MATCH REPORT - The Cat Empire: Panthers dynasty beckons after caning Eels to win back-to-back titles

It’s Penrith’s world in the NRL and everyone else is living in it. Their dominance was even enough to bring tears to the eyes of their famously stoic coach Ivan Cleary.

The Panthers became just the third team in the past three decades to win back-to-back premierships after outclassing Parramatta 28-12 at Accor Stadium on Sunday night.

They will start overwhelming favourites next season to become the first team since the Eels’ glory days of the 1980s to win three straight titles.

With a young roster led by star halfback Nathan Cleary and most of their key players under contract for the next few years, a dynasty beckons under the guidance of Ivan Cleary, who is now one of just five coaches to have won more than one premiership in the NRL era.

Such is the club’s dominance, they created history by winning the SG Ball, Jersey Flegg, NSW Cup and first-grade titles with the second-tier side adding the State Championship Grand Final for good measure with a 34-point flogging of Brisbane’s Norths Devils.

Ultra-consistent fullback Dylan Edwards should have played his way into the Kangaroos’ World Cup squad with yet another superb display in attack and defence.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“I think that first half was the best we’ve ever played,” Nathan Cleary said post-game on Nine. “It’s a privilege to put on a Penrith jersey. I’m so blessed.

Ivan Cleary had tears in his eyes when he made his way onto the field and said he had been a nervous wreck all weekend, having the decider back in Sydney after the pandemic-affected relocation of last year’s premiership win in Brisbane.

“It’s hard to put it into words. I got a bit emotional yesterday, I don’t even know why. I think it’s just because of this moment in time, this team won’t stay together.” he said.

“It was just such an amazing season you just wanted it to go well on the biggest night. Honestly I couldn’t have asked for anything more – the boys were unbelievable.”

He said it was sad that the likes of rep duo Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau off the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers respectively as well as assistant coaches Cameron Ciraldo (Canterbury) and Andrew Webster (Warriors) were leaving.

Former Panthers boss Phil Gould on Nine said the club was well placed to dominate.

“Thirteen of this 17 not only came through the Panthers Academy but have played 100% of their NRL football with the one club. That’s an extraordinary statistic,” he said.

“To win all four of the major representative competitions plus the NRL is showing that it’s just beginning. This isn’t the end of it, this is the start of it.”

For the Eels, it was a double dose of anguish after their NRLW side lost to Newcastle earlier in the day as the club tried to break the NRL’s longest active premiership drought which will enter a 37th year in 2023.

Parra coach Brad Arthur said they took a tough road to get to the decider, including a trip to Townsville to outlast the Cowboys in the tropical heat, and maybe that took a toll on them.

“They played very well that first half – they were too fast for us. We are disappointed but I just said to the boys right now’s not the time to try and review that or dissect that game. We were just beaten by a better team,” he said.

“We can’t be looking for excuses. When it mattered today, we weren’t good enough.”

After getting the first penalty of the match for a Moses Leota flop, the Eels tried their first trick shot to throw Penrith off their game with Dylan Brown kicking downfield for Mitch Moses on play two which forced Brian To’o to sprint back to save the day. 

The Panthers drew first blood a couple of minutes later when Stephen Crichton charged over after a clever inside pass from Edwards for a 6-0 lead in front of a pro-Parramatta crowd of 82,415 fans. 

They kept their foot on the throat in the next few sets and Parra were stretched left and right before To’o made it 10-0 by crashing over in the corner after a rampaging run through Clint Gutherson’s tackle. 

Gutherson kicked out on the full from a line dropout at the 20-minute mark so Cleary collected the two points he missed with his conversion attempt for a 12-0 buffer. 

Cleary unveiled a left-foot grubber to catch Gutherson out in the defensive line with Scott Sorensen the beneficiary of a bouncing ball in the in-goal area to make it 18-0 after 28 minutes. 

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

They were within touching distance of equalling Newcastle’s 24-0 first-half Grand Final record set in 2001 when Viliame Kikau toed the ball through in the 38th minute only for Waqa Blake to swoop to knock the ball clear at the last second. 

Parra dodged a bullet early in the second half when Blake spilled a high ball but was ruled to have fumbled it sideways, not a knock-on, a few metres out from his own line but the much-maligned winger coughed up the pill a couple of minutes later.

Penrith capitalised on the next set when To’o touched down in controversial circumstances for a 22-point cushion – Kikau looked to have impeded Moses on a decoy run but video referee Grant Atkins ruled the Eels half had made a defensive decision to try to tackle the Fijian forward as he rushed past his outside shoulder.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“All year that has been no-try, biggest game of the year, they change it,” Andrew Johns fumed on Nine commentary.

Cleary botched the conversion but made a clever captain’s challenge soon after when he was penalised for a tackle on Shaun Lane which he successfully convinced the officials was a one-on-one strip.

Maika Sivo nearly broke the blue and gold duck in the 56th minute but had the ball knocked out of his grasp by a crunching Crichton tackle just before he would have dived over.

They again threatened to hit back when Bailey Simonsson broke free on a long-range break only for Edwards to come across in a cover tackle reminiscent of Panthers lock Scott Sattler’s famous try-saver on Roosters winger Todd Byrne in 2003. Adding injury to insult, Simonsson was taken to the sheds with his jersey providing a makeshift sling for his left arm after his suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Penrith removed any lingering shred of doubt midway through the second half when Isaah Yeo, Cleary and Edwards combined down the right edge for Charlie Staines to slide over for an unassailable 28-0 margin.

It’s not often that a player will smile after fumbling the ball over the line but Cleary was able to flash a wry grin after he grounded the ball just short of the chalk as Moses brought him down.

Gutherson, a fighter to the end, ensured his side would not be kept scoreless by backing up an Isaiah Papali’i break and bench utility Jake Arthur touched down three minutes from full-time to cut the final margin to 16.

Gutherson said it could have been a much worse final scoreline and was proud of the way his team stuck to the task to avoid an embarrassing result.

“You’d like to think this feeling gives a lot of motivation, none of us have felt this and it makes you want to get back here. Even a few of the Penrith boys said that – that was a lot of motivation for them when they lost a couple of years ago.

“We are losing a couple of great players but whoever steps up next year is going to do a great job. We’re not going to think about that now.

“Not many people gave us a chance to get here four, five, six weeks ago. To prove them wrong is pretty good.”