Five days to the grand final: “You can turn the light out now”

In the lead up to the 2023 NRL grand final, Zero Tackle will revisit five of the greatest decider moments this century.

With five days to go until Sunday's first against second decider at Homebush, we turn the clock back to 2016 when the Cronulla Sharks broke the NRL's longest premiership drought to beat the Melbourne Storm in a thrilling decider.

For Sharks fans who filled Homebush's (then known as ANZ) Olympic Stadium, it was the realisation of, for many, a lifelong dream to witness the black, white and blue be crowned champions on the first Sunday in October.

For those watching at home, veteran commentator Ray Warren's sum up as the siren rang out after a frantic final play which wound up with Melbourne winger Marika Koroibete tackled will live long in the memory bank.

"Koroibete is put down. The siren sounds. Cronulla have won it! Cronulla have won it! 14 to 12. You can turn the light out now," Warren said on Channel 9s broadcast of the game.

"Look at this. Amazing scenes from the Olympic Stadium."

The rendition of "Up Up Cronulla" that followed from what felt like 70,000 Sharks fans in attendance was something to behold, with the Sharks breaking a 49-year curse to win their first premiership since being added to the NRL in the 1960s.

That final play, where Melbourne went from behind halfway, from the right touchline to the left touchline, then all the way back to the right as the ball went through at least 15 sets of hands, only made it all the more special for the Sharks.

Any points for the Storm in that final play would have sent the Victorian outfit over the line with a victory in the decider, with the final scoreline of 14-12 leaving the game open until the dying seconds.

The game itself was one of the better grand finals in recent times.

From the start of the contest, two evenly matched teams threw the kitchen sink at each other in attempting to bring home the premiership.

Cronulla had opened the scoring in the seventh minute through a Chad Townsend penalty goal, and not long after the men from the Shire almost foud their way over for the opening try through Luke Lewis on a break, before a kick for the wing saw Koroibete save the day by getting something on the ball that ended up over the touchline.

From a scrum in the next set, an incredible play saw fullback Ben Barba slide over for the first try of the game from a Paul Gallen inside ball.

With the game seeing no further points before the break, it was Melbourne who would score first following the interval with Jesse Bromwich crashing over through a number of defenders to score.

Melbourne were still behind two, but would then hit the front with a play to the right-hand side that saw Will Chambers ignore his winger, but step inside a number of tacklers to score.

The Storm, who have been a picture of consistency for years, then found themselves in front inside the final 20 minutes, but Shane Flanagan's Sharks simply refused to go away.

Andrew Fifita would bulldoze through four defenders up the middle and roll over to put the ball down under the posts.

The power packet prop was arguably the best on ground, although ultimately (and controversially) ignored for a Clive Churchill that would wind up in the possession of champion Luke Lewis.

Cronulla then managed to hold their two-point advantage through a final tense ten minutes to take home victory in the decider and a first premiership.