Movie review: "The Final Winter" (2007)

Fans of any footy code will appreciate this Australian flick, set in the early '80s, about an old-school bloke – in this case, a rugby league player for Sydney’s Newtown Jets – who hates the way the money men are changing his beloved game. Grub (Matthew Nable) doesn't believe in star signings or razzle-dazzle, he's about pulverising the opposition every time you take the field and total loyalty to one club.

Unusually for a sporting story, we only witness the outcome of a single match. The meat of the movie's the week that follows, as Grub's uncompromising brutal behaviour finally becomes too much for his missus Emma (Raelee Hill), brother and lifelong rival Trent (Nathaniel Dean), coach Jack (Matty Johns, who thoroughly inhabits his flawed-yet-lovable character) and flashy club boss Colgate (John Jarratt).

"The Final Winter" revels in its setting, but the clothes, cars and music aren't nearly as shocking as seeing footballers smoking in the dressing shed. Whether Grub is "right" is a complex question. His violent style of play isn't the work of a bully – he's happy to take what he gives. However, it borders on the psycho, as when he's demonstrating to a young team-mate the best way to punch out a rival.

Nable deserves credit not just for a mesmerising performance that I reckon could have people labelling him "the next Russell Crowe" but for penning a script of emotional depth and subtlety. There's one particular scene involving a wordless apology that rocked me harder than a boots’n’all tackle into the dirt of the Jets' Henson Park.

Well, maybe not that hard.

Final word: Spot the famous league players in cameo roles.

[Australian cinema release date: August 30]