The five greatest NRL Grand Finals of this century

Before we jump into the big game on Sunday, it's time to look back on Grand Finals past and find the five best of this century.

Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs v Melbourne Storm (Allianz Stadium, 2012)

Bulldogs 4 def by Storm 14

After a tumultuous period for the Storm, having been stripped of two premierships due to salary cap breaches, they got back to the top and silenced all of the critics with a 14-4 win over the Bulldogs in 2012. These sides were clearly the top two throughout the year, but the Storm were just that much better on the day.

The big story out of the day was a biting allegation against James Graham on legendary fullback Billy Slater that came during a brawl in the 26th minute. After the apparent bite, the Storm were fired up, leading them to some incredible defending.

While the scores were even at the brawl, the Storm dominated afterwards to get over the line twice. The first try was from Slater, thanks to a great Cooper Cronk pass before Justin O'Neil provided the match's final try. No score came in the second half, with the Storm shutting down shop and taking home the premiership medals.

Brisbane Broncos v Melbourne Storm (ANZ Stadium, 2006)

Broncos 15 def Storm 8

It was the first ever Grand Final to have two non-NSW teams, and while it was the beginning of a decade of Storm dominance, the Broncos took the win in this game with a surprising run to the finals in Shane Webcke's final season.

With the Storm coming in having won both regular season head-to-head games, they were clearly the favourites. All fears of a small crowd were also put away when almost 80,000 people turned up to watch this cracker of a match.

The Storm got out to an early lead with Steve Sturner scoring, but it didn't take long for Justin Hodges to do the same for the Broncos while Lockyer converted, giving the Broncos a good lead. Two more tries came in the second half, but the penalty goals and a sealing field goal from Lockyer finished things off and secured the silverware for Brisbane.

North Queensland Cowboys v Brisbane Broncos (ANZ Stadium, 2015)

Cowboys 17 def Broncos 16

It was the Cowboys' 20th year in the competition and there was no better way to show off their history than winning an all-Queensland final in front of almost 83,000 people. It was a thrilling match that cemented Jonathan Thurston as an NRL and North Queensland legend.

The scoring started early, with Corey Oates and Justin O'Neill getting over the line for their respective teams in the first ten minutes. At the end of the first half, a couple more tries came from each team, but the Broncos took the lead into halftime thanks to an early penalty goal.

Another penalty goal put the Broncos four points up at the 42nd-minute mark, and it looked like the win was theirs. No score came until the 80th minute when Kyle Felt ran down the outside edge of the field to even things up. Thurston couldn't quite convert, and the game went into extra time. Ben Hunt dropped the opening kick-off, and a few tackles later Thurston got onto a field goal to lift the trophy and take the win.

Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders (ANZ Stadium, 2019)

Roosters 14 def Raiders 8

The Roosters became the first team to go back-to-back since 1993 when they beat the Raiders in a 14-8 Grand Final that will go down as one of the best of all time. The Raiders didn't disgrace themselves through, showing they had plenty of passion.

Sam Verrills got the first score of the day when he got over the try line after just six minutes of play with Latrell Mitchell converting well. The Raiders followed up in the 30th minute with their only try of the game in front of 83,000 crazed Sydney fans.

The six-again call caused so much controversy that led to James Tedesco scoring in the 72nd minute. The Raiders didn't seem to know the call was made, and Tedesco took full advantage. The Roosters' defence then closed up to make sure the Raiders would only score two points in the second half.

Cronulla Sharks v Melbourne Storm (ANZ Stadium, 2016)

Sharks 14 def Storm 12

It was a long drought for the Sharks that broke when they ran over the top of the Storm late in the 2016 Grand Final to have Paul Gallen lift the trophy for his beloved team. For the Storm, it signalled the start of a slower period, although, in reality, they have always been around the top of the ladder.

Ben Barba was the only man to score in the first half when he got over the line in the 14th minute. It was the second half, though, that saw all of the action. Jesse Bromwich and Will Chambers scored for the Storm to give them a lead halfway through the second half but that wasn't the end for the Sharks.

It was a 70th-minute try by Andrew Fifita, who surged forward, getting over the line in front of the biggest Grand Final crowd in a long time to end the 49-year drought. The converted try was enough to take the lead back and seal the win. Will Chambers had a chance to score for the Storm, but he chose to keep the ball instead of passing to Cooper Cronk, who was open on the inside.