2015 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 4 October 2015 · ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
2015 NRL Grand Final result: North Queensland def. Brisbane Broncos, 17-16, at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW on Sunday, 4 October 2015.
Sourcing caveat: Sources vary on the spelling "Johnathan" vs "Jonathan" Thurston — "Johnathan" is his own preferred spelling and is used here.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | North Queensland | 17 |
| Runner-up | Brisbane Broncos | 16 |
Attendance: 82,758
NRL 2015 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 591 | 300 | +291 | 40 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 574 | 379 | +195 | 38 |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 587 | 454 | +133 | 38 |
| 4 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 467 | 348 | +119 | 32 |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 522 | 480 | +42 | 32 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 469 | 476 | -7 | 32 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 465 | 467 | -2 | 30 |
| 8 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 435 | 408 | +27 | 28 |
| 9 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 458 | 492 | -34 | 26 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 577 | 569 | +8 | 24 |
| 11 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 399 | 477 | -78 | 22 |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 448 | 573 | -125 | 22 |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 445 | 588 | -143 | 22 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 439 | 636 | -197 | 22 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 487 | 562 | -75 | 20 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 458 | 612 | -154 | 20 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 2015 | Sydney Roosters 18–20 Melbourne Storm | Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 20,521 |
| 12 Sep 2015 | Brisbane Broncos 16–12 North Queensland Cowboys | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 50,388 |
Elimination Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 2015 | Canterbury-Bankstown 11–10 St George Illawarra | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 33,854 |
| 13 Sep 2015 | Cronulla-Sutherland 28–12 South Sydney Rabbitohs | Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 27,031 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 2015 | Sydney Roosters 38–12 Canterbury-Bankstown | Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 35,711 |
| 19 Sep 2015 | North Queensland Cowboys 39–0 Cronulla-Sutherland | 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville, QLD | 21,683 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2015 | Brisbane Broncos 31–12 Sydney Roosters | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 51,826 |
| 26 Sep 2015 | Melbourne Storm 12–32 North Queensland Cowboys | AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC | 29,315 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 2015 | North Queensland Cowboys 17–16 Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 82,758 |
Match officials
| Referee | Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins |
Scorers
| North Queensland | Tries: O'Neill 12'; Tamou 24'; Feldt 80' Goals: Johnathan Thurston (2/3) Drop goals: Johnathan Thurston (1/1) golden-point field goal, extra time |
| Brisbane Broncos | Tries: Oates 8'; Reed 34' Goals: Corey Parker (1/1 conversion, 1/1 penalty goal); Jordan Kahu (1/1 conversion, 1/1 penalty goal, 43') |
Teams
| North Queensland | Brisbane Broncos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lachlan Coote | Fullback | Darius Boyd | 1 |
| 2 | Kyle Feldt | Wing | Corey Oates | 2 |
| 3 | Justin O'Neill | Centre | Jack Reed | 3 |
| 4 | Kane Linnett | Centre | Justin Hodges (c) | 4 |
| 5 | Antonio Winterstein | Wing | Jordan Kahu | 5 |
| 6 | Michael Morgan | Five-eighth | Anthony Milford | 6 |
| 7 | Johnathan Thurston (c) | Halfback | Ben Hunt | 7 |
| 8 | Matthew Scott (c) | Prop | Sam Thaiday | 8 |
| 9 | Jake Granville | Hooker | Andrew McCullough | 9 |
| 10 | James Tamou | Prop | Adam Blair | 10 |
| 11 | Gavin Cooper | Second row | Alex Glenn | 11 |
| 12 | Ethan Lowe | Second row | Matt Gillett | 12 |
| 13 | Jason Taumalolo | Lock | Corey Parker | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Rory Kostjasyn | Jarrod Wallace | 14 | |
| 15 | John Asiata | Mitchell Dodds | 15 | |
| 16 | Scott Bolton | Joe Ofahengaue | 16 | |
| 17 | Ben Hannant | Kodi Nikorima | 17 | |
| Paul Green | Coach | Wayne Bennett | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Johnathan Thurston (North Queensland Cowboys).
Match context
The 2015 decider between North Queensland and Brisbane is widely regarded as one of the greatest NRL Grand Finals ever played, a see-sawing thriller that became the first premiership decided in golden-point extra time. Brisbane struck first through winger Corey Oates, but the Cowboys hit back quickly with tries to Justin O'Neill and James Tamou to edge in front. A Jack Reed try just before the break restored Brisbane's lead, and the Broncos extended their advantage to 16-12 in the second half, adopting territorial, kick-heavy football to control the clock and protect their lead. North Queensland refused to fold, and in a dramatic finish deep in the closing stages, winger Kyle Feldt crossed to level the scores, only for Johnathan Thurston's sideline conversion attempt to strike the upright, sending the match to golden-point extra time locked at 16-16. With the Cowboys on the attack, Broncos halfback Ben Hunt spilled the ball from the restart deep in Brisbane's own territory, and after desperate scrambling defence, the ball found its way to Thurston, who slotted a field goal from around 20 metres to win the premiership 17-16 — North Queensland's maiden title in their twentieth season in the competition. Thurston, playing through a serious shoulder injury for much of the finals series, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his complete performance, including the match-sealing kick. The finish was so dramatic that the NRL subsequently changed extra-time rules for finals football.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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