Palmerston Raiders struck back against Northern Sharks to win the 2022 NRL NT grand final
Palmerston Raiders have ended a decade of hurt after winning a thrilling NRL NT grand final over Northern Sharks. Check out all the action and pictures here.
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Palmerston Raiders triumphed over Northern Sharks and a decade of hurt after winning 12-8 in a thriller of an NRL NT A-Grade grand final.
Northern Sharks were unbeaten all year and with the 2021 premiership behind them came in as the favoured side.
And that’s how they started bringing the early intensity and showing they were eager to go back to back.
See all the action from the women’s grandfinal.
A clever pass from Dakota Marsh was the catalyst for Sharks’ opening try as he gave David Munro the space to charge in the first try.
Palmerston were on the charge themselves when Sharks’ Clint Chettle tip tackled Angus Warhurst, who landed on his head.
Chettle was sent from the field as a result in what would prove to be the moment of the match as his Sharks were forced to play more than 60 minutes with just 12 men.
They reacted with the calmness they’ve become known for in 2022 steeling themselves and sticking to their game plan.
Playmakers Mitch Burke and Damien Mick directed traffic and soon Sharks were deep in Palmerston territory once more.
They were, however, further unsettled when full back Caleb Smith took a heavy tackle from Raiders’ big man Joel Turaga.
Sharks eventually found their second try through dynamic centre Simaika Salaa whose direct running caught out the Palmerston defence.
It was Raiders who came into the second half with more intensity knowing they would need to test Sharks’ fitness to the end.
Jacob Rainger proved pivotal carrying the ball hard and finding gaps for his side while Turaga was impactful with every run.
And they had their reward for effort 10 minutes into the half when William Nugraha charged over the line to put Palmerston on the board.
Another direct run minutes after gave Raiders their second through Watson Koroirere and with a successful hit they were ahead.
Sharks had to react then, fatigued as they were, and fought on to the very end as Lachie Wright and Cooper Segeyaro went on attack after attack.
But Raiders held on as Shane Smith and Brad Hansen were among those who delivered tackle after tackle to protect their line.
And then as the whistle blew the men from Palmerston jumped up in jubilation having claimed their first premiership victory since 2013.
Coach Merg Mikaelian was elated after the win and gave credit to his boys who toughed it out right the way through.
“It’s elation. I’m really just so proud of the boys,” Mikaelian said.
“Sharks were amazing as well. They had one player down for nearly the whole game. We talked at half time that they would be gassed by the end and we just stuck to it.
“It was a real quiet week and we just thought there might be a sneaky bit of complacency in the Sharks.
“We just felt we had to stick to our game plan, which we didn’t do to be honest, and we got a bit of luck they had a player sent off.”
Palmerston mainstay Brad Hansen was lost for words after seeing his Palmerston side win another premiership.
“We’ve worked so hard for it. We’ve come so close in the past few years and it’s so emotional to be here,” Hansen said.
“It was a tough game. I’m lost for words, we’ve been waiting for this for years.
“We knew even though they were down to 12 they were still going to give it to us, we still had to dig deep and turn up for each other. This team is a family.”
Northern Sharks coach PD Downes credited Palmerston for their effort and praised his Sharks’ efforts for fighting to the bitter end.
He conceded it was always going to be a tough ask considering they played a man down.
“We came out to win this final, but there’s no guarantees in these games,” Downes said.
“There’s a bit of an ill feeling in the group. It was always going to be a hard ask losing someone 20 minutes into the game. It was going to eventually take its toll.
“We fought to the end. Credit to Raiders, we fought at 100 per cent and they responded with 100 per cent, and that’s all we could ask for at the end of the day.”
Palmerston’s Jacob Rainger was named the man of the match after a gutsy display in the centres where he was pivotal in giving Palmerston their second half chances.
“People wrote us off saying the Sharks were unbeatable, but we had some big ins through the week that really added stability,” Rainger said.
“We had the belief we could do it. We had a few mistakes in the first half, but we held the ball a bit better in the second half and eventually possession wore them down.
“I think best on ground could have gone to anyone today, we all lifted and I’m just happy to receive, I’m truly grateful.
“Can’t put into words how proud we are as a club to finally win it after so many losses in the final and going out in straight sets. To finish it off is unbelievable.”
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