The Penrith Panthers set a new benchmark in the NRL era by defeating Melbourne, 14-6, in the 2024 Grand Final to claim their fourth straight title. No club since the champion St George team won eleven straight titles (1956-66) – in an era of unlimited tackles and no salary cap – has won four consecutive grand finals.
The Panthers’ record of four premierships in five seasons draws direct comparison to the great Parramatta teams of the 1980s (four premiership in six seasons, though not in succession) and the champion Souths teams of the 1960s and 1970s (four premierships in five seasons, also not in succession). Penrith is arguably the greatest club team of the modern era.
But Penrith’s record run is more than just facts and stats. The club is a positive cultural force in the NRL, professional sport and the local community. Don’t believe me? Consider then, the Panthers’ playing style – they have been the best defensive team in the competition for five seasons now and yet they play an exciting brand of fast-paced football. They are not an overly aggressive team, there are no ‘dirty players’, nor do they have a poor record at the NRL judiciary. They are professional, thorough and yes, humble.
Secondly, in the modern salary cap era, the Panthers have managed their roster exceedingly well and have constantly rebuilt the team after each grand final success. As the Panthers undertake another grand final defence in 2025 – and having lost the advantage of their home ground ‘fortress’ Penrith Stadium (with almost a 90% win record over the past five seasons) – coach Ivan Cleary will rely heavily on a solid core of players who now wear four premiership rings – Edwards, To’o, Cleary, Leota, Sorenson, Martin and Yeo.
But the biggest change in my lifetime has been the change in our local community of Penrith. To see so many local kids embrace the Panthers is incredible – the pride, the pleasure the club’s success brings to young families, the flying of flags and the display of jerseys, black, white and pink. The professionalism of the players and their accessibility to fans big and small is key to their popularity – signing autographs, taking ‘selfies’ and remaining on the ground after a big match is a lesson to other clubs how to embrace their fans.
And Grand Final day 2024 belonged to some of Penrith’s unsung heroes. Liam Martin’s try just before half-time broke the back of Melbourne’s defence, while his contest of the highball that led to Paul Alamoti’s try earned him the Clive Churchill medal. Alamoti, unwanted by Canterbury after the signing of Stephen Crichton, has been the buy of the season for the Panthers. And lastly, a special shout out to Scott Sorenson who had not played for a month before the grand final but turned in another tireless performance.
The 2024 Grand Final may not go down as one of the game’s great matches but Penrith showed a nervous Melbourne how to control a big game and get the right result. The match itself reminded me a lot of the 1993 Grand Final between defending premiers Brisbane and St George; all the pressure was on the Dragons but Brisbane, having won their maiden premiership the year before, snuffed out their opponents with a precision-like performance. The score in that match? 14-6.
Three decades later, the Panthers did a ‘Brisbane’ on the Storm; strangling Melbourne’s attacking flair with steely defence, herding playmaker Cameron Munster into the middle of the field and keeping the ball away from broken-play master Ryan Papenhuyzen. Penrith was content to churn through their sets, get to their kick and wait for mistakes – and the unforced errors came because the Panthers kept up the pressure for the full 80 minutes. The Storm sorely missed the firepower of big Nelson Asofa-Solomona – no more so than halfback Jahrome Hughes who was especially quiet – but the Penrith forwards simply dominated the match.
The Panthers scored three tries to one and could have easily extended their eight-point advantage (I tipped them to win 13+ but it was never going to be one of those matches). While Storm fans will be up in arms over the no-try ruling to Jack Howarth when the Penrith led 10-6 early in the second half (the NRL has since confirmed that the on-field ruling and bunker call were correct), it must be remembered that the Panthers scored 14 unanswered points and did not concede a point in the second half.
So, Penrith are once again worthy premiers and the full impact of what the club has achieved in the NRL might only be fully appreciated in years to come. In saying that, I’m tipping the Panthers to be there again in 2025 to defend their four premierships. It would be a brave person to tip against them after five years of unprecedented success.
Alan Whiticker was born and bred in Penrith and when the Panthers joined the NSWRL about 10 years later, they were a natural fit for his footy allegiance. Alan was a teacher in western Sydney for a number of years before branching into publishing where he built a successful career at New Holland. Totalling more than 50 separate titles, he has numerous rugby league publications to his name as well as a swathe of fiction and non-fiction titles covering music, true crime and films. He’s even written a book about South Sydney! But, underneath it all, he’s a true Panthers fan.
To read our library of rugby league stories click HERE.
To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.
Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.
Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.
Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.
Thanks for this insight into ‘what goes on out west’ to make the Panthers so successful in recent years, Alan. It seems to an outsider to be a very different situation to that of the early 90s when Royce, Brandy, Geyer and co were leading the show. How about Cleary/Luai v Alfie/Kevvie? I’d like to see that play out!
Excellent GF analysis Alan. As a lifetime Panthers loyal supporter your astute reporting of the Panthers dynasty is very much appreciated and valued