The 2005 National Rugby League season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds starting in March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 2 October. The Broncos dominated early possession with Benji Marshall preventing a Darren Smith try before scoring a long range intercept try against the run of the play. The losing streak ended against the winless Newcastle Knights. 2004 NRL Grand Final Roosters v Bulldogs: The top two teams of the 2004 season meet in the Grand Final to decide the premiership winner. “At first I didn’t hear it and when Heighington started rattling them off I was going, ‘Oh dear.’”He received some stern direction from his employer after that interview went awry.“Then (Channel 9’s former head of sport) Steve Crawley’s in my ear and he said, ‘Matt, find a sensible one.’ So I looked over and I saw Benny Galea there so I went over and I said, Mate,’ and he went, ‘Oh mate, effing unbelievable.”To be exact, this is what Galea — who was heroic in defence that night, tackling gun fullback Matt Bowen on nearly every one of his kick returns — said.“This is unbelievable, f***ing all the boys have stuck together all year, we won the comp, we’re number one, f***ing ...”“The first two — Patty Richards and Laffranchi — they were kind of apologetic, but Heighington and Galea took it to the next level. A Cowboys error allowed Richards walked back into the inner sanctum of ANZ Stadium after completing his fitness test, his head bowed as he entered an eerily quiet change room. “Speaking to Pat, he says himself he has never felt more loved in his life, just how much he meant to the squad, I’m not sure he even knew how important the rest of the playing group thought he was.”Six days after he was carried off the Sydney Football Stadium by two trainers, his season seemingly ended by a cruel twist of fate, Richards was miraculously declared fit and would take his place in the biggest game in the merged club’s history.And in the 35th minute the score tied at six-all, the Grand Final poised on a knife edge, fate came knocking.Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston kicked deep into the corner, where Brett Hodgson and Marshall were waiting. Marshall broke a couple of tackles, skipped down-field and tried to goosestep Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen, to no avail. Watching it, you wouldn’t have known anything was wrong.Next up to the plate was back-rower Anthony Laffranchi, who scored a four-pointer in the big dance.“Mate it’s f***ing, oh sorry, it’s awesome mate,” he said.This time Matty flinched, glancing back towards the camera before looking to the sky in a “If I stare up here for long enough maybe we can pretend the last five seconds never happened” kind of way.Chris Heighington then upped the ante, and the cracks started to show on Johns’ face.“Yeah mate it’s f***ing awesome, you don’t know how to f***ing ... there’s no words for it, it’s just f***ing unbelievable,” the Tiger said.Johns’ lips were pursed, the smile was gone and you could just see his mind whirring.
Sun 02 Oct, 2005 Both teams qualified for week two with the Tigers meeting six time premiers the Brisbane Broncos in a knock-out game. Watching it, you wouldn’t have known anything was wrong.Next up to the plate was back-rower Anthony Laffranchi, who scored a four-pointer in the big dance.“Mate it’s f***ing, oh sorry, it’s awesome mate,” he said.This time Matty flinched, glancing back towards the camera before looking to the sky in a “If I stare up here for long enough maybe we can pretend the last five seconds never happened” kind of way.Chris Heighington then upped the ante, and the cracks started to show on Johns’ face.“Yeah mate it’s f***ing awesome, you don’t know how to f***ing ... there’s no words for it, it’s just f***ing unbelievable,” the Tiger said.Johns’ lips were pursed, the smile was gone and you could just see his mind whirring.
Sun 12 Apr, 2020 NRL History. 2005 NRL Grand Final TIgers v Cowboys: History will be made as Wests Tigers and the Cowboys eye off their first premiership win. In the lead up to the game there was controversy over the venue with calls for the game to be moved from Both the Cowboys and the Wests Tigers were playing in their first ever grand final. sport; nrl; Matty Johns relives the infamous aftermath of the 2005 Grand Final. The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League.The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen teams contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys. MATTHEW Johns has spilled the beans on his role in one of Channel 9’s most embarrassing NRL Grand Final moments. It was then he produced the moment that would define his career, the flick pass to Richards who had cut in-field.While this iconic image has been replayed on endless promos, it is what happened next that should also hold a special place in Rugby League folklore.Richards, having defied the odds to play, was now faced with a fast-closing Rod Jensen with little room to move down the eastern touchline.