Forty Nine Years of Heartbreak Are Over As The Sharks Win Their First NRL Title

"To all you people back in the Shire, turn your porch lights off because we're coming home with the trophy," Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen told the crowd at ANZ Stadium in Sydney late last night.

Seconds later, he became the first Sharkies captain to hold a first-grade championship trophy aloft, as Cronulla won title number one in year 49.

If you don't rate that line from Gallen amongst the great one-liners in Australian sporting history, you're clearly not the sort that buys into hyperbole like fairytale victories and drought-breaking beauty.

The Sharks thrilling 14-12 victory over the Melbourne Storm certainly had both of those. And while though those sort of clichés are usually reserved for the most cringeworthy sports-writing, this correspondent is more than happy to lower the bar.

The Sharkies have ACTUALLY won a title. Bloody hell.

By Christ, did they earn it too in a game that was worthy of instant classic status. I mean, hell, how long are people going to talk about that try from Andrew Fifita to seal victory for Cronulla?

The big back rower is amongst the most controversial in league; given his defense of one-punch Sydney killer Kieran Loveridge.

His match-winning try won't reward him with redemption, but it was damned exciting. Just watch the try – don't make me describe it.

Andrew Fifita's title-winning try for the Sharkies. Source: Youtube.

"If there is a greater conundrum in the game than Fifita, then please tell me what it is," Andrew Webster wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald.

"At the various luncheons and functions and cocktail parties that make grand final week a true staying test, former players are universal in their condemnation of him: they don't like some of the stuff he does on the field, and what he stands for off it. But they all agree he can play.

"Out there on the right edge, he terrorised the Melbourne defence, fending them off with impudent aplomb with his left hand, clutching the ball in his right like LeBron James, using his prodigious guts to swerve and wriggle out of tackles."

The last minute of the NRL Grand Final. Source: Youtube.

From the opening whistle, Gallen's men came out steaming, outdoing the usually unflappable Storm in intensity, hunger and defensive urgency.

The influence of Storm pivots Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith seemed tiny, as light blue shirts ran supreme. Wheeling off the back of a scrum, Gallen combined with flying fullback Ben Barba for a try early in the second. Maloney notched a couple of goals too, to make it 8-0 after only 12 minutes.

Then the tide shifted. Our old friends the Storm were back, with tries to Will Chambers and Jesse Bromwich stealing back a 12-8 lead. The Evil Empire looked like they had it in the bag again.

Then came Fifita.

Then came 16 minutes of heart-in-your-mouth tackling. Then came the whistle. Then came history.

Out goes the porch light in Cronulla. On rolls the celebrations.

Full NRL highlights package. Source: Youtube.