And the winner is ... Western Sydney: Eels and Panthers restore pride to one of Australia’s most-maligned areas

Western Sydney is often the butt of the joke. Within seconds of the final whistle in Penrith’s preliminary final win over South Sydney, one was already doing the rounds on Twitter: “This Grand Final is going to be the biggest thing to hit Sydney’s West since JobKeeper.”

But for rugby league, this has always been the heartland. There are many great nurseries, from the North of England to the South of Auckland, Southwest France to Southeast Queensland, but the left side of the latte line has out-produced them all.

This weekend’s game represents the rebirth of the area after a series of terrible years through the pandemic.

This time last year, Penrith and Parramatta, plus their surrounding districts, were designated as Local Government Areas of Concern, subject to the strictest lockdown measures with residents unable to leave their homes.

It was as if the stereotypes about Western Sydney had been used in making public policy, with residents in Blacktown and Berala subject to far harsher measures than their counterparts in Bondi and Balmain.

That period is fresh in the memory for the raft of local juniors who make up the squads that will take to the field on Sunday evening.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Panthers are built on a core of talent from Penrith, such as Nathan Cleary, Stephen Crichton, Moses Leota Taylan May and Izack Tago, augmented by Mt Druitt boys such as Jarome Luai, Spencer Leniu and Brian To’o and Mitch Kenny, from further up in Windsor.

“You wouldn’t read about it,” said Luai, a St Marys Saints junior, of the success of Western Sydney.

“You always see that it’s not a place that you want to be from, but hopefully we’ve changed a bit of that perception.

“We’ve had a bit of success for a few years so now we have a platform to speak out for other people who are from where we’re from.

“That’s a bit of a message that we’re trying to get across. No matter where you’re from and how you’ve grown up, you can always be great at something if you put your mind towards it.

“It’s pretty special for both teams. This is the biggest prize you can get in the game, so it’s great.”

Luai will face up with Will Penisini, a former Rouse Hill Rhino and Blacktown native, who grew up loving the Eels. It’s clear that he is loved back – as fans clamoured to see him and his teammate and Cabramatta Two Blues junior, Junior Paulo, they managed to collapse the plastic fences at the club’s Kellyville training ground on Monday.

“It means a lot coming from the area and looking up to this team. It’s great for the game and for Western Sydney,” Penisini said.

“Our fans have been waiting a long time for us to play in a Grand Final and to see how passionate they were when we made the final was unreal. The main reason we play is for our fans and our families.

“I’ve seen a couple of Rouse Hill Rhinos jerseys today! It brings back memories for when we used to play around here, so that’s good.

“It says Western Sydney on our jerseys and that means a lot to us. There’s a couple of boys from around here who grew up around it.

“It’s great to give back to this community, they’re so passionate. We love our fans and Western Sydney – even when they’re breaking down the fence!”

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The pride that both sides have for the area is palpable, as is the respect for each other off the field. Those who came through the system were often selected to the same rep sides, with both the Parramatta competition and the Penrith competition flowing into the same teams.

“Taylan (May) is a year older than me, but me and Izack played together in Sydney West, when they combine the comps together,” Penisini said.

“I played with them when we were younger and now we’re representing our districts so it’s good to see.”

According to Penisini, the boundary is just beside the Eels’ training ground. Everything west flows to the Panthers, east to the Eels.

“It’s Quakers Hill,” he said. “Quakers Hill Destroyers are in the Penrith comp and the Hills area are in the Parra comp. Kellyville is the forefront – we’re on the frontlines!”

The other extend is to the east, where Parra butts heads with Wests Tigers for talent. Mitch Moses, a Carlingford Cougar, grew up idolising the Eels and was in the seats for their last Grand Final, the 2009 loss to the Melbourne Storm.

“I supported Parramatta since I was a little kid,” Moses said. “I grew up in the area and I’ve never seen a Grand Final won by Parramatta. For me to be the halfback to lead them to win a comp would be unbelievable.

“I was at the game in 2009, I was heartbroken. The way that the community got behind them that year was unbelievable, and how they’ve got behind us this year too. Hopefully we can go one more. It’s special for Western Sydney.”

Whoever wins, Western Sydney – and it’s less than salubrious reputation – might be the real winner.

“I think there’s always been a rivalry,” said Luai. “Western Sydney are real lovers of the game, and the fans are really passionate about their two teams.

“I think it’s a really good thing that these two teams are in the Grand Final. Fans have been waiting a while to see something like this so I’m really excited to be a part of it all.”