It's what we've come to expect from the 2019 Raiders. They rarely took control of the match, but their desperation and commitment to their game plan was impeccable and they proved to be the better side.
I thought the game was defined by the Raiders first two tries. Nothing flashy, but they were two moments where the Raiders created a contest for the ball and finished on top. For Croker's try, Hodgson challenged Allan to over-extend himself so Corey could save his side from conceding another set. In Allan's attempt to return the ball, he produced a loose carry which was easily knocked out, first blood Canberra.
The second was a doozy, but it all came off the back of a great kick from Sezer. With chasers either side, Sezer hoisted the ball up which allowed Whitehead to make a clean challenge for the ball. In the ensuing scramble for the ball, Wighton manages to get boot to ball, commits to the play and scores an incredibly important try to regain the lead for his side.
Neither try was as glamarous as say the Maroons 94 buzzer beater, but just as valuable all the same.
There were plenty of fantastic individual efforts, but Josh Papalii in particular was strong through the middle. Whenever Souths appeared to be getting on top of the Raiders, Papalii would take the ball up and win the ruck for his team. Outside of Origin II, Papalii has been amazing this year and his move to the front row has proved a master stroke from Stuart.
As for Souths, I thought they were valiant in defeat. They gave it a red hot crack, but they didn't take their chances when they were on offer and they just couldn't come up with the play they needed to stretch the Raiders.
I thought Damien Cook and Cameron Murray had quiet games. That could be a testament to the Raiders defence, but neither made much impact which left it up Walker and Doueihi to create most of the play.
Finally tonight's result marks the end of John Sutton's career. After 336 NRL games, Sutto will ride off into the sunset as one of the great club players in the game. I remember when he first hit the scene around 2004 his skill set with the ball immediately stood out and it was players like him, Joe Williams, Beau Champion etc. who represented a brighter future for Souths. While the others didn't pan out, Sutton was eventually able to find the consistensy in his game he needed to be among the elite five eighths in the game, which he was from 2012-14. I thought post premiership, Sutton started to phone it in a bit but to his credit, he revitilised his game in 2018 and once again put himself among the game's best players. With his retirement, it feels like an end of an era at Souths. Those harsh experiences Souths went through during his initial years at the club are a distant memory and Sutto has helped see them through to the position they find themselves in.
With that said, it's Canberra's moment and for the first time in 25 years they find themselves in a Grand Final. I couldn't imagine the level of excitement and if Canberra manage to scrap and claw like they've done so far this finals series, you never know.
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Well said.