Number one is his favourite number and not just because, as a New Zealander, he finds it hard to count much higher. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Give the Roosters credit. Manly held a 10 point lead early in the second half and it appeared they might be about to steal this thing.
But when the minor premiers came, they pounced. A couple of brutal bursts from Sonny Bill Williams and the rest took care of itself.
Peter Sterling, who for years has been the gem of the Nine commentary team, said there was a long way to go in this game when Manly was up by 10. As ever, he was right. All year the Roosters have shown the ability to erase a deficit. It was no different tonight. And it happened so quickly.
Manly looked really dangerous tonight, especially in the first 15 minutes of each half. But these Roosters always come back at you. Always. They're like the mercury guy in Terminator 2, these Roosters. Just when you think you've blown them to smithereens, they reassemble and come hunt you down.
Manly skipper Jamie Lyon was lucky to be awarded a penalty try early in the second half, but otherwise, all of the 50/50 decisions in this game went the Roosters' way. There was a shocking forward pass from Maloney to Minichiello in one of their tries, and loads of lesser infringements went undetected or falsely diagnosed as Manly errors.
But in truth, Manly looked tired at the end and were fresh out of scoring ideas. The Roosters looked like they were just warming up. They've been the best all year and in the last 15 minutes, they looked like it and smelled like it.
The skipper tries to show Sonny how to count to ten but he still seems stuck on one. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Mystifyingly, the Clive Churchill medal for best on ground went to Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans. Not that he had a bad night at the office, but James Maloney's kicks were more pinpoint-accurate and there were several Roosters forwards with claims on the prize.
But that's academic. The Sydney Roosters are 2013 premiers, and deservedly so. They've won a bunch of accolades this year, including Dally M coach of the year for new boy Trent Robinson. Maybe the Roosters should hire a new coach every year. When last they won in 2002, they also had a new boy in Ricky Stuart.
In truth, Robinson seems a better bloke to be around than Stuart. He has a calm about him. He seems likeable. Here's hoping he has a long and happy career. Or as long and happy a career as any coach can have.
But if anyone deserves an accolade perhaps more than any other, it's the peole in the Roosters recruiting department. Nabbing the likes of Maloney, Williams and Jennings in one season was like hiring Gates and Jobs in unison to run your tech start-up.
It would be mean-spirited tonight to attribute this premiership to a well-wielded chequebook rather than a great team attitude which generated the meanest defensive line in a decade. But it would be remiss not to mention it too.
Well played Roosters. You deserve this. Well played to all the Roosters fans who turned up tonight too. Who knows, perhaps some of you will even turn up to the odd game before the finals next year too.
