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SportNRL
02.10.2022

Penrith Panthers seal status as one of NRL’s greatest teams with back-to-back premierships

The all-conquering Panthers were never troubled by Parramatta, with fullback Dylan Edwards winning the Clive Churchill Medal.
Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Panthers score after controversial video call

Panthers score after controversial video call

The Penrith Panthers have celebrated back-to-back NRL premierships with a dominant 28-12 win over the Parramatta Eels at Accor Stadium.

The Panthers lost just four games all year - twice to the Eels during the regular season - but were never troubled on Sunday night.

Scroll down to relive all the action from the grand final

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Nathan Cleary played a typically strong hand for Penrith but fullback Dylan Edwards was the star of the show, laying on two try assists and recording 281 metres to win the Clive Churchill Medal.

“It’s hard to describe, to put into words, it’s awesome. I’m rapt. What a bunch of boys to do it with. Jeez I’m happy,” Edwards told Nine before he was announced as the official man of the match.

“It’s something we were striving for, to go back-to-back. We’ll let it soak in.”

The Panthers are the second team in recent history to win two grand finals in a row, after the Sydney Roosters in 2018-19, and the one-sided nature of the victory sealed their status as one of the greatest teams in NRL history.

Star man Nathan Cleary embraces Clive Churchill medallist Dylan Edwards. Credit: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

And their dominance may not end any time soon, with the club winning every grade down to under-18s this season.

While Penrith will lose Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau next year they appear set for a dynasty of success.

In the past three years alone they have won 67 of 78 matches, making their run the most dominant since Parramatta claimed three straight titles in the early 1980s.

And after 15 minutes on Sunday, it became evidently clear that there would be no return to the glory days for the Eels.

- with AAP

Scott Sorensen’s first-half try broke the Eels’ backs. Credit: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Key Events

PENRITH HAVE GONE BACK-TO-BACK
Panthers score again on a controversial call
Panthers lead 18-0
Another one! Panthers pile on the pressure
Penrith on the board!
Penrith held up at the hotel by China’s World Cup silver medallists

PENRITH HAVE GONE BACK-TO-BACK

The grand final fizzled out late but there was a good reason for it.

“I think that first half was the best we’ve ever played,” Nathan Cleary said.

The Panthers are back-to-back premiers after a stellar season, with two wins over Parramatta in the finals making up for two defeats to the Eels during the year.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Parramatta on the board twice late

Clint Gutherson scored under the sticks after putting himself in the right spot to capitalise on strong work from Isaiah Papali’i in the middle.

And then Jake Arthur crossed for his own consolation try to make it 28-12.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

The celebrations have started!

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Official crowd: 82,415

A few hundred short of the last Sydney grand final without crowd restrictions.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Dylan Edwards might just have won the Clive Churchill Medal

Bailey Simonsson looked through for all money on a long-range try but Edwards produced his very own Scott Sattler moment with a tackle down the touchline.

Unfortunately for Simonsson, he fell awkwardly and is now off the field with an apparent shoulder injury.

And just minutes later Edwards laid on the final pass for Charlie Staines to score, with Cleary extending the lead to 28-0 with a successful conversion.

Edwards now has two try assists on the night to go with 223 metres and three line-break assists.

Parramatta aren’t far off unwanted history in the form of the worst loss in grand final history. Manly’s 40-0 win over Melbourne in 2008 remains the record.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Parramatta’s best chance goes begging!

Maika Sivo was almost through for the Eels’ first try... until he wasn’t.

Sivo dropped the ball as pressure came and they’ll be lucky to ge a better chance to break their duck tonight.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

Panthers score again on a controversial call

Doubts over a To’o try early in the second half for obstruction by Kikau on Moses didn’t last long.

The video referee said Moses elected to wrap his arm around decoy runner Kikau, with the defensive decision meaning play on.

Watch the moment unfold in the video below

Panthers score after controversial video call

Panthers score after controversial video call

Panthers score after controversial video call

League greats in commentary are beside themselves, Andrew Johns saying: “All year that has been a no try. The biggest game of the year, we make it up and change it.”

NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler agreed.

“What Kikau did was he got in the way and obstructed (Moses’s) view of what was happening outside. So he obstructed him,” he said.

Some fans also questioned whether the final pass to To’o was forward but the umpires showed no hint that it entered their mind.

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich

So much for third time’s the charm

Glenn ValencichBy Glenn Valencich