2016 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 2 October 2016 · ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
2016 NRL Grand Final result: Cronulla-Sutherland def. Melbourne Storm, 14-12, at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW on Sunday, 2 October 2016.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Cronulla-Sutherland | 14 |
| Runner-up | Melbourne Storm | 12 |
Attendance: 83,625
NRL 2016 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 563 | 302 | +261 | 42 |
| 2 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 688 | 456 | +232 | 39 |
| 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 580 | 404 | +176 | 39 |
| 4 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 584 | 355 | +229 | 34 |
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 554 | 434 | +120 | 34 |
| 6 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 563 | 463 | +100 | 32 |
| 7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 506 | 448 | +58 | 32 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 508 | 497 | +11 | 27 |
| 9 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 499 | 607 | -108 | 26 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 513 | 601 | -88 | 24 |
| 11 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 341 | 538 | -197 | 24 |
| 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 473 | 549 | -76 | 22 |
| 13 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 454 | 563 | -109 | 20 |
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 298 | 324 | -26 | 18 |
| 15 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 443 | 576 | -133 | 16 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 305 | 800 | -495 | 7 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2016 | Melbourne Storm 16–10 North Queensland Cowboys | AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC | 21,233 |
| 10 Sep 2016 | Canberra Raiders 14–16 Cronulla-Sutherland | GIO Stadium, Canberra, ACT | 25,592 |
Elimination Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2016 | Brisbane Broncos 44–28 Gold Coast Titans | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 43,170 |
| 11 Sep 2016 | Penrith Panthers 28–12 Canterbury-Bankstown | Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 22,631 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 2016 | North Queensland Cowboys 26–20 Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville, QLD | 23,804 |
| 17 Sep 2016 | Canberra Raiders 22–12 Penrith Panthers | GIO Stadium, Canberra, ACT | 21,498 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sep 2016 | Cronulla-Sutherland 32–20 North Queensland Cowboys | Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 36,717 |
| 24 Sep 2016 | Melbourne Storm 14–12 Canberra Raiders | AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC | 28,161 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2016 | Cronulla-Sutherland 14–12 Melbourne Storm | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 83,625 |
Match officials
| Referee | Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins |
Scorers
| Cronulla-Sutherland | Tries: Barba 15'; Fifita 71' Goals: James Maloney (3/3 — 2 conversions, 1 penalty goal at 8') |
| Melbourne Storm | Tries: Bromwich (2nd half, exact minute not sourced); Chambers (2nd half, exact minute not sourced) Goals: Cameron Smith (2/2) |
Teams
| Cronulla-Sutherland | Melbourne Storm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Barba | Fullback | Cameron Munster | 1 |
| 2 | Sosaia Feki | Wing | Suliasi Vunivalu | 2 |
| 3 | Jack Bird | Centre | Will Chambers | 3 |
| 4 | Ricky Leutele | Centre | Cheyse Blair | 4 |
| 5 | Valentine Holmes | Wing | Marika Koroibete | 5 |
| 6 | James Maloney | Five-eighth | Blake Green | 6 |
| 7 | Chad Townsend | Halfback | Cooper Cronk | 7 |
| 8 | Andrew Fifita | Prop | Jesse Bromwich | 8 |
| 9 | Michael Ennis | Hooker | Cameron Smith (c) | 9 |
| 10 | Matt Prior | Prop | Jordan McLean | 10 |
| 11 | Luke Lewis | Second row | Kevin Proctor | 11 |
| 12 | Wade Graham | Second row | Tohu Harris | 12 |
| 13 | Paul Gallen (c) | Lock | Dale Finucane | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Gerard Beale | Kenny Bromwich | 14 | |
| 15 | Chris Heighington | Tim Glasby | 15 | |
| 16 | Sam Tagataese | Christian Welch | 16 | |
| 17 | Jayson Bukuya | Ben Hampton | 17 | |
| Shane Flanagan | Coach | Craig Bellamy | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Luke Lewis (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks).
Match context
Cronulla-Sutherland ended one of rugby league's most agonising premiership droughts, defeating Melbourne Storm 14-12 to claim the first NRL title in the club's 50-year history and become the last of the nine original Sydney foundation clubs to win a grand final. The Sharks dominated the opening exchanges at ANZ Stadium, halfback Ben Barba crossing in the 15th minute to help Cronulla into an 8-0 lead at half-time. Melbourne, chasing back-to-back titles under coach Craig Bellamy, rallied strongly after the break with converted tries to Jesse Bromwich and Will Chambers to snatch a 12-8 lead, threatening to derail the Sharks' history-making bid. But Cronulla found a response when destructive prop Andrew Fifita barged over in the 71st minute, edging the Sharks back in front 14-12 and setting up a tense finish. Melbourne twice came close to snatching victory late, but the Sharks held on to complete an historic triumph. Veteran forward Luke Lewis, in the form of his career during the finals series, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for a colossal defensive display, crediting his teammates for the achievement. The victory triggered extraordinary celebrations across the Sutherland Shire, a region synonymous with grand final heartbreak, and remains one of the most emotionally significant premierships in the sport's history.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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