50 Years of Tears: NRL photo wins top prize

Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen embraces club legend and former captain Andrew Ettingshausen after winning the 2016 Premiership. Photo / Grant Trouville - supplied by NRL.

50 Years of Tears - an image which depicts the tearful embrace of Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen and club legend Andrew Ettingshausen after the Sharks won their maiden NRL premiership in 2016 - has become the first sports picture to win the Nikon Walkley award for photograph of the year.

The Walkley judging panel felt Grant Trouville's was the outstanding picture of the past 12 months, one which neatly captures the outpouring of emotion as the Sharks ended their 50-year title drought. It is a visceral, compelling picture which, they said, transcended the usual boundaries of sport.

Photographer Grant Trouville said: "This image shows the outpouring of emotion from the last 50 years for the Cronulla Sharks. The two greatest ever players to put on the Sharks jersey coming together. A thank you from the former captain and club legend to the current captain. The trophy cabinet will never be empty again."

Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen embraces club legend and former captain Andrew Ettingshausen after winning the 2016 Premiership. Photo / Grant Trouville - supplied by NRL.

Trouville's image owed as much to his own news judgment as to his compositional skill. Recalling the final moments of the grand final at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, with Cronulla leading 14-12, he told the Guardian: "Before the buzzer went there was already a huge amount of emotion in the stadium. I was down at the northern try-line because we had to be there in case Melbourne scored a try, but in my head I knew how big a moment it would be for Paul Gallen if Sharks won, so I singled out where he was on the field and as soon as the buzzer went I just bolted straight towards him.

"There's only five photographers allowed on the field after the game and it becomes really scattered. It's very hard to pick your moment but I figured I'd stay with Paul.

"First he collapsed on the ground, then he went to a few players and as he was walking towards the middle Andrew Ettinghausen - probably the best ever player to play for the Sharks, and obviously someone who never won the trophy - came on and they just met at the perfect time. They just had this hug. They didn't even say anything. They just fell into that cuddle and it was just a really powerful moment. A few seconds later they disappeared.

"The emotion you get from sport, you just can't get it anywhere else."