RUGBY LEAGUE: While Wayne Bennett narrowly missed out on an NRL premiership win with the Broncos, Warwick can claim winning North Queensland centre Justin O'Neill.

O'Neill was born at the Warwick Hospital when his father Sean worked in the town as merchandise manager at Dalgety's, a stock and station agency then situated in a building which joins the eastern side of the Woolies servo. The family lived at Tannymorel at the time.

Retired Warwick Cowboys player Glen Whitton was one of an estimated 100 fans from the Warwick area at the grand final on Sunday night and recalled when Justin's family lived in Warwick.

"Sean and Nicole O'Neill were in Warwick for three or four years and Justin was born when they were here, they then moved to Hughenden in North Queensland," Whitton said.

"Justin had a great game; he was one of the highest metre gainers for the Cowboys and scored the first try."

Whitton was in the corner of the ground where winger Kyle Feldt scored a Cowboys try to level the scores on the hooter and then watched the conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston.

"The kick looked a bit wonky and was low before hitting the upright," Whitton said.

"There was an electric atmosphere in the final five minutes; I saw fans there from Stanthorpe, Allora and Warwick."

Justin Brickley from Warwick was at the game and said there was 50/50 support for the Broncos and the Cowboys at a game won 17-16 by a Thurston field goal in extra time.

Michael Cockram has played for the Warwick variety of Cowboys and said the North Queensland players were never going to lie down when they trailed late in the game.

"You knew they were going to keep going hard," he said.

The other player with a Southern Downs/Border connection in the winning team was Ethan Lowe who has played for the Goondiwindi Boars.

Lowe, the 2008 TRL Colt of the Year, ran for 83m and made 27 tackles.

After the game, Bennett, who spent all his childhood on the Southern Downs, said he didn't believe extra time was fair to any team.

He suggested there would be nothing wrong with re-playing the tied game a week later.

Back in his time with Collegians in Warwick, if the minor premier lost the grand final it challenged the winner to another grand final a week later.