Brisbane celebrate 2006 NRL Grand Final victory over Melbourne

This Nine News Brisbane story shows the Brisbane Broncos team celebrating back in Brisbane after their 2006 National Rugby League (NRL) grand final victory against the Melbourne Storm. We also see the Melbourne players dealing with the disappointment of defeat after the match. 

The match was played on Sunday 1 October and broadcast on the Nine Network. Although the Melbourne team entered the final as heavy favourites, Brisbane won 15 points to 8. 

Reporter Ken Sutcliffe calls the match 'a tale of two cities', and the news story effectively contrasts the jubilant reactions in Brisbane with the subdued crowds and terse public statements in Melbourne. The significance of it being these two cities is that it was the first NRL grand final ever played by two teams from outside New South Wales. 

Since 1910, rugby league has been the premier winter sport in NSW, and it took 98 years – just short of the Australian game’s centenary – for a grand final match to be contested by two teams originating from outside the game’s NSW heartland.