The Penrith Panthers, no longer rugby league’s ‘chocolate soldiers’, are creating history before our very eyes. If they beat Melbourne on Sunday, they will rightly join the great clubs such as Balmain from the 1940s, Souths in the 1960s, and Parramatta in the 1980s as one the greatest club teams in rugby league history. And to do it in the modern era of salary cap restrictions might just be the best achievement of all.
Consider these facts:
The great South Sydney team of the 1920s won five straight premierships from 1925 to 1929, but the methods of deciding the premiers were varied and erratic – first past the post winners in 1925, final winners in the next four years.
Working class heroes Balmain competed in five consecutive premiership deciders at the end of World War II – grand final winners in 1944 (against Newtown), 1946 (St George) and 1947 (Canterbury), the Tigers were beaten by Easts, 22-18, in the 1945 final, and 8-5, in somewhat controversial circumstances, by Wests in the 1948 final.
A champion South Sydney team started a run of seven straight finals appearances with a 19-12 loss to minor premiers St George in the 1949 final. As the 1950s got underway, the Rabbitohs’ premiership run over the next six years was only interrupted by a contentious 22-12 loss to Wests in the 1952 final when many of Souths best players were en route overseas with the Kangaroos.
While no club can emulate the deeds of the legendary St George with their 11 consecutive grand finals wins in 1956-1966, there was no salary cap in the 1960s. Backed by their wealthy Leagues Club, Saints fielded three strong grades with internationals running around in Reserve Grade because they just couldn’t fit them in!
The advent of the limited tackle era in 1967 saw Souths make five straight grand finals from 1967 to 1971, their run of titles broken only by an upset 11-2 loss to Balmain in 1969. Their four premierships in five years was the new benchmark for a new era.
Parramatta made four consecutive grand finals from 1981 to 1984, their premiership run broken by a narrow 6-4 loss to Canterbury in 1984. Two years later, the Eels returned to beat Canterbury 4-2 in the 1986 Grand Final to make it four premiership in six years.
But the NRL era is different again. The Sydney Roosters made four grand finals in five seasons (2000, 2002-04) but won only one title, in 2002. The Melbourne Storm qualified for four straight grand finals (2006-09), winning two in 2007 and 2009, which the NRL stripped off the club for salary gap breaches. The record for back-to-back premiers is thin on the ground.
So, Penrith’s ability to qualify for five straight grand finals in the NRL era of salary cap limits is phenomenal. To be in the race for a fourth straight premiership despite shedding players of the calibre of Matt Burton, Tyrone May and Paul Momirovski (2021), Apasai Koroisau, Viliame Kikau and Charlie Staines (2022), and Stephen Crichton, Jaemon Salmon and Jack Cogger (2023) is a reflection of the club’s depth. To even make the grand final this year after losing Nathan Cleary for half a season is testament to coach Ivan Cleary’s ability with this current roster.
But Melbourne Storm has always proved Penrith’s Achilles heel. Since entering the NRL in 1998, the Storm have an almost 66% win record (31 wins in 46 games) over Penrith and have won both matches this year (8-0 in Melbourne and 24-22 at Penrith Stadium). The Storm was the club that inflicted a stinging 26-20 win over the Panthers in the 2020 Grand Final and could be the team to end the club’s run four years later.
It will come to no surprise though, having supported the Panthers since childhood, that I am gunning for a fourth straight grand final victory on Sunday. The pressure, as they say, is all on Melbourne – as minor premiers, grand final challengers and narrow favourites (currently $1.85 to Penrith’s $2.00). The Storm have it all to do while Penrith have nothing to prove.
An interesting stat: Penrith #2024 is the most experienced grand final team of the NRL era. Fourteen players have grand final experience (if Scott Sorenson plays, which he is expected to do) with the only big match debutants being Paul Alomoti, Brad Schneider and Liam Henry. Penrith’s team has a total 42 previous grand final appearances – more than any club since the great Parramatta team of 1986 – while Melbourne have only four players backing up from the 2020 Grand Final (Papenhuyzen, Munster, Hughes and Welch).
Penrith fans will be hoping for an easier 80 minutes than last year but if there are to be any last-minute heroics, one can’t look past halfback Nathan Cleary, departing champions Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris, the always reliable co-captain Isaah Yeo or hard-working back three Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o and Sunia Turuva (who is also leaving the club). The fact that Penrith is the best defensive team in the League should also prove critical against Melbourne’s attacking flair.
After narrowly beating Souths in 2021, thrashing Parramatta in 2022 and getting out of jail against Brisbane in 2023, I am going out on a limb and tipping Penrith to win by 13+ against the Storm. Not even the pink jersey will stop us … history beckons.
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.
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great preview, Alan
the way the Panthers steam rolled over the Broncos last year, anything is possible!
& to think the Broncos were so close to a premiership, now they have gone with Michael Maguire to reunite with Adam Reynolds!
as a rusted-on Souths member, I shake my head!!
PS: I have GLORY DAYS! a great, great book!
enjoy Sunday