NRL Finals: Six magic moments from Cronulla's victory

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This was published 7 years ago

NRL Finals: Six magic moments from Cronulla's victory

By Matt Bungard
Updated

It was one-way traffic on Friday night as Cronulla strolled into the grand final – and really, the whole game will be a highlight for their fans. Despite this, here a few of the most magical moments from their 12-point victory.

Shoe-in of the week: A Cronulla fan does a 'shoey' after Chad Townsend's first half try.

Shoe-in of the week: A Cronulla fan does a 'shoey' after Chad Townsend's first half try.Credit: Channel Nine

It was early in the game, but one Cronulla fan was ready to celebrate towards the back end of the first half, necking the rest of his drink after pouring it into his shoe. Look, I don't know if there's ever a RIGHT time to do a Shoey, but if there is, this was it. Full props to him – I hope he was wearing clean socks beforehand.

Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win big games. In the end, it didn't really matter, but the Chad Townsend try at the end of the first 40 really broke the game open... and the last pass from James Maloney to his halves partner sailed miles forward. The Roosters famously scored off a forward pass in the 2013 grand final (which, funnily enough, was also thrown by Maloney), as did the Rabbitohs in 2014 (although that game was beyond doubt at the time) and every successful team in history can probably look back at something that favoured them when it shouldn't have – and grabbing this try just before the break was key in that it gave Cronulla a scoreline that better reflected their dominance.

The Sharks targeted Johnathan Thurston all night in both attack and defence, putting a few shots on the star halfback when he had the ball – but it was on the other side of the coin where JT was really left hurting on a couple of occasions. Just before the interval, Val Holmes loaded up on a kick return and ran full steam right at the Maroons legend... sending him flying through the air. It fired up the crowd and no doubt stuck in the Dally M winner's mind for the rest of the game. For good measure, Jack Bird knocked him off his feet in the latter stages of the second half as well. He missed four tackles on just 10 made, so the strategy definitely worked.

Air mail: Johnathan Thurston was sent flying through the air by Valentine Holmes.

Air mail: Johnathan Thurston was sent flying through the air by Valentine Holmes.Credit: Channel Nine

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He's about to go to a grand final with his third club (Warriors in 2011, Roosters in 2013) and was one of the true standouts tonight – carrying a pack of Cowboys defenders to the line before getting the ball down. It wasn't the prettiest effort, but it was gritty, determined and strong – attributes that any club looks for in their leaders.

Signed, sealed, delivered: James Maloney's intercept capped off a magic night for Cronulla.

Signed, sealed, delivered: James Maloney's intercept capped off a magic night for Cronulla.Credit: Getty Images

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The game was already almost beyond beyond doubt, but Maloney's intercept try after a short kick-off from the Cowboys well and truly sent the Cronulla fans into raptures. He had a lot of work to do but the chasers were out on their feet after more than an hour of non-stop defence. If anything, he gained ground on the chasing back before diving over to make it 30-6 and quash any faint hopes of a comeback.

This game obviously meant the world to a lot of people, but few more than Chad Townsend. The prodigal son returned to the Shire after leaving his junior club to go to the Warriors for the 2014 and 15 seasons, and was criticised heavily in the first week of the finals after a poor showing against Canberra, when he was 'hooked' with plenty of time still left on the clock. He silenced those critics tonight, putting in an excellent display that saw him score a try and put one on for Luke Lewis. After the siren sounded, the emotion became a bit too overwhelming and the tears began to flow. A touching moment for one of Cronulla's unsung heroes this year.

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