2012 NRL grand final
| 2012 NRL Grand Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 30 September 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | Sydney | ||||||||||||
| Clive Churchill Medal | Cooper Cronk (MEL) | ||||||||||||
| Australian National anthem |
 Sarah De Bono
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| Referees |
Tony Archer, Ben Cummins |
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| Attendance | 82,976 | ||||||||||||
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The 2012 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2012 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 30 September at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the second-placed Melbourne Storm. Melbourne won the match 14–4 in a tight contest to claim their second premiership title after their 2007 and 2009 titles were stripped due to major salary cap breaches.
This was the fourth time the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm have faced each other in a finals series and the first in a grand final. It was the fifth time in the past seven seasons the Melbourne Storm featured in a grand final, although they were playing for their second official title. The Bulldogs played in their first decider since 2004 when they defeated the Sydney Roosters to win their last premiership. It was also the third time coaches Craig Bellamy and Des Hasler oversaw their sides in a premiership decider after each claimed grand final success in their 2007 and 2008 meetings.
Melbourne and Canterbury have faced each other twice in the regular season, with the Storm beating the Bulldogs 12-6 in a tight match at Melbourne's home ground in AAMI Park in round 7 whilst the Bulldogs got over the Storm later in round 16 with a score of 20-4 at Canterbury's non-traditional venue at Virgin Australia Stadium in Mackay, Queensland.
Tickets to the grand final were sold out by 22 August, more than two weeks before finals playoffs begun.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs finished first on the regular season competition ladder, claiming the 2012 minor premiership with 18 wins from 24 matches and finishing on 40 premiership points. This was the club's 7th minor premiership in its history and its first since 1994. The Bulldog's 2012 season was characterised by a 12-game winning streak from round 11 to round 24, which was eventually ended after a 34-6 defeat to the Canberra Raiders in round 25. This loss gave Melbourne a chance to claim the minor premiership, however a 42-10 win over the Sydney Roosters in round 26 ensured the Bulldogs finished first.
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