1/1 Attempts.
Defeated
WARRIORS 10Tries: Manu Vatuvei 62min, Elijah Taylor 69min.
Goals: James Maloney 1/3 Attempts.
At ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Sunday October 2, 2011. Crowd: 81,988. Referees: Ordinary.
4 Points - Daly Cherry-Evans, MAN| League Player Rating: 9.0/10 Statistical Rating: 24.2 |
Scouting Report: The best player on the field. Glenn Stewart may have had one more 'bigger' moment but Cherry-Evans ran the show for Manly, just as he has done all Finals Series. His kicking game was so much better than his Warriors' counterparts and his keenness for the ball time after time no matter where Manly were on the field was influential. Set up two tries, scored on himself and was involved in the fourth and final try to Jamie Lyon. And he's a rookie.
2 Points - Glenn Stewart, MAN| League Player Rating: 8.5/10 Statistical Rating: 25.1 |
Scouting Report: Grabbed the Clive Churchill Medal and you can't deny he had an impact on the game. Scored one try, set up the last try and rolled the dice on the play of the Grand Final when he grubbered 15m out from his own line with 30 seconds left in the first half. Quality performance after missing a month of footy.
1 Point - Kevin Locke, WAR| League Player Rating: 8.0/10 Statistical Rating: 16.3 |
Scouting Report: The shining light for the Warriors. Would like that one on one tackle on Brett Stewart back from the opening try but other than that he was superb. Stopped Brett Stewart soon after with a try-saver and popped up all over the place in attack - the only issue was the Warriors didn't try to attack nearly enough to give him more opportunities. His intent on kick returns must be commended.
NRL.com GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
They will be direct linked when NRL.com's Game Analyser comes online at approx 7pm Monday Night.
5th Minute: James Maloney knocks on from a scrum 15m out. Watch via NRL.com Analyser
Maloney's first bomb of the match is knocked on by Will Hopoate just inside the field of play - giving the Warriors the field position they were after very early. But Maloney dropped Shaun Johnson's pass from the scrum as cold as a spud, under no pressure at all and the stage fright the Warriors couldn't afford to have, reared its ugly head early. As Manly would ensure throughout the game - the Warriors were not going to get many gift wrapped opportunities in the decider. Maloney's drop was a gigantic chance missed by the Warriors.
36th Minute: Kevin Locke stops Brett Stewart on the line with a try-saver. Watch via NRL.com Analyser - Closest link available, go to 35min for moment.
Brett Stewart had already scored the opening try of the Grand Final with a superb inside line run off a Daly Cherry-Evans' pass in the 30th minute but he looked set to extend Manly's lead in the 36th when he plucked a flukey Steven Matai off-load out of the air and dove for the try-line in the left hand corner. But Kevin Locke was there to stop his opposing fullback with a strong tackle that stopped Stewart's momentum dead and saved the Warriors from falling conceding back to back tries. It was a brilliant play and one that should have kept the Warriors within a try at the break, if not for...
40th Minute: Glenn Stewart's grubber kick 15m out from his own line with 30 seconds left in the 1st half. Watch via NRL.com Analyser
It will go down as 'the play' of the 2011 decider. With the clock winding down towards half-time, Glenn Stewart ran the ball to the right just 15m out from his own line and saw that Manu Vatuvei had moved up and in... in a split second at the line, Stewart put a short grubber in for winger Michael Robertson who swooped on the ball and ran downfield. With Daly Cherry-Evans in support, Robertson cut back inside Kevin Locke and ran into his support player Cherry-Evans. Normally that's not an issue but Cherry-Evans was then knocked into Aaron Heremaia and denied the hooker a chance to tackle Robertson when the winger stumbled. Robertson then off-loaded to Matt Ballin who was tackled by
a desperate Sam Rapira 5m out from the line. This is where the play should have stopped and a penalty for an obstruction been ruled in favour of the Warriors but the way the referees work these days they never call an obstruction straight away due to the safety net of the video referee. Fortunately for Manly and desperately unluckily for the Warriors - Ballin being tackled nullified any recourse the video referee had to rule on the obstruction. Ballin played the ball and Cherry-Evans would score off the next play. There is no doubt that Stewart's kick was brilliant and Robertson's run was equally so - but the end result where Cherry-Evans scored to make the score 12-2 at the break to Manly - should never have happened. But how the Warriors responded after halftime would be the key to the Grand Final.
57th Minute: Will Hopoate's flick pass to Glenn Stewart puts Manly up 18-2. Watch via NRL.com Analyser
Manly put the game beyond doubt in the 57th minute when Jamie Lyon battered a Kieran Foran bomb back to Daly Cherry-Evans who found Will Hopoate on the right touchline and the young winger produced an incredible flick pass back infield (as he was going out) to Glenn Stewart who scored. This try however - as great as it was - was merely the cherry on the top of Manly's first 17 minutes of the second half - as they had easily withstood a safety first approach to the second half by the Warriors - when the game was clearly needing the Warriors to try and pry the game over instead. The game was finally finished off with the Stewart try but the Warriors inability to test the Sea Eagles since the half-time break (and the controversial Cherry-Evans try) was the real difference maker.
65th Minute: Manu Vatuvei knocks on a Shaun Johnson bomb, first set after his try got the Warriors back in it. Watch via NRL.com Analyser
The Warriors finally woke up to the fact they had to attack if they were going to win the game after Manly took their 18-2 lead with 20 minutes left and after Shaun Johnson had weaved some magic to bamboozle Will Hopoate and open up space for Manu Vatuvei to score in the 62nd minute - Johnson's huge bomb on the next set after points came down 15m out from the Manly try-line and Vatuvei out-leapt the Sea Eagles to get first touch on the football. But his touch went forward, which cancelled out Kevin Locke's pickup and freakish off-load to James Maloney who thought he had scored under the posts. But the Video Ref correctly ruled that Vatuvei's touch went forward and the Grand Final was over. Yes, Elijah Taylor would score in the 68th minute from a Johnson cut-out pass but had the Warriors scored under the posts in the 65th minute right after getting back within 12 points through Vatuvei's try in the 62nd minute - this game would have turned. Manly had thought the game won up 18-2 with 20 minutes left but had Vatuvei not knocked the ball forward (this is not a dig at Vatuvei, his touch just happened bounce forward off his bat-back attempt) and Maloney scores - the Warriors are back within 6 points with 15 minutes left.
Game, Set and Match Manly. And rightfully so, as they were just too good on the day and turned a supremely consistent season into a excellent performance on the biggest day of the year.
PLAYER RATINGS + SCOUTING REPORTS
The League Player Rating is a Game Score out of 10. The Statistical Rating incorporates 19 separate statistics weighted to evenly assess the contributions in a game by a player in any position. The Scouting Report is just that - a scouting report of the individual's Grand Final Performance.STARTERS
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 15.1
Scouting Report: Scored the first try of the game in typical Brett Stewart fashion. Used his speed to split a small hole on the inside shoulder of Daly Cherry-Evans and beat Kevin Locke to score. Came close to scoring late in the 1st half and absorbed early punishment on kick-returns.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 12.9
Scouting Report: Finished off Glenn Stewart's big play (the grubber that may have been mentioned before halftime) and wisely passed off to Matt Ballin to get tackled so the obstruction he was involved with wasn't referred to the Video Ref. Veteran leaves with two titles to his name at Manly and should have a Clive Churchill to go with it from 2008. Solid.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 18.5
Scouting Report: The Manly captain finished off arguably the best second half of any season he has played to date with a good performance in the Grand Final. Great to see him want the ball in the dying seconds to score a try rather than just put the ball out. Kicked 3/3 when the game was alive.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 7.6
Scouting Report: Pretty ordinary in a team that played very well. Was bashed early and when he tried to get some back he split his right eyebrow open. Returned but was well beaten on the outside by a converted backrower playing centre in Elijah Taylor for the Warriors' 2nd try.
League Player Rating: 8.0/10 Statistical Rating: 18.7
Scouting Report: Superb performance on the wing. Came looking for work and finished with the most hitups in the match with 24 - 5 clear of his nearest rival. May have had the first error of the game dropping a bomb but his amazing flick pass to send Glenn Stewart over was a thing of beauty. Great game.
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 13.3
Scouting Report: Didn't have the impact everyone was expecting but his halves partner was riding the hot hand so Foran let the ball go to Cherry-Evans more often than not. Claimed a try that may well have been given in a regular season round after an error by Krisnan Inu but he did set up Glenn Stewart's try with a deftly placed cross kick. Good but not great.
League Player Rating: 9.0/10 Statistical Rating: 24.2
Scouting Report: The best player on the field. Glenn Stewart may have had one more 'bigger' moment but Cherry-Evans ran the show for Manly, just as he has done all Finals Series. His kicking game was so much better than his Warriors' counterparts and his keenness for the ball time after time no matter where Manly were on the field was influential. Set up two tries, scored on himself and was involved in the fourth and final try to Jamie Lyon. And he's a rookie.
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 12.8
Scouting Report: The veteran did his job early and made sure the Manly ruck defence was tight when he was on the field.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 8.3
Scouting Report: You barely notice Ballin most of the time but that means he is just doing his job in defence and feeding his halves in attack. Almost scored a try before half-time but wisely let Sam Rapira run him down so the Video Ref wasn't called into play from an earlier indiscretion.
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 14.4
Scouting Report: His hitups in the second half were very very good. Kept returning whatever the Warriors could dish up with strong runs of his own. Maybe played better than his Clive Churchill Medal winning performance in 2008... it's still hard to fathom how he won it that day. But this game made up for that - very good and played 57 minutes.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 19.3
Scouting Report: His best game of the Finals was last week but he was a contributor this week. Missed a few tackles up the middle but put his hand up for the gut busting runs when needed. Came up with a couple of borderline defensive plays that went Manly's way - credit to him for that.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 5.0
Scouting Report: A non-factor. Manly's wrecking ball missed his call time for the Grand Final - but Manly didn't suffer as a result. Disappointing.
League Player Rating: 8.5/10 Statistical Rating: 25.1
Scouting Report: Grabbed the Clive Churchill Medal and you can't deny he had an impact on the game. Scored one try, set up the last try and rolled the dice on the play of the Grand Final when he grubbered 15m out from his own line with 30 seconds left in the first half. Quality performance after missing a month of footy.
BENCH
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 4.8
Scouting Report: Did what he had to do in his 33 minute stint but didn't have any moments that you really noticed him being out there.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 2.6
Scouting Report: Young backrower came on to play centre when Steven Matai cut his eyebrow open, then sat back down when Matai returned.
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 15.9
Scouting Report: Best performing bench player for Manly. His form in the final month or two of the season has been a real bright spot for Manly.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 3.2
Scouting Report: Was extremely lucky his errant elbow didn't decapitate Aaron Heremaia soon after he came on the field. Placed on report and faces 2 weeks suspension. Not much else to report other than he was the first person to congratulate Brett Stewart when the fullback opened the scoring... so naturally his support play was excellent.
Total Score: 113.0 STARTERS
Kevin LOCKE - Fullback
League Player Rating: 8.0/10 Statistical Rating: 16.3
Scouting Report: The shining light for the Warriors. Would like that one on one tackle on Brett Stewart back from the opening try but other than that he was superb. Stopped Brett Stewart soon after with a try-saver and popped up all over the place in attack - the only issue was the Warriors didn't try to attack nearly enough to give him more opportunities. His intent on kick returns must be commended.
League Player Rating: 6.0/10 Statistical Rating: 6.4
Scouting Report: Was good for the 47 minutes he was on before a head clash with Steven Matai ended his night.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 10.7
Scouting Report: A bit player in the game. Tackled well, ran the ball occasionally but apart from one deft grubber late to force a repeat set, didn't make a difference.
League Player Rating: 5.5/10 Statistical Rating: 11.1
Scouting Report: Up and down like a yo-yo but that's Krisnan Inu. Pulled off a couple of good hits early and ran the ball well but also came up with a few bad errors. Someone needs to find that intensity switch and lock it into the on position.
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 17.0
Scouting Report: The Beast made his runs count, saved one try and scored one himself. He can hold his head high for what he contributed but had he knocked that Shaun Johnson bomb back instead of forward right after his try... well, what might have been.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 14.9
Scouting Report: His early knock on was huge in the context of the game. The Warriors had just got a golden opportunity to score first and he knocked on from the scrum. Never really recovered to put his stamp on the game and bar one line break from a Feleti Mateo pass, was well and truly out of the match.
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 13.4
Scouting Report: Like Maloney he struggled with his long kicking game in the first half (although his kick for Manu Vatuvei early was almost perfect) but took over both the playmaking and kicking duties in the second half and got the Warriors back in it. Should learn plenty from the game.
League Player Rating: 4.5/10 Statistical Rating: 8.0
Scouting Report: Very disappointing performance from the big unit. Just four runs before being subbed in the opening half then just two after the break when the Warriors needed him to make a statement. Yes he's young but this was disappointing.
League Player Rating: 5.0/10 Statistical Rating: 8.2
Scouting Report: Started for Aaron Heremaia and wanted to get out of dummy half for a run but Manly wouldn't let him. Didn't add a great deal either half.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.1
Scouting Report: Hurled himself in the game early but not nearly as effective in the second half.
League Player Rating: 6.5/10 Statistical Rating: 12.7
Scouting Report: Was asked to play defensive specialist early and did his job. Came back on for Bill Tupou when the winger copped a head knock and beat Steven Matai easily for the Warriors' second try of the game.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 15.0
Scouting Report: Played the same game he has for practically his whole career - effort on effort on effort. Didn't see much ball in attack and as a result didn't get a chance to work over Kieran Foran on Manly's left. Manly wisely went to the other side of the field when they wanted to attack - taking Mannering out of the game's key moments.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.2
Scouting Report: Gave his all but was replaced late in an attempt by Ivan Cleary to inject more strike... but sadly for Luck and his team-mates that safety first approach killed the Warriors in the end. But Luck's game is not to blame, he was gallant.
BENCH
League Player Rating: 6.0/10 Statistical Rating: 9.5
Scouting Report: His best play of the night actually hurt the Warriors. Tracking back desperately after the Glenn Stewart grubber and Michael Robertson run - Rapira made a try-saver on Matt Ballin just 5m out from the tryline. But had Rapira let Ballin score - the Warriors go to halftime down by just 6-2 rather than 12-2. Tried hard to lift the team in the second half but couldn't.
League Player Rating: 5.5/10 Statistical Rating: 3.1
Scouting Report: Another player involved in that 'play' involving Glenn Stewart's grubber. Was obstructed by Cherry-Evans but that's history now. Long held the belief he is a better option to start the game and it showed as the Warriors couldn't provide him a platform when he came on for Lance Hohaia in the first half. Didn't find any room.
League Player Rating: 7.0/10 Statistical Rating: 13.8
Scouting Report: Had to play 80 minutes. Finished with just 57. Yet after benching Mateo the past two weeks - the Warriors went behind early in both games with Mateo on the bench for a defensive specialist - the Warriors actually led 2-0 when he came on. His footwork gave Manly's edge defenders problems all night but he never found the ball two wide enough to really make things happen for his outside men.
League Player Rating: 7.5/10 Statistical Rating: 18.5
Scouting Report: Just behind Locke as the Warriors' best. Made metres with every run and hit hard. Hopefully his form of the past month is a sign we will see him be a big factor in the Four Nations and more of the dominant runner we've seen this Finals Series - next season. Great young player.
Total Score: 106.5 SEA EAGLES - Des Hasler, Jamie Lyon and Glenn Stewart
WARRIORS - Ivan Cleary and Simon Mannering
VIDEO FROM FOX SPORTS: Manly return to Brookvale post-Grand Final victory.
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Starts at 2:05pm - GAME STATS Sunday October 2, 2011.
Referee: D Munro. Touch Judges: L Phillips, H Perenara. Video Ref: S Clark.
WARRIORS 31 - 30 COWBOYS 
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Starts at 12:05pm Sunday October 2, 2011.
Referee: J Stone. Touch Judges: R Daizli, N Beashel.
Referee: J Stone. Touch Judges: R Daizli, N Beashel.
BULLDOGS 30 - 28 VULCANS 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS TO COME...
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On Monday October 3rd, the following 24 Man Australian Squad was named for the 2011 Four Nations by coach Tim Sheens.
Darren Lockyer (c), Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday, Jharal Yow Yeh, David Shillington, Paul Gallen, Daly Cherry-Evans, Brett Stewart, Glenn Stewart, Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Akuila Uate, Matthew Scott, Johnathan Thurston, Luke Lewis, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, David Taylor, Keith Galloway, Robbie Farah, Chris Lawrence.Australia plays New Zealand in Newcastle on October 16 before going to England for the rest of the Four Nations campaign.
Date | Match | Kick-off UK | Venue |
Friday, Oct 28 | Australia v New Zealand | 20.00hrs | Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington |
Saturday, Oct 29 | England v Wales | 14.30hrs | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh |
Saturday, Nov 5 | Wales v New Zealand | 13.00hrs | Wembley Stadium, London |
Saturday, Nov 5 | England v Australia | 15.30hrs | Wembley Stadium, London |
Saturday, Nov 12 | England v New Zealand | 18.00hrs | KC Stadium, Hull |
Sunday, Nov 13 | Wales v Australia | 17.45hrs | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham |
Saturday, Nov 19 | Four Nations Final | 18.00hrs | Elland Road, Leeds |
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NOT The Footy Show Episode 88 - Hour 1- Featuring Predicted Game Call, K Campion, R Smart, M Duncan -
Right Click Save Target As This Link if you don't have iTunes.
Part 1 of 2. Manly v Warriors Grand Final Preview and our exclusive Grand Final Call. Special guests include former Warrior Kevin Campion talking half-time Grand Final Speeches, Ross Smart from Canterbury talking NSW Cup, Eyes tells us what he learned about League and Matt Duncan looks in depth at both squads - as they join hosts Nic McInerney and Warrick Nicolson for Part 1 of the Grand Final Show.
NOT The Footy Show Episode 88 - Hour 2- Featuring W Sailor, A Raymond, M Tsialis + Predicitons -
Right Click Save Target As This Link if you don't have iTunes.
Part 2 of 2. Special guests include League Superstar Wendell Sailor talking his Grand Final Moments, Andy Raymond from Fox Sports talking tactics and Big League's Maria Tsialis gives her predictions - as they join hosts DC Chapman and Warrick Nicolson for Part 2 of the Grand Final Show.
We also 'interview' Manu Vatuvei, Des Hasler, Ivan Cleary and Brett Stewart, give all our game predictions and update Fantasy League and more - in the most comprehensive look on the GF you can get.
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