Nathan Cleary left his best performance of the World Cup until the end, guiding Australia back to the summit of rugby league with a 30-10 victory in Manchester on Sunday morning.
At the home of the ground of his favourite English Premier League club, Manchester United’s Old Trafford, Cleary added his name to the iconic ground’s rich history.
James Tedesco runs away for one of his two tries.Credit:Getty
So too captain James Tedesco, who bagged a double and finished with man-of-the-match honours in his first tournament as skipper of his country.
The Penrith halfback set up two tries and played a hand in another, ending Samoa’s inspired World Cup run in front of a mammoth crowd of 67,502 at the ground dubbed the ‘theatre of dreams’.
The Kangaroos have now won three consecutive World Cup titles, including nine of the last 10 since 1975.
Cleary came into the tournament as the player most under pressure despite his incredible performances in the NRL over the past few seasons.
Cleary in action during the final.Credit:Getty
The young halfback, who turned 25 during the week, has struggled to overcome a stigma that he struggles in representative games.
That stigma has followed him through this World Cup as he struggled to find his mojo in the green and gold leading into the final. That changed in Manchester on Sunday morning.
The world’s smallest in-goals, around 3m deep at Old Trafford, denied Cleary the chance to use his usually accurate right boot to apply pressure. It didn’t deter him, instead using his passing game to dismantle the Samoans.
His performance justified coach Mal Meninga’s decision to overlook veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans in favour of the NRL’s hottest No.7.
WHAT THEY SAID
Australian captain James Tedesco on winning the World Cup:
“It’s pretty unbelievable. Six weeks ago this group of blokes we got together and developed a close bond. We got along straight way. We built that connection from the start and we wanted to work hard for each other. We showed that tonight.”
KEY MOMENTS
3rd minute: James Tedesco saves a 40-20 from Chanel Harris-Tevita, however replays later showed Tedesco’s foot was on the sideline when he batted it back in-field.
The World Cup was James Tedesco’s first as Aussie captain.Credit:Getty
10th minute: With Samoa dominating possession, Jack Wighton turned the tide with a quick 20m tap that put Valentine Holmes away. Samoa defended multiple sets but Cleary eventually put Mitchell through a hole to open the scoring (Australia 4-0).
18th minute: Josh Addo-Carr found a hole through the middle of Samoa’s defence, drawing Joseph Suaalii to put his captain James Tedesco over for a try (Australia 10-0).
29th minute: Harry Grant used his smarts to catch Marty Taupau napping around the ruck, using the blind side to send Liam Martin crashing over the top of Tim Lafai just as Samoa were starting to get themselves back in the contest. Cleary then missed his second sideline conversion attempt of the night (Australia 14-0).
47th minute: Angus Crichton was sent to the sin-bin after raising a forearm that knocked-out Chanel Harris-Tevita in his final game of rugby league. The incident occurred after an error from Valentine Holmes.
Latrell Mitchell also bagged a double.Credit:Getty
51st minute: With Samoa looking to capitalise on the extra man, Cameron Munster pulls off a one-on-one strip on Spencer Leniu. The Aussies go to the other end of the field, where Cleary exposes Anthony Milford and puts Cameron Murray through a hole to take a big lead (Australia 20-0).
61st minute: Latrell Mitchell attempted to intercept a looping Jarome Luai pass. His inability to collect the ball allowed Kelma Tuilagi the chance to put Brian To’o over in the corner untouched (Australia 20-6).
68th minute: Australia sealed the win with a simple outside-inside play. It was Cleary to Munster, back inside to Tedesco, who ran through a gaping hole for his second try (Australia 26-6).
71st minute: Intercept king Stephen Crichton latched on to Ben Hunt pass out of dummy half, running 40m to give the Samoan fans a glimmer of hope (Australia 26-10).
80th minute: Nathan Cleary threw a long cut-out pass to put Latrell Mitchell through a hole, allowing the South Sydney halfback to score his second of the night (Australia 30-10).
