On this day: Thurston late fightback claims second Dally M

On this day, Eric Grothe scores one of the great tries, Shane Webcke bids farewell to Suncorp and Chad Towsend is marched after cleaning up Kalyn Ponga.

1909

A crowd of 18,000 watch the first of the Kangaroos-Wallabies matches at the Agricultural Ground.

1983

Parramatta winger Eric Grothe beats five defenders to score spectacular semi-final try against Canterbury, with the Eels going on to win 30-22.

2006

A near-capacity Suncorp Stadium crowd of 47,193 turns out for Shane Webcke's final regular season match on home soil as the Broncos warm up for the finals with a 36-12 defeat of the Warriors.

Also on this day, Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri produced one of the great goalkicking performances of his career in his team's 30-22 win over Penrith. El Masri kicked five goals from five attempts in gale-force winds and driving rain.

Finally South Sydney winger Nathan Merritt finished as the NRL's leading tryscorer after 26 rounds. Merritt's 22 tries was the highest tally by a Rabbitohs player in more than 50 years.

2007

North Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston pips Wests Tigers' Robbie Farah to claim his second Dally M Medal in three years. Thurston polled 13 points out of a possible 15 over the last five rounds of the competition to claim the award.

2012     

Canterbury fullback Ben Barba scoops the pool at the Dally M awards, claiming the Dally M Medal by six points from North Queensland fullback Matt Bowen and picking up another four awards, including Fullback of the Year, Provan-Summons Medal, Leading Tryscorer and Headline Moment of the Year.

2016    

Canterbury fullback Will Hopoate stands by his decision not to play on Sundays due to his Mormon faith and withdraws from the Bulldogs’ team to play Penrith in an elimination final.

2020

Cronulla halfback Chad Townsend becomes the third player sent from the field in 2020 when he is marched for a shoulder charge on Newcastle fullback Kalyn Ponga.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.