The stars and stinkers of the NRL grand final, won 17-16 by the Cowboys over the Broncos.
1. LACHLAN COOTE - Ran some great lines in attack that kept the Broncos on their toes and was solid at the back. 6.5
2. KYLE FELDT - Had a mixed night but will be remembered for scoring the decisive try. 6.5
3. JUSTIN O'NEILL - Came up with some costly errors but ran for a 161 metres. 6
4. KANE LINNETT - Spilled the ball over the line, blowing a certain try but made good metres all game. 6.5
5. ANTONIO WINTERSTEIN - Did his job and wasn't afraid to roll his sleeves up. 7
6. MICHAEL MORGAN - Was well held for 79 minutes and 59 seconds before coming up with a magical play to send Feldt over. 7
7. JOHNATHAN THURSTON - Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Iced the game with a clutch golden point field goal and added the Clive Churchill Medal to his Dally M. 8.5
8. MATT SCOTT - Was always key to his side's chances and led the pack with 109 metres and 22 tackles. 7
9. JAKE GRANVILLE - A magnificent performance. Darted out of the back of the scrum to send O'Neill over before throwing the last pass for James Tamou's four-pointer. 8
10. JAMES TAMOU - Crashed over for the first try and really came into his own late in the match, making valuable metres. 7
11. GAVIN COOPER - Was dangerous all night running off Thurston's hip. A constant threat in attack. 7
12. ETHAN LOWE - A typical no-frills performance. Toiled well for 81 metres and 20 tackles. 6.5
13. JASON TAUMALOLO - Was great in the middle and gave the Cowboys great go-forward in the closing stages. 6.5
14. RORY KOSTJASYN - A good 30 minute stint. Did his job. 5.5
15. JOHN ASIATA - Eight runs and 15 tackles and didn't let his coach down. 5.5
16. SCOTT BOLTON - Made a strong contribution off the bench. Nine runs for 81 metres and 21 tackles. 6
17. BEN HANNANT - Came up with a missed tackle that allowed Jack Reed to score but was otherwise good off the bench. 6
1. DARIUS BOYD - An assured performance at the back from a seasoned campaigner. 6.5
2. COREY OATES - Ran 80 metres for Brisbane's first before saving a certain Kyle Feldt try up the other end. 7
3. JACK REED - Set up Corey Oates' try with a great run before scoring the Broncos' second. Was fabulous in defence. 7.5
4. JUSTIN HODGES - Didn't get the farewell he desired and didn't make much of an impact. 5.5
5. JORDAN KAHU - Safe under the high ball and tried all night. 7
6. ANTHONY MILFORD - Dynamic in attack, putting Reed through a hole for their first try, made three linebreaks and looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. 8.5
7. BEN HUNT - Had an off night with the boot and failed to build pressure. Came up with the dropped ball that cost his team the game. 5
8. SAM THAIDAY - By his own admission he made fundamental errors. Ran for 101 metres from 12 runs. 6
9. ANDREW MCCULLOUGH - Was good out of dummy half and made 37 tackles. 6.5
10. ADAM BLAIR - Produced a stellar offload that led to Oates' opening try. Came up with some crunching hits that lifted his team. 7
11. ALEX GLENN - Came in under an injury cloud and got through a mountain of work. 6.5
12. MATT GILLETT - Dropped a ball that led to a Cowboys try, evened up the ledger by sending Jack Reed over and pulled off a try-saver on Lachlan Coote. 7.5
13. COREY PARKER - Another tireless performance from the old workhorse. His 18 runs, 173 metres and 38 tackles say it all. 7.5
14. JARROD WALLACE - Good off the bench. His 10 runs for 86 metres were valuable. 5.5
15. MITCHELL DODDS - Did his job when he got on the park. Six runs and 12 tackles. 5.5
16. JOE OFAHENGAUE - Didn't get a lot of game time. Just four hit ups and seven tackles. 4
17. KODI NIKORIMA - Had a brief cameo but didn't get into the game. 5
-AAP
On the surface, the Warriors draw for the 2025 season is quite kind