It was a brilliant weekend for three codes of football
For millions of Australians, the most unforgettable moment of grand finals weekend was Johnathan Thurston's field goal to snatch the NRL premiership for the Cowboys, by a single golden point, on Sunday night. For just as many of us, Hawthorn's decisive win over West Coast at the MCG on Saturday to secure a hat trick of AFL flags was just as big a highlight. As the culmination of national competitions, the finals draw together Australians from opposite ends of our vast continent.
But however intense the on-field rivalries, Hawks, Eagles, Cowboys and Broncos and their fans all united with the rest of the nation early Sunday morning, our time, as the Wallabies booted England from its own Rugby World Cup at Twickenham. Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley, whose talent for landing goals was clear a decade ago as a schoolboy at St Aloysius College in Sydney, led the charge in London. Foley scored 28 points, landing two tries, two conversions and kicking six from six. Affronted at being drubbed out 33-13 by colonials, a few doleful Poms have already broken out the black. But in trying to disguise their grief by promising to cheer for New Zealand, our arch rivals, for the rest of the cup we trust they've set themselves up for a double dose of mourning. 
For Australians, grand finals weekend marks the start of daylight savings across much of the nation, warm weather and spring and summer sporting contests ahead. In different ways, it is as intrinsic and unifying to our national life as the Melbourne Cup and Anzac Day. On Saturday, while outnumbered by Hawks supporters, West Australians made their presence felt among the 98,000-strong crowd at the MCG. And Hawthorn, one of Melbourne's long-established Australian football clubs, has the state of Tasmania as sponsor, represented prominently on the team's jersey. In NSW, interest in the all-Queensland NRL final was intense as many Sydneysiders became Cowboys for a day, backing the underdogs who were yet to win a premiership. Such local interest - added to the plane, train, bus and carloads of Queenslanders who had headed south from Brisbane and Townsville - provided a record crowd of 82,758 at ANZ Stadium.As robust and intense as any football final, the Cowboys-Broncos match was also notable for its goodwill and mateship - a welcome reflection on the teams' indigenous captains, Thurston and the Broncos' Justin Hodges. They are outstanding role models for young boys. As good mates and Origin teammates they set the tone for the game, embracing moments before the bruising contest unleashed. It more than met expectations. Neither side gave an inch. But even the most imaginative novelist would have struggled to conjure up a more nailbiting finish. With the clock ticking down and the prize givers, including Malcolm Turnbull, stirring in their seats, the Cowboys trailed by four. With no time left, Kyle Feldt scored in the corner, evening the score to 16 all. As millions of Australians held their breath, Thurston's conversion attempt, inches from the sideline, was valiant, but it careered into the post. In extra time, a knock-on by Broncos halfback Ben Hunt gave Thurston a second chance for a field goal. He didn't miss. Nor, in his excitement, did he forget to be a sport and a mate, comforting Hunt in his distress over a fleeting lapse. The Australian spirit shone, the biggest winner of finals weekend.