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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Nick Tedeschi

Penrith v Melbourne: a clash of NRL titans where generational greatness is at stake

Penrith NRL Panthers Storm Melbourne Panther Craig Bellamy Ivan Cleary Rugby
Jarome Luai runs on to a field
Penrith playmaker Jarome Luai will be key to the their quest for four straight premierships when they play Melbourne Storm in the grand final.
 Photograph: Mark Evans/AAP

Some grand finals just seem more important than others and the 2020 decider between Melbourne and Penrith certainly had that air. The second half in particular, in which the Panthers roared back from 26-0 down, seemed a portent that these two sides were waging a generational struggle for rugby league greatness.

The Storm, perennially great, were ushering in a new era of stars, with future Immortal Cameron Smith the last of their champions left from the four premierships won (and lost – the 2007 and 2009 titles stripped for salary cap breaches) in the decade 2007-17. The Panthers had come from nowhere to make the grand final, losing just a single game in that Covid-shortened season, Ivan Cleary’s second stint at the helm.

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