Triumph for Morley as Roosters win Grand Final

Adrian Morley became the first British player for 15 years to be on the winning side in an Australian Grand Final as his Sydney Roosters overwhelmed the New Zealand Warriors in the final quarter to win 30-8.

The former Leeds second-row was one of the Roosters' best, producing some of a fierce game's biggest hits, but it was his captain, Brad Fittler, who swung the match their way.

Sydney were trailing 8-6 after 56 minutes – a brilliant solo try from the Warriors captain, Stacey Jones, having wiped out Shannon Hegarty's earlier effort – when Fittler pulled off a 40/20 kick to win them possession, from which his pass sent Craig Wing flying in.

It was all Roosters from that point, with tries from Craig Fitzgibbon, Chris Flannery and Bryan Fletcher, as well as a final tally of five goals from Fitzgibbon, producing a scoreline that did the Kiwis' brave effort little justice.

Afterwards, Fittler paid tribute to Morley – the first Pom to do a lap of honour since Kevin Ward in 1987 – picking him out as the Roosters' outstanding performer.

"I thought Adrian Morley was fantastic," Fittler said. "He was sensational. He just bashed them."