How the Panthers rated in the NRL Grand Final.
1. Dylan Edwards: The other member of the Panthers spine who performed really well. Put in all night. Huge. A star. 8.5/10
2. Sunia Turuva: Had very little opportunity. Had big kick return metres with a few great runs but missed a fair few tackles. 5.5/10
3. Izack Tago: Twice failed to pass to To’o when he probably would have scored. Missed a few crucial tackles that resulted in tries. Not a good night at all. Except for the bit where he got a premiership ring… 3.5/10
4. Stephen Crichton: Had his moments early without being great but then scored a superb try with plenty to do to get the Panthers right back into it and was superb from that point on. 8/10
5. Brian To’o: A mixed night. Toiled hard with good metres, did nothing wrong, outside missing four tackles. 6/10
6. Jarome Luai: Not a great game at all. Went off injured in the 52nd minute and the Panthers best play happened afterwards. 4/10
7. Nathan Cleary: He was having a shocker. He was. Then, when all looked gone, he personally dragged his side back from 16 points down in the greatest performance I’ve ever seen in a grand final. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. 10/10
Nathan Cleary poses with the Provan-Summons Trophy after winning the 2023 NRL Grand Final match at Accor Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
8. Moses Leota: Massive metres, huge tackles, a try. Epic effort. 8.5/10
9. Mitch Kenny: Scored the first try and provided good service all night. Strong in defence. 7/10
10. James Fisher-Harris: 13 runs for 153 metres was huge. But five missed tackles wasn’t his usual high standard. 6.5/10
11. Scott Sorensen: Another with uncharacteristically high missed tackles with six misses. Toiled hard on either side of an HIA. 6/10
12. Liam Martin: A real workhorse with 37 tackles and plenty of dirty runs when his side needed them most. 7/10
13. Isaah Yeo: An HIA interrupted his night keeping him to 134 metres gained and 30 tackles. A superb player. 7.5/10
Penrith celebrated their third straight NRL title. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
14. Jack Cogger: Only got 29 minutes on the field but toiled hard and looked sharp. 5/10
15. Lindsay Smith: The lad tried hard but really struggled in defence, missing a few crucial tackles that nearly cost his side dearly. He’ll have to console himself with a premiership ring. 4/10
16. Spencer Leniu: Just 22 minutes for the Roosters bound Spencer. An honest effort. 5/10
17. Luke Garner: Another with limited game time who acquitted himself well in attack and defence without starring. 5/10
Albo
Roar Rookie
Seems our judge has made his assessments via the stats sheet rather than watching the match ? Especially where it suited his narrative . Giving Luai a 4/10 when he pulled off two try saving tackles and missed just 1 tackle with his busted shoulder out of the team's total of 61 missed tackles, whilst man of the match Cleary gets a 10 rating with 7 missed tackles including two misses that gifted the Broncos two tries ??
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
Both JFH and Leota were huge at the back end of the game. Haas not so effective!
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
I'm guessing bubble boy is delivering a pallet of Kleenex tissues over to Klein's house.
Renegade
Roar Guru
They are never going to say that he had a perfect game though, they could win 80-0 and he scores all 80 points and they’d still be humble enough to say he could be better. I’ve never seen anything like it in RL, no skin in the game – least excited I’ve been heading into a GF but wow what a game and in awe of Nathan’s performance. We witnessed sporting greatness last night
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I think it's a glass almost full. I'll accept a 9.5 but just listen to him and his Dad. They certainly don't think it was a 10.
Renegade
Roar Guru
That’s a very glass half empty outlook Jimmmy… that hardly the first halfback to miss a tackle. 16 down, the game almost gone… he did everything and more you would expect the best player in the game to do. Literally put the whole of Penrith on his back and delivered another premiership. The pressure he would have been under with his halves partner injured and his captain off…. Every critic would’ve been into him this morning if Brisbane won, cue the “cleary fails to stand up when his team needed it in a big game”. 10/10 more than justified… add the context, and there’s rarely ever been one more deserving
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Yes if there's a penalty blow that whistle ref
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Would you base your rating on how many tackles they missed like most of these have ? Even that last Cleary try. Reynolds was the only one who actually got a hand on him. Mitch Kenny 'strong in defence' missed 10 rated higher than main man JFH who seems to have scored low for missing 5. Gore's rating on his ratings 4.
Mick P
Roar Rookie
Agree. The ruck penalty was uncalled for as it was inconsistent with the entire game. The refs could have called 20 more penalties if that one was the standard for the game… in regular season there would have been 15 flops called in this game, and who knows how many for the defensive lines jumping early… and way less fatigue in the last 20 minutes of this intense cliffhanger of a GF. The difference in officiating between regular season vs SOO and GF is hilarious.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Enjoy the win Albo - you are fortunate to be supporting a wonderful footy team - that comeback from 24-8 down with 20 minutes to go was epic to watch. I've had some issues with Stephen Crichton in the past with some of his on-field behaviour but his performance along with Cleary in the final 20 was instrumental in getting them the win. And Dylan Edwards - the energizer bunny - was just tremendous for the full 80. Just such a great game to watch. As was the AFL grand final. Grand finals can sometimes be fizzers but we saw a couple of the great ones this weekend.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Can't agree. As it turned out a lot of those incidents where players from both sides stayed down after collisions didn't show on replay much impact to the head of the player. I thought it was an excellent refereeing performance.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Thanks jimmmy. A fantastic result for the Panthers fans. I had given up when Mam scored his 3rd try. But Cleary did grab the game with some help from Crichton , and I think the tough first half domination by the Panthers finally counted in the last 20 minutes when the Broncos starting feeling the pinch. It was a shame there had to be a loser in such a tough match and Broncos fans must have thought they had the game. In the end the Panthers experience of the pressure games might have told, and maybe you need to lose one of these Grand Finals before you can win one ? I thought the clash of the packs was everything they anticipated with Haas and Flegler v Fish and Leota a fantastic battle. Mam showed just what a star he is going to be in the future , whilst Cleary pulled the match out of the fire , a result he had previously been roasted for not achieving. Stephen Crichton was awesome in his control of opportunities and Edwards was a 300 metre aerobic miracle. Luai and Tago were obviously not 100% and both were replaced. For the Broncos I thought they all tried so hard, but couldn't hold out the momentum of the Cleary controlled comeback.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Congrats Albo that was some GF to win. I am just in awe of all those players from both teams who created that spectacle. I feel very privileged to be a RL fan this morning.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Yep . You don't get rated 10/10 when you miss two tackles that lead to two opposition tries and a massive deficit in the 2nd half . Overcoming that deficit was fantastic but the 10 rating is ridiculous.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Look , you just can't give Cleary 10. His last 20mins was perhaps the greatest GF effort of all time but the 20 Min before that was vin ordinaire I don't want to spoil the party but see what he says himself and what his Dad said too. I know these are just random player ratings but surely 10 means perfection or close to it. Cleary deserved MOM , deserved a GF ring , deserves all the praise he is getting but he doesn't deserve a 10.
Short Memory
Roar Rookie
Hmmm. While I agree it was enjoyable watching a game that wasn't being nit-picked, he seemed fearful of getting involved, apart from a couple of (hopefully unconscious) selective penalties. Didn’t get conned by any milking for penalties Apart from the penalty against Panthers for ruck interference that got Broncos out of their own end for first time in second half. Incredibly the only ruck infringement in the entire game, apparently. refreshing to see the players decide the match rather than the refs When the ref decides not to penalise shoulders to the head, offsides and ruck interference, that is also 'deciding the game' in its own way. Just saying' :happy:
souvalis
Roar Rookie
He's definitely a much better player now under Ivan than he was at his previous clubs.
Full Credit to the Boys
Roar Rookie
I agree. I’m not quite sure how but he frees Cleary up to do more.
Mick P
Roar Rookie
I wonder if you missed Cleary’s defensive efforts for the first 60 minutes? Same with Reynolds, both halfbacks were made to do plenty of tackling, and both defended really well - but Cleary is only 25 and in supreme condition, whereas Reynolds is 35, physically worn out and busted from a tackle in the first half.
Mick P
Roar Rookie
I wonder if you missed Crichton‘s incredible contributions in kick chase and a flawless defensive masterclass? He was brilliant and may be the biggest loss from the Panthers in four years. I thought he and Edwards were the Panthers best 80 minute performers. And… that Cleary fella sure grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck late in the game when fatigue really set in.