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Opinion
The headlines have been floating around all week. The Panthers’ dynasty, the Eels’ 36-year drought – the Battle of the West. But when the full-time siren goes, the result of this grand final will mean so much more.
For Penrith, it’s more than just another Premiership ring on the finger. After qualifying for their third-straight decider, we can’t help but look back at their last two appearances.
In 2020, their relatively inexperienced side was ambushed by Cameron Smith’s Melbourne Storm, sending them into the sheds down 22-0 at halftime. Despite a late comeback, the Panthers couldn’t quite claw back enough points before full time, losing the match 26-20.
Last year, they won the Premiership with what many would describe as a slice of luck. Despite facing off against a South Sydney side without the services of superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell, it was only a missed Adam Reynolds conversion kick that gave Penrith the two-point margin they needed to win the game.
This year hasn’t completely gone to plan for Penrith’s main man either. Despite weighing in as favourites before the 2022 Origin series had begun, Nathan Cleary was unable to lead the Blues to victory, with the last twist of the knife being Ben Hunt’s spectacular charge-down try on Cleary’s chip kick to win Game 3 for Queensland.
Perhaps a little stage fright can be to blame for their 2020 defeat, and despite 2021’s glory coming against an under-manned South Sydney side, it will still go down as a Premiership.
But in the first ever Battle of the West being showcased on grand final day, the Panthers have an opportunity to be crowned as Premiers in back-to-back seasons and truly begin what could be the greatest era of dominance in rugby league history.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Ultimately, this Penrith side still has a lot to prove. To truly cement their spot in history as a powerful NRL dynasty, they cannot afford to lose another deciding match on the big stage.
Conversely, Parramatta are on the brink of a breakthrough with an opportunity to snap the third-longest drought between two Premierships in the history of the game before the side moves any further up that list. But what could the actual implications of a Blue and Gold win really be?
Although many have dubbed 2022 as Parramatta’s last chance for a trophy in the near future, a win over Penrith on Sunday could dramatically change the trajectory of their coming seasons.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
It would mean that the club would finally have success under their coach Brad Arthur, who has been at the helm through a multitude of dark days including the salary cap scandal and two wooden spoons, as well as multiple finals runs which, in the past, have been cut short.
This would undoubtedly see his time at Parramatta be extended, with the same being likely to occur for many of his players. It would mean that the ‘family’ structure of the players under Arthur which has been spoken of during grand final week would be upheld, providing them with a strong platform to strive for more success in the coming years.
A win would also see star halfback Mitchell Moses ordained into the prestigious million-dollar club, potentially inspiring the new father to lift his game to higher heights next season with seven digits attached to his name and an extremely probable World Cup campaign with Lebanon under his belt.
A win would also etch the names of multiple Origin stars into Parramatta Eels folklore. The likes of Junior Paulo, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Ryan Matterson, Nathan Brown, Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses have all represented New South Wales, but these Origin stars are yet to deliver a Premiership to the city of Parramatta.
No matter who wins this weekend, the impact of the decider will stretch far beyond the days of celebration which will follow it.
To be the best, they’ll have to win the west.
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