Penrith stand on the brink of history before Sunday’s NRL decider against Brisbane. The chase to become the first team in 40 years to win three straight premierships is well within the grasp of a team many are labelling the best since St George that won 11 straight.
The old saying goes that defence wins premierships; it has without question been a fair guide for the better part of two decades. Since 2006, the year the Melbourne Storm changed rugby league by making winning the tackle the centrepiece of success, only four teams with a worse defensive record than their grand final opponent have won.
