Pride fully restored in Big Red V
IT wasn't especially pretty. But for long-suffering Dragons fans, last night's grand final wasn't about aesthetics.
IT wasn't especially pretty. But for long-suffering Dragons fans, last night's grand final wasn't about aesthetics.
It was about breaking a 31-year title drought. It was about restoring some pride in the Big Red V jersey, with the famous club having lost the past five grand finals in which it appeared.
And it was about confirming once and for all what most of the sport's followers already knew -- Wayne Bennett is the greatest rugby league coach in history.
St George Illawarra's 32-8 win over the Sydney Roosters was the seventh grand final win for Bennett from eight attempts. To give that some perspective, Bennett's opposite, Roosters' coach Brian Smith, has now led four teams to a grand final and has yet to taste success. Premierships are not easy to win.
Bennett's six premierships with the Brisbane Broncos in 21 years are a rich part of Queensland's sporting history, but the 2010 title means a hell of a lot to Dragons fans, who have watched their team consistently underperform in finals series over the past decade.
Having merged with the Illawarra Steelers in September 1998, the marriage of the two entities promised much but, until last night, had delivered little.
Last year, the Dragons finished the regular season on top of the competition ladder but lost playoffs to dip out of the finals series before the grand final. The side was labelled with sport's most unwanted tag -- chokers. But after the full-time siren last night, the Dragons are chokers no more.
Last night's victory, in front of a crowd of 82,334, was a carbon copy of so many Dragons wins this year. They started slowly but maintained their composure after errors allowed the Roosters to cross for two first-half tries and the Bondi-based club went to the break with an 8-6 lead. But the second half was a different story. The Dragons' brutal defence -- the foundation stone of Bennett's teams -- was impenetrable. And the attack began to click.
Winger Jason Nightingale crossed for the first of his two tries just five minutes after half-time, and the Dragons were ahead 12-8. When he scored his second 15 minutes later, the score had blown out to 24-8.
For the Roosters, the game was as good as gone. Bennett-coached sides don't give up big leads.
St George Illawarra fullback Darius Boyd won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on field.
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