Penrith are again the premiers.
Their dominance, relentlessness, and inability to do absolutely anything other than strangle their opponents come finals time has become a yearly staple of the sport in Australia.
Melbourne were the runaway minor premiers, Jahrome Hughes was the consensus Dally M winner, and Penrith again lost two Origin-level local juniors over the offseason.
None of that ended up mattering.
Penrith dominated possession, outran Melbourne, forced 21 more missed tackles and ran for more than seven more metres per set.
All the regular measures of success were in Penrith’s favour but none of their big guns left an unmistakable stamp on the clash save for Liam Martin.
The Temora Terrier scored their second try and climbed to snatch the ball off Xavier Coates mid-air to lay on their third whilst making his presence known defensively all night finishing with 46 tackles and refusing to give the Melbourne skill men an inch of airspace.
Penrith’s attack was hardly smooth – Cleary and Luai were constantly forced to venture away from their options on the edge.
The duo combined for a pair of try assists, but were forced to run the ball a combined 46 times for 349 metres and 13 tackle breaks.
Cleary’s bothersome shoulder was hardly worth a mention and Concord-bound Luai earnt the perfect send-off as the two added another feather to their cap in the ‘best halves pairing ever’ debate.
Dylan Edwards had some uncharacteristic shaky moments but you look at the stat sheet and find that the Panthers custodian ran for a 246 metres from 28 carries with five tackle breaks – hardly a shock.
Isaah Yeo – the era’s greatest lock forward – ran for 233 metres with five tackle breaks and made 46 tackles in another perfect, 80-minute shift.
Brian To’o left the game 57 minutes in with a knee complaint but still knocked out 213 metres with five tackle breaks.
It was the team defence that was the story however; they held the premiership’s most potent attack to just the one try despite absorbing a heap of pressure.
Even for the most one-eyed Panthers detractors, it’s difficult not to appreciate what they have achieved.
There is no debate where this team sits among its contemporaries.
A team dominated by Hall of Fame – and perhaps Immortal – talent whose system does not allow for them to lose finals games.
It’s some combination.
