This is the first NRL Grand Final to be played on October 6 that doesn’t feature the Sydney Roosters.

In 2001, the NRL changed the date of the Grand Final so it would be played on the Sunday before the Labour Day Public Holiday in NSW (The first Monday in October), which meant the 2002 Grand Final was the first decider to be played on October 6, and the first to be played in October…

And it was in ’02 that the Roosters defeated the New Zealand Warriors (Playing in their first Grand Final) 30 to 8 to win their first premiership since 1975, as Craig Fitzgibbon won the Clive Churchill Medal, and Ricky Stuart joined the elite list of first-year coaches to win a premiership… it was also Ivan Cleary’s last NRL game before he moved into a long and successful coaching career, with his first stop being the Roosters’ reserve grade team.

However, the game was better remembered for Billy Idol’s pre-game performance, entering Telstra Stadium on a hovercraft, only for the power to go out before he’d even played a song.

Due to leap years, the 2013 Grand Final was the next decider to be played on October 6, and the Roosters were back in it as minor premiers, going up against Manly, who they’d already defeated 3 times in 2013, and in a game of great quality, the Roosters came from 8-18 down in the 2nd Half to score the last 3 tries and win the game 26-18, with Daly Cherry-Evans becoming the first player to win the Clive Churchill from the losing team since Brad Mackay for St George in 1993, and Trent Robinson replicating Stuart in 2002 in winning the premiership as a rookie coach.

Amazing to think in the span of 4 years, Sonny Bill Williams won the Rugby World Cup with the All-Blacks, a Super Rugby title with the Chiefs, moved to rugby league and won a Premiership with the Roosters, plus the World Club Challenge, then he moved back to rugby union and won another Rugby World Cup with the All-Blacks.

Now, the most recent Grand Final to be played on October 6 was the 2019 decider, when the Roosters defeated the Canberra Raiders 14-8 to secure the first repeat premiership in a unified competition since the Broncos in 1992-1993…

A contentious game, but a memorable one at that, as the Raiders were in their first decider since 1994, Ricky Stuart coached against the Roosters in a Grand Final, then you had the controversies like the Raiders kicking into the Roosters’ runner, leading to the opening try for the Roosters, and the reversed 6 again call against the Raiders in the last 10 minutes, which led to the Roosters scoring the winning try on the next set, and at the end of it all, Jack Wighton replicated Cherry-Evans in winning the Clive Churchill Medal in a losing Grand Final against the Roosters.

But this year, it’ll be the Melbourne Storm against the Penrith Panthers in what shapes up as the most historically significant Grand Final in living memory… of course, it was the Storm who ended Easts’ record of appearing in October 6 deciders in the Preliminary Final!