The 2009 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership season. Played on 4 October 2009 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium was contested between the Parramatta Eels and the Melbourne Storm, the latter competing in their 4th grand final in a row. That was later stripped from them for breaking the salary cap rule. It was also the first Grand Final to feature the two referee system, with Shayne Hayne and Tony Archer being the first referees to jointly officiate in an NRL Grand Final.
The Melbourne Storm led 10–0 at halftime and fought off a Parramatta comeback to eventually win 23–16 and claim their third premiership since entering the competition. This title was later stripped from the club due to salary cap breaches. Melbourne went on to defeat the Leeds Rhinos, winners of the 2009 Super League Grand Final, in the 2010 World Club Challenge. The latter title was also stripped from the Melbourne club.
Background
The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first match played on 13 March and ended with the grand final, played on 4 October. The second season of the National Youth Competition also commenced in line with the Telstra Premiership.
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm finished the regular season in 4th position with 14 wins, nine losses and one draw. As the minor premiers of the last three seasons and premiers in 2007, some commentators believed that the Melbourne side were below their best in 2009 and doubted they would make a 4th straight grand final. But in the first week of the finals series they easily accounted for the defending premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, with a 40 – 12 victory. They then defeated the 2006 premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, 40 – 10 to qualify for the grand final. The Melbourne Storm are the first side to make four consecutive grand finals since the Parramatta side did so in 1981–84.
Melbourne five-eighth Brett Finch had a chance to break his premiership drought by defeating the side that terminated his contract in April 2009 when coach Daniel Anderson said he was not wanted at the Parramatta club.
Parramatta Eels
After a dreadful first half of the season and languishing in 14th position, the Parramatta Eels won 9 of their last 12 games to finish 8th and just make the finals. In the first three weeks of the finals series they defeated the top three teams of the home and away season – minor premiers the St. George Illawarra Dragons, the Gold Coast Titans, and arch-rivals the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The last time the Parramatta club made the grand final was 2001 where they were defeated by the Newcastle Knights and the last time they won the premiership was in 1986. They were the first team to come from 8th position to make the NRL Grand Final and if they had won they would have been the first team ever ranked below 6th to win the premiership. Canterbury's appearance in the 1998 grand final came from 9th position, but under a different finals system.
Parramatta Eels fullback and Dally M Medallist Jarryd Hayne was in danger of missing the match after being placed on report for sliding in with his knees out to stop a try and connecting with the head of Canterbury winger Bryson Goodwin. The incident was reviewed by the NRL Match Review Panel on 27 September and Hayne received a grade one sentence, allowing him to play. This set up one of the great grand final match-ups as Hayne played opposite current Melbourne and Australian fullback and 2008 Golden Boot Winner Billy Slater.
Parramatta captain Nathan Cayless was under an injury cloud after he strained his hamstring in the preliminary final. He passed an intense fitness test on the day before the game to take his place in the grand final. Cayless, Luke Burt and Nathan Hindmarsh went into the match as the only remaining survivors from the club's 2001 Grand Final loss to the Newcastle Knights.
The two sides faced each other once in the regular season in round 19. Parramatta won 18–16 at Parramatta Stadium on 20 July.