Sam Burgess – battered, bruised and victorious – being carried by his teammates and brothers is the iconic image of the 2014 NRL grand final.
Grand finals are often remembered for producing iconic moments that pull at the heartstrings.
Like the stories of the Sattlers, father John revered for his courage, son Scott admired for his determination and desire to win at all costs when he produced ‘that’ tackle.
But the 2014 grand final was the greatest in history for the stories it produced.
There is the tale of four boys from Yorkshire, who came to Australia to find their fortune, mother Julie coming along for the ride. The band of brothers came to South Sydney to ply their trade and hopefully return to England with a premiership. Three boys were instrumental in the victory, with Tom providing strong impact from the bench, yet it was his two older brothers who shone.
The Clive Churchill medal could have gone to either George or Sam, but in the end it was awarded to the older brother, the man who defied a broken cheekbone in the first tackle of the game to soldier on and produce match-winning moments such as his pickup of a grubber on South Sydney’s line.
The Burgess story ends with brother George, who produced the moment of the grand final when he bashed off Tony Williams to score the try that opened the flood gates and left the fans asking who was the real T-Rex?
Yet with happiness comes heartbreak and boy do Souths know heartbreak. This team was thrown of out of the competition in the early 2000s, brought back by people marching on Town Hall.
Souths’ victory was more than just the football, it was justification for the supporters who had fought for the team they loved, a football club that was resurrected directly by the people.
Then came the Hollywood element, with Russell Crowe buying his share in the club, spreading the story far and wide, and seeing a struggling football club become one of the most professional teams in the NRL.
There was the brilliance of Greg Inglis, who surely is one of the game’s greats. Lote Tuqiri hadn’t played in a grand final for 14 years, while his counterpart Alex Johnston who scored his 21st try of the season to get Souths out of the blocks.
Then there was the heroism of the Clive Churchill medalist Sam Burgess and that broken cheekbone, ensuring he will forever be immortalised as he leaves for rugby union.
Not to forget the performance of the Bulldogs, who were right in the game for 60 minutes, and the efforts of James Graham.
It is these stories that showcase why this was the greatest rugby league grand final of all time.
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