2016 NRL Grand Final
| 2016 NRL Grand Final | ||||||||||
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| Date | 2 October 2016 | |||||||||
| Stadium | ANZ Stadium | |||||||||
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||
| Referees | Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins | |||||||||
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The 2016 NRL Grand Final will be the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2016 NRL season and will be played on Sunday 2 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between minor premiers the Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Background
The Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks met twice during the regular NRL season; in round 4 and round 26. In round 4, the Sharks defeated the Storm 14-6 at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Cronulla, New South Wales to hand the Storm their first loss of the season; it was also the start of a sixteen-match unbeaten streak for the Sharks,[1] while in round 26, the Storm defeated the Sharks 26-6 in the minor premiership-deciding game at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Victoria.[2]
In their qualifying finals, the Sharks defeated the Canberra Raiders 16-14 at a capacity GIO Stadium in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, and the Storm defeated defending premiers the North Queensland Cowboys 16-10 at AAMI Park. As winners of their respective matches, both sides moved directly to the preliminary finals in the third week of the finals series.[3] In the preliminary finals, the Sharks defeated the Cowboys 32-20 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, New South Wales to qualify for their first Grand Final since 1997, while the Storm defeated the Raiders 14-12 at AAMI Park to qualify for their sixth Grand Final since 2006.
Pre-match entertainment will feature Keith Urban and former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.
Teams
| Melbourne Storm |
Position | Cronulla-Sutherland
Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Munster | Fullback | Ben Barba |
| Suliasi Vunivalu | Wing | Sosaia Feki |
| Will Chambers | Centre | Jack Bird |
| Cheyse Blair | Centre | Ricky Leutele |
| Marika Koroibete | Wing | Valentine Holmes |
| Blake Green | Five-eighth | James Maloney |
| Cooper Cronk | Halfback | Chad Townsend |
| Jesse Bromwich | Prop | Andrew Fifita |
| Cameron Smith (c) | Hooker | Michael Ennis |
| Jordan McLean | Prop | Matt Prior |
| Kevin Proctor | 2nd Row | Luke Lewis |
| Tohu Harris | 2nd Row | Wade Graham |
| Dale Finucane | Lock | Paul Gallen (c) |
| Kenny Bromwich | Interchange | Gerard Beale |
| Tim Glasby | Interchange | Chris Heighington |
| Christian Welch | Interchange | Sam Tagataese |
| Ben Hampton | Interchange | Jayson Bukuya |
| Young Tonumaipea Slade Griffin Matthew White Felise Kaufusi Ryan Morgan |
Reserves | Kurt Capewell Joseph Paulo |
| Craig Bellamy | Coach | Shane Flanagan |
Melbourne Storm halfback Cooper Cronk will play in his sixth grand final after having previously featured in every premiership decider his club have reached since 2006. Cronk, Will Chambers, Cameron Smith, Jesse Bromwich, and Kevin Proctor are the last remaining members of their last premiership winning team in 2012. The Cronulla Sharks boast six players with previous grand final experience in Luke Lewis (2003), Chris Heighington (2005), Matt Prior (2010), Ben Barba, Michael Ennis (both 2012), and James Maloney (2011 and 2013). Maloney will be only the sixth player to have played three grand finals under different clubs after playing for the New Zealand Warriors and the Sydney Roosters in their respective grand final appearances.[4] At age 35 with 278 first grade games, Sharks' captain Paul Gallen will be the oldest and most experienced player to debut in a NRL grand final.[5]
Opening Games
U20s Grand Final
Sunday, 2 October
1:35pm (AEDT) |
Penrith Panthers U20s 
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v |  Sydney Roosters U20s
|
|---|---|---|
NRL State Championship
Match summary
See also
References
- ^ Gabor, Martin. "Sharks end Storm hoodoo". NRL.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Healy, Jon. "Melbourne Storm win NRL minor premiership after beating Cronulla Sharks 26-6 at AAMI Park". ABC. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Storm and Sharks progress in NRL play-offs". Radio New Zealand. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Gould, Phil. "NRL finals: James Maloney's magic record across three clubs not a coincidence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ Ritchie, Dean. "Paul Gallen to be the most experience player to feature in his first NRL grand final". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2016.