Forward pass drama won't stop Roosters crowing over grand final victory A complete wrap up by the Fox Sports team of the 2013 NRL Grand Final. SYDNEY Roosters are brave and worthy premiers. First the Roosters, then Manly, committed multiple unforced errors and conceded ill-disciplined penalties as momentum swung as much on poor play as enterprise. When tempers frayed it was more a result of frustration than malice. The game's great controversy might have been the penalty try to Jamie Lyon early in the second half that gave Manly an 18-8 lead. But so clumsy was Mitchell Aubusson's attempt to impede the Manly skipper, the video referee's decision was never in doubt. For a long time, as the Roosters struggled, it seemed the talking point would be the dreadful performance of Williams whose multiple ball-handling errors were, from his usually sure hands, astonishing. But Williams redeemed himself with a barnstorming last 20 minutes and celebrated Pat Cash style by climbing into the crowd to hug his family. Heroism and infamy on the same triumphant night. The Sonny Bill story in a nutshell. Williams said he would not announce "for a few weeks" whether he would play for the Roosters again, but still received the biggest cheer on the victory podium. Less tastefully, Roosters" fans booed Clive Churchill Medallist Daly Cherry-Evans when the Manly half-back was a worthy winner. Roosters celebrate their victory in the ANZ Stadium dressing rooms. In keeping with a vibrant grand final week, the atmosphere at ANZ Stadium had been electric even before the whistle. If Ricky Martin's soccer anthem "Livin la vida loca" seemed as well-worn as Reg Gasnier's jock strap, the appearance of those old warhorses Norm Provan and Arthur Summons 50 years after their fabled embrace brought goosebumps. More importantly, the crowd of 81,491, got the arm-wrestle they deserved. Not because the game was played with nerve and precision but, as is so often the case in grand finals, sometimes because it was not. The Roosters might have thought they had made an early kill when Glenn Stewart went down as if shot on Sam Moa's first hit-up. Perhaps Stewart was foxing for a shoulder charge penalty. But, when the Manly powerhouse rose from the dead, the Roosters looked like they had seen a ghost. Handling errors, missed tackles, penalties, poor play of the balls. The Roosters had not conceded a single first half point to Manly this season. They were lucky, this time, only to give up six. The game would turn to the Roosters when winger Daniel Tupou scored, as Manly's David "Wolfman" Williams thought whether to jump or tackle, and did neither. It went back to Manly when Lyon then Steve Matai replied. Then - after that forward pass - finally fell into the Roosters hands where it would stay. Ill-gotten gains? Manly might think so. Rightly, the triumphant Roosters won't care.