Anthony Minichiello will become the greatest survivor in Sydney Roosters history in next Friday night’s heavyweight NRL grand final qualifier against South Sydney.
But the veteran fullback briefly feared his stellar career may have ended one game short of a club-record 302 first grade appearances when his in-goal howler gifted North Queensland a crucial second-half try in the Roosters’ nerve-wracking 31-30 win at Allianz Stadium.
A week after his error in judgement allowed Penrith to snatch a dramatic 19-18 qualifying final victory over the Roosters, Minichiello blundered again with another tense playoff in the balance.
Mistakenly believing Johnathan Thurston’s sideline-bound kick was headed for a 40-20, Minichiello tapped the ball back into his own in-goal area.
Then, with a tackler bearing down on him, the former world player of the year inexplicably threw a wild forward pass towards the posts that winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was unable to clean up.
When Cowboys five-eighth Robert Lui swooped to ground the loose ball for a try, suddenly the Roosters’ one-time 30-point lead had been cut to just six.
Shortly after, the match was locked up and the Roosters captain later admitted his career flashed before his eyes.
“You’re in the moment. Obviously it crosses your mind,” Minichiello said.
“I thought it was a 40-20 at the time. It was definitely my mistake there.
“It just slipped out of my hands. It was a bad pass to Rog there.
“It was just all on me.”
But the 34-year-old will live to fight another day – and eclipse fellow Roosters great Luke Ricketson’s record 301 first grade games against the club’s longest and most bitter rivals.