Luke Metcalf’s golden point goal from halfway for the Warriors on Saturday to thwart the Broncos – made all the more remarkable by his erratic one-from-five performance in regulation time, not to mention the Auckland rain – ranks among the greatest penalty kicks rugby league has witnessed.
This is the pantheon of famous penalty goals Metcalf has joined:
Dally Messenger (1911)
Pioneering legend Messenger’s amazing deeds may have famously been embellished slightly, but a penalty goal the Easts superstar kicked in the 1911 finals against Souths is part of Australian Rugby League’s early lore.
Messenger’s heave from five metres on his own side of halfway opened the scoring on Easts’ way to a 23-10 win in which the skipper scored 20 of his team’s points.
Lin Johnson (1942)
Perhaps the least pretty but arguably the most valuable of any penalty goal on this list, Indigenous fullback Johnson’s close-range effort won Canterbury-Bankstown its second premiership in the 1942 decider.
Forced into a Grand Final showdown after losing the semi-final to St George, Canterbury was locked at 9-all with the Dragons late in the decider, with Johnson landing three goals.
He stepped up to take a penalty shot in the dying stages, but what would usually be a regulation attempt was complicated by the sodden Sydney Cricket Ground turf due to rainstorms earlier in the day.
Johnson slipped as he approached the ball for the match-winning score, but he still managed to connect and it scraped over the crossbar for an 11-9 victory.
Keith Barnes (1960)
Arguably the most famous penalty goal in premiership history, Balmain fullback Keith ‘Golden Boots’ Barnes was chaired off after his matchwinning kicking display against heavyweights St George.
With the scores locked 15-all and just four minutes remaining, Barnes – one of the great long-range kickers – nailed a penalty goal from 55 metres out to put Balmain up.
Barnes secured the win over the four-time champs with a sideline penalty on fulltime before being hoisted shoulder-high from Leichhardt Oval.
George Taylforth
St George’s world record run of 11 straight premierships was finally halted via a 12-11 preliminary final loss to Canterbury-Bankstown in 1967 – but it required a booming penalty goal from a Berries second-rower to snatch the result.
Long-range specialist Taylforth had landed just two goals from seven attempts in Canterbury’s minor semi win over Easts and two from eight as the clock wound down against the Saints. But the NSW rep stepped up to land the clutch go-ahead goal near halfway and 10 metres in from the sideline.
Eric Simms (1967)
A week after Taylforth’s dynasty-breaking prelim heroics, champion South Sydney fullback Simms sunk Canterbury-Bankstown in a desperately tight grand final.
With the scores locked at 10-all and time winding down, Simms’ 40-metre strike after a Berries scrum infringement handed the Rabbitohs their first titles in 12 years, 12-10.
Steve Gearin (1983)
Gearin kicked over 400 goals for Canterbury and was a grand final hero in 1980 courtesy of a spectacular try, but he produced more post-season heroics in his first season at St George in 1983.
A classic minor preliminary semi against Balmain went into extra-time and a replay beckoned, before Gearin stepped up to slot a clutch penalty goal from 35 metres out and 10 metres in from touch for a 16-14 win.
Andrew Leeds (1992)
Reliable ex-Wallaby fullback Leeds had already broken Balmain hearts at the death in 1991 with a penalty for Parramatta from a relatively handy position.
After joining defending champs Penrith in 1992, he did it again with one of the great penalty goals – from halfway after the siren to clinch a 14-12 victory over Alan Jones’ hapless Tigers.
Ben Walker (2003)
Penalty goals are by far the least represented scoring play in golden point history, but the NRL’s first edition of the concept was decided via a two-pointer – and not without controversy.
Manly and Parramatta finished up 34-all after 80 minutes in an early-2003 clash, before Ben Walker nailed a 35-metre penalty for the Sea Eagles…from a decision the NRL later admitted was incorrect.
Mark Riddell (2003)
A contender for the most memorable regular-season penalty goal of the televised era.
St George Illawarra trailed perennial heavyweights Brisbane 25-24 when cult hero hooker ‘Piggy’ Riddell stepped up to attempt a shot from 45 metres out.
After his trademark ‘salute’ goalkicking preparation, Riddell piloted it just inside the lefthand upright and over the bar for an amazing Suncorp Stadium win.
Nathan Hindmarsh (2012)
There have been better penalty goals but few more popular. In the final play of the final game of his decorated 330-match career, Parramatta legend Hindmarsh slotted a penalty from 30 metres out and well to the left of the sticks.
It was Hindmarsh’s first and only goal of his career and came in a 29-8 to the Dragons for the wooden-spoon Eels, but it nonetheless remains one of the NRL era’s more memorable regular-season farewells.
Trent Hodkinson (2013)
A penalty and a 10-metre march for backchat gave Canterbury halfback Hodkinson the opportunity to sink his former team Manly in golden point mid-2013.
The ice-cool Hodkinson drilled the 40-metre shot to snatch a Brookvale thriller 32-30.
Gareth Widdop (2015)
Widdop had already edged St George Illawarra 8-6 in front of Canterbury with five minutes of this 2015 elimination final remaining, before Shaun Lane’s late try appeared to wrap up a week two berth for the Bulldogs.
But an offside penalty from the kick-off gave Widdop a challenging chance to send the match into golden point with an angled shot from the 30-metre line, which he duly iced.
It was to no avail, though, as Josh Reynolds nailed a field goal chance in extra-time.
Valentine Holmes (2022)
In one of the most controversial finishes in recent memory, a late Wests Tigers try looked to have snatched a 26-25 win for the wooden spooners in Townsville against top-four-bound North Queensland.
The Cowboys kicked off with five seconds left and the Tigers celebrated, but a Captain’s Challenge went in the home side’s favour – handing the Cowboys a penalty and Holmes with the platform to slot a tough shot from out wide for a 27-26 win.
Shaun Johnson (2023)
The Warriors’ remarkable 32-30 win at Cronulla in early-2023 from 20-0 down required a clutch kick from perpetual match-winner Johnson.
With rain pelting down, SJ drilled the 35-metre penalty goal with 30 seconds on the clock. The drama wasn’t over, however, with an offside penalty against Johnson from the kick-off. But Hynes’ shot from the sideline fell short, handing the Warriors victory.