The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 98

I I SUPER LEAGUE SUPER LEAGUE El- The black flash saves slippery Sailor BRISBANE hitman Peter Ryan might not get the wraps of some of his big-name teammates but there is no doubting his value to the Broncos. It was Ryan who produced the play of the night one that went a long way to winning the game and will no doubt stay in the memory of his coach, Wayne Bennett The final score 26-8 might have looked to be a it out wide to Darren Lockyer. Lockyer, in turn, drew the defence before sweeping a pass to Steve Renouf. Renouf then beat Andrew Ettingshausen to race over for his second try. Bennett has said in the past that the same player was responsible for the two best tackles he has ever seen.

He would no doubt have another Ryan tackle to add to his greatest hits collection. PAUL CRAWLEY BRISBANE'S Alfie Langer lookalike John Plath came in for some heavy treatment from a Cronulla pack on angry pills. Plath made a darting run from dummy-half in the 31st minute but the tackle ended with three players being placed on report. Veteran prop Danny Lee was the first Cronulla player involved in what was an ugly incident. Lee appeared to land several head blows on the little Bronco but it was Lee who copped the worst of the punishment when he suffered a nasty gash on his forehead.

Les Davidson regarded as one of the best runaway victory for the Broncos but it was Ryan's hit on Cronulla's David Peachey in the 54th minute which was a deciding factor. Ryan was screaming at the top of his lungs at Peachey while following through a Brisbane kick. He then hit the Cronulla fullback with a bone-jarring crunch tackle which forced the ball loose. Michael Devere swooped on the ball before off-loading brawlers in the game then took over from Lee. Big "Bundy" landed a series of well-timed right fists on a defenceless Plath before teammate Sean Ryan attempted to whack the little Bronco with a forearm.

Referee Bill Harrigan had no alternative but to place the whole tackle on report. However, the feud was far from over. Plath was involved in another incident as the players left the field at halftime and it again threatened to flair into fisticuffs. This time it as Cronulla hooker Dean Treister trying to get a shot on Plath. PAUL CRAWLEY As News Ltd chief' Lachlan Murdoch strolled through the pressbox at halftime he no doubt would have been hoping the Sharks would make a match of it and for 10 minutes they did.

Then that grease word came up again. This time it was glue-fingered fullback David Peachey who committed a crucial error. Unlike Sailor's mistake though, Peachey had someone to blame Bronco hitman Peter Ryan. In the past, coach Wayne Bennett has singled out Ryan as the most damaging of of the worst big-game passes since Phillip Duke and Phil Sigsworth had that horrible mix-up in an Origin match. The result was a try to Cronulla's Russell Richardson and a scoreline of 10-8 early in the second half.

Until then, the adequate pre-game entertainment looked like overshadowing the match. Played in wet conditions, the game was more ARL bump and grind than Super League razzledazzle, and Sailor's error turned the grand final into the absorbing clash Super League was hoping for. From DANNY WEIDLER ON A NIGHT when Grease was the word, Wendell Sailor did his very best to upstage Olivia Newton-John. And, by jove, he did it too. Sailor, who in the lead-up to last night's game lamented his lack of big-time success he was yet to win a.

Test, Origin, grand final or tri-series game did his very best to turn a standard match into a ding-dong thriller. Sailor tossed a greasy ball to no-one in one defenders, rating one of his past tackles as the best he has seen. He may have to change his opinion after last night's cruncher on Peachey that put the Broncos in an attacking position in the 55th minute. Soon after the Ryan tackle, Steve Renouf crossed for his second try to put the Broncos back in command, and his third try nine minutes later sealed the result It was deliriously ironic for those who criticised Super League that a tackle of such ferocity should play such an important part in such a big lFQ0 MM LTD But triple treat for Renouf rii TTTITTW TWM 7 'A I 3 BRISBANE 26 (S Renouf 3. Hancock tries; Lockyer 5 goals) bt CRONULLA 8 (R Richardson try; Rogers 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium.

Referee: Bill Harrigan. Crowd: 58.912. 1 fCV 4 I i I- i t- i -r I game, in tact, it was defence throughout the first half and niggling clashes, particularly one between Mat Rogers and John Plath after the half-time siren, that were the talking points. We even saw Les Davidson display one of his famous combinations as Plath, who is enemy No 1, was lying on the ground. Even ET got in on the act when he came between Rogers and Plath as they were exchanging words and shoving each other as they walked from the field.

It took the brilliance of Renouf with the ball in hand and the magical goal-kicking display by Darren Lockyer to provide the game with the spark and drama that Super League likes to hang its hat on. Renoufs third try also put the finishing touches on Paul "Porky" Morgan's dream. It can be revealed now that the whole reason Super League was set up was so the Broncos could win a competition again, or that's what the cynics might say. There were lots of hidden messages that came to light last night just look at the choice of songs and their true meanings that figured in our Olivia's pre-match entertainment Grease is the word two spilt balls from tapeccable players, Sailor and Peachey, played such a big part in the game. Greased Lightning a pre-game tribute to three-try hero Steve Renouf.

We 11 Be Together a dark ballad that sums up the present state of the two warring leagues. One message that wasn't hidden at full-time was that Wendell, thanks largely to his centre teammate Renouf, is now a winner. vP 1 a 4 a 'fWc lt A 'r I Jf i aMa From STEVE MASCORD ACCUSATIONS of kicking and head-butting flew thick and fast last night after Brisbane survived an early second-half challenge by Cronulla to take out the Super League title they were destined for. A crowd of 58,912 a Queensland league record and the biggest grand final roll-up in two decades, saw the Broncos run out comfortable 26-8 winners over the Sharks at ANZ Stadium. Brisbane were deserved premiers, surviving a determined rally by the Sharks, who narrowed the margin to two points just after halftime, when they led 10-2.

But at least one incident from the game will be examined by judiciary commissioner Jim Hall and there were strong words from players on both sides about opposition tactics. And a Brisbane player, who did not want to be named, said: "I saw a Shark player headbutt. If he doesn't get suspended Referee Bill Harrigan placed a tackle by Danny Lee and Les Davidson on Broncos replacement John Plath on report The tackle ended with Davidson throwing punches at Plath. "I thought he kicked Danny in the head that's why I got involved," said Davidson. Plath was in the thick of the action throughout, admitting he goaded Cronulla winger Mat Roger at halftime leading to the other major incident of the game, a shoving match between Plath and three Sharks on the sideline.

"That's the way he plays we should have realised that and not retaliated," said Davidson. "I try to play with my head and not my heart these days, and unfortunately I played with my heart" Plath admitted he used "my mouth and my smile as my weapon" against the Sharks. But he insisted be only had an accidental head-clash with Lee. "I don't think anything should come of it," he said. "It was a tough game of rugby league.

Things happen in the heat of the moment and what happens on the field should stay there." Not that there was unbridled acrimony after last night's game, played in intermittent rain. Cronulla coach John Lang admitted the Broncos were the best side in Super League, as they happily embarked on what should be a tireless celebration of their $500,000 windfall. Brisbane's only try of the first If half came after 34 minutes, winger Steve Renouf crossing for the first of his three tries. A wayward pass from Broncos winger Wendell Sailor presented the Sharks with their chance, winger Geoff Bell soccering the ball into the in-goal and centre Russell Richardson claiming the try. But when the Broncos presented Cronulla with opportunities immediately afterwards they were penalised twice for incorrectly playing the ball Cronulla couldn't take advantage.

And with 25 minutes remaining, Cronulla fullback David Peachey caught a bomb on the tryline but dropped it in a Peter Ryan tackle. The Broncos sent the ball wide and Renouf scored. The conversion by outstanding fullback Darren Lockyer widened the margin to eight points and Cronulla's tilt at glory was lost Renouf scored again, off Lockyer, in the 68th minute and a wonderful pass from lock Darren Smith to winger Michael Hancock completed the champions' account Super League officials were crowing afterwards, Broncos chief executive Shane Edwards saying: "In 1995 the ARL couldn't see any merit in bringing a grand final up here. Try telling that to the 58,000 people here tonight" Broncos coach Wayne Bennett confirmed afterwards that skipper Allan Langer's groin injury was indeed serious and that he was no chance of playing for Australia against New Zealand at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium on Friday night The Australian side will be named in Sydney tomorrow. Langer is also rated unlikely to play much of a part in the Broncos World Club Challenge finals campaign, which begins in two weeks against St Helens.

Lang described the Broncos as the best team in Australia but Bennett and his players were reluctant to buy into speculation about a Super Bowl against the winners of the ARL competition. Reflecting on the Sharks' season, Lang said: "Rome wasn't built in a day." 7 ml I ii CHAMPAGNE SHOWER Anthony Mundine and Alfie Langer soak up the atmosphere of the victory nam: Robert rough History will question '97 winners We told yu Ribot SUPER League architects John Ribot SUPER League architects John Ribot MATES A successful end to a troubled year for News Ltd CEO Lachlan Murdoch (right) and Ian Roberts Picture: SIMON ALEKNA masked Suner Leapue's first Tearl' turns in a gem of a game for premiers STEVE Reaoufs nickname savs it all tbev call i i "Two separate competitions were played during this season." Thanks to the stubbornness of the men in suits, there is no proper punchline to the 1997 season. The players on the winning teams can argue reasonably that they won what was on offer and could do no more. But unless a magic wand is brandished and an unlikely Superbowl conjured out of the hat, thev will die wondering. Were we really the best team of 1 997? The razzledazzle last night briefly and Paul Morgan last night delivered a promise they made five years ago to the football fans of Brisbane.

Ribot was centre stage at ANZ Stadium showing the ARL "what they could have achieved by staging a grand final outside although just how sales would have gone had Brisbane not made the grand final will never be known. Said Ribot: "This is a special day. We knew the people of Queensland wouldn't let us down. Their response shows that Sydney isn't the centre of the universe in rugby league." JOHN UNGARD IN RUGBY league's season of the asterisk, the Hollywood-style ending to Super League's first year changed nothing. Beneath the hype that enveloped Brisbane during the week lay the reality: this was the first season of rugby league without a proper finale.

Whenever last night's premiers are listed in league literature as the years go by (presuming rugby league still has plenty of years to go by), the name will be accompanied by an asterisk and words along the lines of: fractured year. History will adjust that It was fitting that the climax came in Brisbane, where the plotting that led to Super League and rugby league's great crash began more than three years ago. The ARL finale comes next Sunday. For many there will be a sense of relief when it's all over; the weather is warming and the feuding and fighting can be forgotten for a time. IAN HEADS The Broncos fullback kicked five goals from six attempts and was also tremendous in every other facet of his game.

The youngster probably won himself a place in the Australian Super League side to be named tomorrow. Cronulla's David Peachey started the game favourite ahead of Lockyer, but by the time the fulltime siren sounded there was little doubt the Bronco had earned himself a Test cap. Darren Smith also stood out for the premiers. PAUL CRAWLEY him "The Pearl. Last night Renouf scored three tries, which was enough to get him home in the aa-of-tbe-match stakes.

Renouf I hat-trick was only part of a brilliant package in a game ia hich he also produced one of his finest defensive performances. The fact that Cronulla's Andrew Ettingshausen was hardly noticed throughout the match was some indication of just how sound Renoufs game was. The Broncos centre scored his first try in the 33rd minute and then backed up with a double in the second half: However, his performance only narrowly overshadowed that of the superbly gifted Darren Lockver. i 106 THE SUN-HERALD, September 21, 1997 THE SUN-HERALD, September 21, 1997 107 5D2.