The Brisbane Broncos defeated the Melbourne Storm 26-22 in an epic NRL grand final in Sydney.
Reece Walsh’s standout performance included a crucial defensive play and a remarkable individual try.
The match featured high drama and skill, with Brisbane overcoming injuries to key players.
Every so often in sport, something happens that you know you will remember for the rest of your life.
Something so remarkable, it is almost unbelievable. That was the case with Sunday’s epic NRL decider, where the Brisbane Broncos edged the Melbourne Storm 26-22 in an absoluteclassic.
For these eyes, it was the greatest grand final of the modern era. Hell, it was probably one of the greatest contests in any sport, a match so compelling a Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have done better.
This was Raiders of the Lost Ark, Casino Royale and The Empire Strikes Back. It was artists at their peak – that they might never hit again – like Bruce Springsteen with Born to Run, Fleetwood Mac with Rumours or Michael Jackson with Thriller.
The match had everything. And then a bit more, as both teams rose to the occasion, rather than being shackled by it. It was an open game – despite what was at stake – as players often threw caution to the wind.
The Storm, with their “fab four”, were almost perfect in the first half – but the Broncos somehow stayed in the match. Brisbane were almost perfect in the second half – with a bewitching mix of cavalier and clinical – but Melbourne somehow stayed afloat.
And after all the twists and turns, the game was still in the balance with less than a minute to play, with the Storm threatening the ultimate heist, before yet another Reece Walsh defensive intervention shut down a potentially defining break on the right edge.
Walsh will rightly dominate the headlines, after one of the most incredible individual performances in a grand final. There have been others over the years – from Ricky Stuart (Canberra Raiders) and Allan Langer (Broncos) in the early 1990s to Nathan Cleary in 2023 – but nothing quite like this.
Reece Walsh celebrates his try in the grand final. Photo / Photosport
Almost everything Walsh touched turned to gold; he was seeing patterns on the field that no one else could. He made the Storm – who have been a defensive benchmark in the NRL for years – look like statues, with an array of stunning passes and plays. And his individual try just before halftime – beating five or six would-be tacklers – was astounding, finally something to rival the Stacey Jones effort in 2002. Walsh was also tough, defusing bombs and defending bravely. At just 23, he has already cemented his legacy.
But there was so much more. Brisbane losing both halves to injury, Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt, who were seeking their own redemption stories. Blood and thunder from both packs. What about Jahrome Hughes? The Kiwis halfback shouldn’t have been anywhere near the field – with a busted shoulder and a broken wrist – but crossed for a brilliant solo try and played a big hand in two others. Or Eliesa Katoa, the best forward on the field in the first half and on track for the Clive Churchill medal before Walsh took over. Katoa was immense; a brutal mix of power, physicality and poise, while throwing left-handed cut-out passes that Benji Marshall would have been proud of.
Reece Walsh of the Broncos (left) watches on as Jahrome Hughes of the Storm (centre) heads in to score a try during the 2025 NRL Grand Final. Photo / Photosport
Cameron Munster had moments of magic, as did Ryan Papenhuyzen – and even though Brisbane deserved their victory, the Storm will wonder what might have been had Tui Kamikamica grounded the ball for a potential 28-12 lead early in the second half.
Across the board, the defensive efforts were extreme, the attack even better. It was the highest-scoring first half in NRL grand final history, while Deine Mariner managed the second-fastest try in a decider.
Four decades of deciders
I watched my first grand final in 1985, a dour 7-6 grind between the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and the St George Dragons. Still in primary school, I backed the Dragons, if only because their fullback Glenn Burgess shared a surname.
The 1989 decider remains the reference point for most people. Decided in extra time, it was a genuine ding-dong thriller, with Canberra completing an unlikely comeback against the Balmain Tigers, a match that turned New Zealand on to the Winfield Cup.
1991 was gripping – for Penrith’s maiden title, as was 1997 between Manly and Newcastle for similar reasons. The 1999 decider was a beauty, as the Storm overhauled a big deficit to pip the Dragons.
2003 (Penrith v Roosters) and 2004 (Roosters v Bulldogs, with an 18-year-old Sonny Bill Williams) were the best contests of the following decade, while Tim Sheens, Marshall and the freewheeling Wests Tigers were a great story, even if the match wasn’t an absolute classic.
The Cronulla Sharks celebrate following their historic 14-12 NRL grand final win over the Melbourne Storm in 2016. Photo / Photosport
There were three standouts in the next decade. 2013 was a quality final – Trent Robinson’s first great Sydney Roosters team against the last great Sea Eagles team. 2015 was the most exceptional finish, with Kyle Feldt’s try in the corner on the last play, followed by Johnathan Thurston’s golden-point field goal to take the Premiership title to North Queensland for the first time. And 2016 was an enthralling match, as the Cronulla Sharks ended 49 years of hurt.
In more recent years, 2023 is the standout, as Brisbane took a seemingly unassailable second half lead, only for the Panthers, inspired by Cleary, to turn things upside down.
Nothing to match the drama, quality, tension and skill, nor the amount of flashpoints. Who knows when we will see something as good again? It could be a while.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.
