Despite heartbreaking result, Knights remain the people’s choice

We knew what would happen in this grand final – and it didn’t.

All the smarties, and all the rest of us besides, knew that however much popular sentiment was behind the Knights in this NRL grand final, last year’s wooden-spooner workers beating the uppity glory boys of the eastern suburbs would be wonderful – but elite sport just doesn’t work like that.

The Knights, we knew, had left their best on the field by beating Penrith last week, and would have nothing left to give. The Roosters, obviously, had too much firepower, too much big-match experience, too much sheer talent, to lose against – what’s that smell? – the sweaty proletariat from the north. No-one would be surprised by a 20-point victory, if not 30 points.

And yet?

And yet all through the first half it was obvious we had a real contest on our hands. Despite the Roosters dominating possession and territory, the Knights had something the Roosters did not.

Firstly, the ability to successfully strike. While the Roosters always threatened to score, the only thing they had to show for it from the first half was a piece of individual brilliance from their rugby-bound winger Mark Nawaqanitawase to not just toe it through as we’ve seen players do many times, but use two toes – a tap with the left to bring it under control, and a thrust with the right to perfectly push it over the try-line to dive on top of it. (How many times are we going to see “Marky-Mark” do things that we’re not quite sure that we’ve ever seen before?)

Secondly, the Knights had a bit of luck. There is no doubt that opening 40 minutes the Novocastrians had the rub of the green, with the ball bouncing their way, including right into Kalyn Ponga’s arms just when they needed it most to score a runaway try – their second after a great early effort by Francis Manuleleua.

Going into the break, the Knights 12-6 lead was a fitting reward for their efforts. To that point the Roosters had showed very little bar two tactics endlessly repeated: the up and the under. Sooner or later, was their clear reckoning, the individual brilliance of Marky-Mark must make the difference from whatever scraps their kicks delivered.

Sadly – you heard me – the Roosters were pretty much correct.

Though the Roosters centre Billy Smith scored a good try to close early in the second half to make it 12-12 and Sam Walker nailed a penalty to give the Roosters a 14-12 lead, with 20 minutes to go – who else could it be but? – Marky-Mark went over in the corner again to make it 18-12.

(A pause here, for rugby folk. As I write, let us rejoice that this superb athlete is coming home to the Wallabies. Good Lord willing and the creeks don’t rise, at about this time next year he’ll be wreaking havoc on the All Black, Springboks and French in the World Cup. With Joseph Aukuso Suaalii also in our corner, no team in the world will be better equipped to dominate the aerial game. We now resume our normal service.)

In the meantime?

In the meantime, as the game went on the Channel Nine coverage gave us regular crosses to the folk watching at home.

“The cutaways to the Paddington Inn,” a mate noted, “look like a casting call for Australia’s Next Top Model. The cutaways to Newcastle look like a gathering of great Aussies.” The casting call people looked as if they were pleased. The Novacastrians looked as if they were hanging on every tackle, every pass. They were the ones we wanted to be rewarded for their passion.

Please, can the Knights pull this off against all odds? Can the team showing all the heart, all the grit, all the refusal to give up, actually triumph against the team just endlessly kicking the damn thing?

Alas it was not to be. In the end the smarties were right. The Roosters really just did have too much firepower, too much Marky-Mark and too many up-and-unders to be denied. When Daly Chery-Evans put over a field goal with 10 minutes to go to make it 19-12, it was going to need a miracle and there wasn’t to be one ….

WAIT!

With just three minutes to go, Greg Marzhew sails over for the Knights in the corner against all odds! Converted, the score closes to 19-18, and an ordinary match is set for a superb finish!

There would be no more miracles. The Roosters won with that score. They are the premiers, and good luck to them. But the Knights remain the people’s choice. They displayed all the qualities we most admire in sport – courage, creativity, refusal to bend – but just didn’t get there in the end. Bugger.