FINAL 2015 ROUND UP: THURSTON KICKS COWBOYS TO INAUGURAL PREMIERSHIP

Well...yet another NRL season comes to an end and what an ending we witnessed.

Days after Sunday's Grand Final, everyone is tagging it as the best Grand Final ever witnessed.
And rightfully so...it was a Grand Final that had everything, amazing tries, sensational goal-line defence, a last second try to level up the game, a missed winning sideline conversion that hit the upright & a golden point field goal to crown the Cowboys premiers for the very first time.

My hats off to both North Queensland & Brisbane who did both their clubs very proud with outstanding performances infront of a packed ANZ Stadium crowd of nearly 83000.

It's moments like these that demonstrate why we love our game of Rugby League!

THURSTON KICKS COWBOYS TO INAUGURAL PREMIERSHIP 

An extra-time Johnathan Thurston field goal has sealed North Queensland's first ever premiership in a pulsating decider that will be remembered as one of the greatest Grand Finals ever played.

It came after Thurston had made us wait for him to claim his moment, hitting the goal post with a sideline conversion attempt to win the game after the full-time siren at the end of 80 minutes following Kyle Feldt's last-second try to level the scores.

The fairytale had looked a very long way away as a frustrated Cowboys side repeatedly failed to drive home attacking chances in the second half as the clock – and Brisbane's four-point lead – began to take their toll.

With the trophy appearing certain to return to Brisbane in master coach Wayne Bennett's first year back in Red Hill, Cowboys five-eighth Michael Morgan – who had had a deeply underwhelming game to that point – finally clicked with one of his right-side raids, setting up Feldt's try with a magic flick pass.

The crowd erupted at the drama as well as the knowledge that one of the greatest players ever to have laced on a boot was about to step up to the mark to claim his place in history.

It was quiet as a whisper when 82,758 fans held their breath as Thurston took an age to line up the shot. When he eventually did it started right in typical style before drifting back, drifting back... and just as Thurston raised aloft a fist in triumph the ball clipped the right hand upright and bounced back into the field of play.

Those 82,758 erupted in either cheers or anguished groans in unison but more drama was to follow as a towering Feldt restart floated down into the lap of Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt... who spilled it cold. It was a cruel blow for one of the most improved and impressive players in the competition and nothing like what he deserved after an outstanding season and controlled the night well.

But the Cowboys were jubilant and set to take a field goal from the scrum. Spotting the danger Brisbane raced up and shut the play down but it was only a temporary reprieve as the Cowboys went left, then went right, then finally straightened to set again and this time Thurston made no mistake, slotting the one-pointer straight between the posts to send all of North Queensland into raptures.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe what we've just done," a tearful Thurston said immediately after full-time.

"I love these boys. They've worked so hard. I see it every day, the sacrifices they make, I see it every day. I love the club. I can't believe it."

While nothing could match the high drama at the end of the game, the start was also scintillating and exploded into life shortly after kick-off.

After a hugely tense opening few sets where neither side gave an inch in a physical feeling out period, an error from the Cowboys immediately followed by a penalty looked set to hand the Broncos the first attacking opportunity of the game. However they strangely opted to take two points from 40 metres out in the sixth minute.

It mattered little one set later though; in the second play after the restart a deft and very late Adam Blair offload to Anthony Milford allowed the pivot to skip across field barely 10 metres from his own line, spy Kyle Feldt rushing up and take the space on offer to send it on to Jack Reed.

The centre's draw-and-pass handed bullocking young winger Corey Oates a free long-range run to the line for the opening four-pointer of the match and 2-0 had become 8-0 in the blink of an eye.

The frantic passage of play continued with Matt Gillett's lost ball straight after the resumption. From the scrum, speedy North Queensland hooker Jake Granville dummied from the base of the scrum then accelerated through half a gap, finding centre Justin O'Neill in support to close the deficit back to two in just the 10th minute.

As the half wore on Brisbane struggled to get out of their own end; while Matt Scott didn't even register a carry until the 12 minute his fellow bookend James Tamou produced a powerful opening half-hour spell, bending the line with most carries. 

The NSW prop earned his reward when the Broncos failed to clean up a Thurston grubber in the 24th minute. Tamou produced a perfectly timed run at the line and the pass from Granville out of dummy half had to be just as precise to allow the 26-year-old to spin out of Sam Thaiday's attempted tackle to plant the ball next to the posts and earn his side the lead for the first time.

If the Cowboys' four pointers were coming from well-executed set plays the Broncos' were opportunistic and they reclaimed the lead when Thurston came up with an uncharacteristic error inside his own half, losing control in a tackle with some assistance from Andrew McCullough.

Gillett raced away with the loose ball, breaking the line then sending Reed over to help his side back to a 14-12 advantage.

The second half was more dour than the first after Brisbane again started with a penalty goal, Jordan Kahu taking the shot with Corey Parker off the field after Morgan was penalised for holding in the tackle having just saved a try with a great effort on Reed.

The Cowboys struggled for penetration in the middle with their starting props and hooker on the bench for stretches while Michael Morgan, Kane Linnett and Kyle Feldt were each having something of an off night in attack and with their ball-handling.

Despite that Brisbane still had to absorb a huge amount of pressure at their own line as errors from Cowboys kicks handed North Queensland repeat sets.

Four-time Dally M medallist Thurston was busy and scheming in attack, playing both sides of the field and slotting into left- and right-side shifts, but was becoming increasingly frustrated as a combination of incredible Brisbane goal line defence and his own side's lack of polish brought them unstuck.

As the half wore on Brisbane's two penalty goal advantage looked a bigger and bigger gulf to breach for an increasingly frazzled Cowboys outfit.

Although the Broncos at times looked out on their feet they never lost control with Hunt and McCullough repeatedly plowing hard grubbers into touch, forgoing yardage in favour of winding down the clock and earning a breather and using their advantage.

One left-side attacking move saw Linnett drop the ball with the line open; on the right Morgan and O'Neill were denied by try-saving tackles. 

A superb Gillett try-saver led Coote to be penalised for a double movement, unable to resist the urge to stretch out.

An awkward 77th-minute lifting tackle from Hunt on Linnett left the halfback on report and allowed the Cowboys to move into attacking range for one last charge. 

When Thurston was left without a runner to receive the ball and smashed for his trouble on the fifth play Granville was forced to take the kick and when Brisbane cleaned up the match appeared to be over. 

But the Cowboys got one last chance at them and Morgan came good, Feldt scored the equaliser and the rest was history.

North Queensland Cowboys 17 (O'Neill, Tamou, Feldt tries; Thurston 2 goals; Thurston field goal) defeated Brisbane Broncos 16 (Oates, Reed tries; Parker 2 Kahu 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Half time: Brisbane 14-12. Crowd: 82,758.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

So, with the result, our Tipping winners have been confirmed for 2015.

Congratulations to FALVEY who wins the Tipping Championship in his debut season. Only a handful of tipsters have managed to do this since this competition went online in 2004. Hopefully we'll see him back next season to defend his title.
With the Championship & his Pool won, Falvey will pick up a cool $800 (NZ) which will be in his bank account as soon as he says "hit me NZ Tiger!"

2015 WINNERS & GRINNERS

2015 Tipping Champion
Falvey on 163 points - $800 (NZ)

2nd Place
boogs_nz (161) - $300 (NZ)

3rd Place
Richard McCourt (159) - $150 (NZ)

BONUS POOLS WINNERS ($100 NZ each)

POOL A - Falvey (168)
POOL B - Boogs_nz (164)
POOL C - Butch (159.5)
POOL D - Cam the Tiger (163)
POOL E - Sava4 (161)
POOL F - Emmy_K (153.5)

FINAL TIPPING CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE

RANK	TIPPER	TOTAL SCORE	TOTAL MARGIN
1	falvey	163	389
2	boogs_nz	161	419
3	Richard McCourt	159	407
4	Camthetiger	158	426
5	Butch	157	418
6	Warmess	155	410
7	sava4	152	402
8	emmy_k	151	407
9	kazgriffo	149	357
10	mickeytheboot	149	390
11	Redv4me	148	424
12	jall091	146	379
13	Misty Taylor	145	398
14	NZ Tiger	143	365
15	NO1QPRNZ	142	403
16	Melz	142	404
17	Link Abrams	142	418
18	Sonya Pene	142	434
19	howgreathuarts	142	444
20	Vee8head	138	409
21	Yo Mama	138	414
22	Bearass	138	415
23	Scotsta	138	456
24	The Neighbour	137	382
25	Lainey	137	446
26	Darren Scott	136	375
27	Heath Caldwell	136	403
28	Bronco2020	136	450
29	Brian Harmer	136	489
30	cmcnls+1day	135	391
31	Shannon PANAPA	135	422
32	Stevetiger	135	438
33	Sincas	134	417
34	Simply The Bears	133	388
35	Feet Little	133	415
36	tais1	133	450
37	sicko	133	473
38	miketherocket	132	426
39	Alfie	132	428
40	ErinC	132	434
41	Stephen Kahi	132	461
42	Ashleigh Griffiths	131	417
43	Jessamine	131	442
44	NZ Tiger Jnr	131	455
45	Mr Busy	130	454
46	BIGW	130	462
47	rog the dodge	129	539
48	danz ??	128	436
49	Kye Hudson	128	448
50	Hayden Moorhouse	127	434
51	Rex Kwando	126	422
52	haze13	126	582
53	apii unuia	125	368
54	Balmainadrian	125	448
55	BT Ross	124	423
56	killswitch	123	438
57	eviltwin	122	453
58	trey waldron	122	478
59	Burnside_NZ	121	444
60	Toddy	119	397
61	Stevefromoz	118	400
62	Caryn Upton	116	545
63	Anotherstranger	115	401
64	BLO1	107	517
65	Aiden Black	101	420
66	Baby_Preston	99	452
67	Craig Carnihan	94	447
68	Lucien Marlow	90	461
69	Wilshere Wonderland	86	424
70	Fraser Thomas	86	451
71	Team Upton	84	416
72	Letitia Rahui	82	437
73	Joejoez	65	412
74	Ben Hampton-Batten	63	442
75	Greg Lancaster	56	462

FINAL 2015 BONUS POOLS

POOL A	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
falvey	163	389	5	168
kazgriffo	149	357	4.5	153.5
Redv4me	148	424	3.5	151.5
mickeytheboot	149	390	2	151
Misty Taylor	145	398	3	148
Scotsta	138	456	9.5	147.5
Simply The Bears	133	388	9.5	142.5
Shannon PANAPA	135	422	5	140
miketherocket	132	426	2.5	134.5
Mr Busy	130	454	2.5	132.5
Wilshere Wonderland	86	424	2.5	88.5
Greg Lancaster	56	462	2.5	58.5
POOL B	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
boogs_nz	161	419	3	164
Warmess	155	410	3	158
jall091	146	379	5	151
Heath Caldwell	136	403	2.5	138.5
Bronco2020	136	450	2.5	138.5
Stevetiger	135	438	2.5	137.5
sicko	133	473	2.5	135.5
Alfie	132	428	2.5	134.5
danz ??	128	436	4	132
haze13	126	582	2.5	128.5
Letitia Rahui	82	437	1.5	83.5
Joejoez	65	412	9	74
Ben Hampton-Batten	63	442	4	67
POOL C	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
Butch	157	418	2.5	159.5
Lainey	137	446	9.5	146.5
NZ Tiger	143	365	3	146
Melz	142	404	2.5	144.5
Vee8head	138	409	2.5	140.5
Darren Scott	136	375	3.5	139.5
cmcnls+1day	135	391	2.5	137.5
Sincas	134	417	2.5	136.5
NZ Tiger Jnr	131	455	2	133
Rex Kwando	126	422	2	128
Aiden Black	101	420	2.5	103.5
Lucien Marlow	90	461	2.5	92.5
Fraser Thomas	86	451	2.5	88.5
POOL D	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
Camthetiger	158	426	5	163
Richard McCourt	159	407	2.5	161.5
NO1QPRNZ	142	403	4.5	146.5
Yo Mama	138	414	2.5	140.5
Bearass	138	415	2.5	140.5
Stephen Kahi	132	461	3	135
Balmainadrian	125	448	2	127
killswitch	123	438	2.5	125.5
Toddy	119	397	2.5	121.5
Baby_Preston	99	452	2.5	101.5
Craig Carnihan	94	447	3	97
Team Upton	84	416	2.5	86.5
POOL E	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
sava4	152	402	9	161
The Neighbour	137	382	9.5	146.5
Sonya Pene	142	434	3	145
howgreathuarts	142	444	2.5	144.5
Brian Harmer	136	489	3	139
tais1	133	450	3	136
BIGW	130	462	2.5	132.5
eviltwin	122	453	9.5	131.5
Kye Hudson	128	448	2.5	130.5
Hayden Moorhouse	127	434	2.5	129.5
apii unuia	125	368	2.5	127.5
Anotherstranger	115	401	2.5	117.5
BLO1	107	517	2.5	109.5
POOL F	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
emmy_k	151	407	2.5	153.5
Link Abrams	142	418	2	144
Ashleigh Griffiths	131	417	5	136
Feet Little	133	415	2.5	135.5
ErinC	132	434	2.5	134.5
Jessamine	131	442	2.5	133.5
rog the dodge	129	539	4.5	133.5
BT Ross	124	423	5	129
trey waldron	122	478	2.5	124.5
Burnside_NZ	121	444	2.5	123.5
Stevefromoz	118	400	5	123
Caryn Upton	116	545	2	118

So that wraps up a memorable season! Congrats again to the Cowboys & all our winners!

Hopefully we'll see you all back again next season! It'll be nice to break the 100 Tipster mark one day so fingers crossed that year will be 2016 - our 13th season of NZ Tiger's NRL Tipping!

Invite your friends and family!!

So until my 2016 Tipping invite email, take care & go the All Blacks in the RWC! ;)

~ NZ Tiger

aka Mark Davis