Last 90 seconds of grand final was sporting theatre at its finest

But even then, the best was yet to come, which I felt was underwhelming in the coverage of the match.

The storm started from 95 meters away to make a final push within seconds. Despite all the odds, Eli Katoa made a move down the right wing that included Ryan Papenhuyzen, leaving only one defender left. Reece Walsh had one chance. Had to deal with one of these. This was a 50/50 pick, and if it happens a quarter of a second too late or too early or picks the wrong one, the Broncos lose.

Walsh realized it was going to Papenhuyzen and eventually tackled him. exactly the same The ball suddenly came to him. Game over. Broncos won.

Of all the remarkable things Walsh did that night, this tackle was at least equal to his astonishing attempt to get the Broncos back into the game, as Walsh challenged six — count ’em, SIX — Storm defenders who tried to stop him.

Huge losses for LIV

But speaking of NRL timing, this couldn’t be better. In the week when rugby league, and indeed rugby union, appeared to be under siege from the R360 mafia, who were stealing players for their own insurgent competition due to be launched late next year, they could legitimately point to what happened to the last such fledgling competition to disrupt a sport.

I am, of course, referring to LIV golf and the newly released figures that suggest it is a complete financial train wreck.

As reported by New York Times“LIV Golf Ltd, the UK-based entity that manages LIV Golf’s operations outside the United States, reported losses of US$461.8 million last year. This represents three consecutive years of increasing losses: US$244 million in 2022, US$396 million in 2023 and US$462 million in 2024. It also includes money invested in LIV Golf’s US business If you add up, Saudi Arabia has now committed over $5 billion to the league… While everyone thought Saudi Arabia would continue to fund the league no matter what, LIV Golf’s 2024 financial data tells a different story. LIV Golf is burning cash, tightening expenses and still earns little to no revenue from media rights, sponsorships and ticket sales.”

Understand? All this nonsense, all these absences, all these plucked players and the damn thing was the complete flop that this columnist always said it would be. Nobody cares. Nobody is watching. And the departed players may be playing on the planet Zonk, despite all the attention they’ve garnered.

R360 will be the same but worse because rugby relies more on it than other sports tribe Commitment has to be attractive and the rugby rebs have none of it. For this reason, those who are considering signing should be careful to deposit their money in cash and into their accounts before setting off. Because the money will not last and the company will collapse soon.

See you, you don’t need to write.

What They Said

Reece Walsh after the grand final: “Oh my god, what a fucking ride. Broncs folks, you’re the best.” Look at this love. Our game has never been stronger. A lot of people wrote us off this year, we were the only ones who believed. It hasn’t sunk yet. I am very happy for our sons. A culture that ranges from sitting in the bushes in an army camp to riding the wave. Oh baby!”

Clive Churchill signing his Medal speech: “Everyone coming tonight… I love you all, plumber out.” I know. From what I understand, “plumber out” was a reference to the drinking from the toilet bowl incident.

Brisbane Bronco Tamika Upton after winning the NRLW: “F–k, the girls really worked for this all season.”

Craig Bellamy reveals his plan to oust Reece Walsh: “It didn’t work. I think there are some things you can do, you can deal with it. I think there are a few things we thought we learned from last year, but frankly we didn’t.”

Bellamy about his nine-year-old grandson: “He’s a big fan, all the grandchildren are, but Billie is probably the biggest. He talks a little bit about football, especially after games, especially if we lose. He’ll give me some pointers.”

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On Epsom Day last Saturday afternoon, a punter as a police officer escorted Mark Latham into dramatic scenes in and out of the Grandview Restaurant at Royal Randwick: “Can I have dessert?” I can’t keep track of what Latham’s last alleged atrocity was, even though I assigned another man and tried to follow up. But whatever it is, he says he didn’t do it.

Harjas Singh rode 314 out of 141 for Western Suburbs: “This is definitely the clearest ball striking I have ever witnessed with my own eyes… After 100 you start upping the ante and I just wanted to hit a six.”

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus on facing the Pumas: “Argentina are huge warriors, they take you to the moat and there you have to swim in the moat.” They are sure they are fascinated.

Moises Caicedo’s goal for Chelsea: “I don’t know, everything is for God. I had the opportunity and I did it.” Again, can God for a moment stop watching and handling Chelsea and try to protect the children, especially those in Gaza?

Still no wins for Nottingham Forest Ange Postecoglou: “It’s a fight, it’s a fight, there’s nothing wrong with that. I could sit on the couch and watch you guys, but I’d rather be here, right in the middle of it, where I can make an impact, and I believe I can.”

James Slipper after playing his 151st and final Test: “I’m a proud Australian and I’m very patriotic when I play for my country. I bleed gold. I really enjoyed playing for my country.”

Statement from the major rugby unions on R360: “As a group of national rugby unions, we urge players and support staff considering entering the proposed R360 competition to exercise extreme caution… Each of the national unions will therefore be advising their players, men and women, that participating in the R360 will make them ineligible for international selection.”

AC Milan star Adrien Rabiot: “I was surprised to learn that AC Milan were going to play a Serie A match against Como in Australia. It’s completely crazy. But these are economic deals that will give the league more visibility, things that are beyond us. There’s a lot of talk about schedules and player health, and it all seems really ridiculous.”

Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo returns to service: “Rabiot is right, we decide for him. He forgets that he is paid millions of euros to do a job: play football. “He must respect the money he earned and accept the wishes of his employer, Milan, who forced him to play this match abroad.” There it is.

Team of the Week

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The Walsh quintuplets. Under Reece’s leadership, all five played the game of their lives to guide the Broncos to a stunning 26-24 Grand Final victory over the Storm.

Brisbane. Kings and queens of the football jungle.

Harjas Singh. The Western Suburbs batsman smashed a remarkable 314 from 141 balls in grade cricket with 35 sixes and 14 fours. His score is the third highest in Sydney first-class history after the legendary Victor Trumper’s 335 in 1903 and Phil Jaques’ 321 in 2007.

Football. We will play in Canada on Saturday and the USA next week

Springboks. For the first time, back-to-back Rugby Championship titles were won by points difference.

Oscar Piastri. He currently leads the Formula 1 drivers’ championship but has not won since August.

On Twitter: @Peter_Fitz