After 200 games of pure entertainment this season, the best has been saved for last; two famous clubs representing Western Sydney’s heartbeat. Here’s what’s at stake in Sunday’s Grand Final.
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Battle of the West
This famous rivalry has come to life in recent years, with 11 of the past 17 clashes decided by six points or less. Penrith have been a perpetual powerhouse since the opening round of 2020, but that hasn’t stopped Parramatta from standing up to their might; three wins from seven encounters during this period, including two this season. Despite their long-running feud, they have met just seven times in post-season footy, yet twice in the past two seasons; Penrith edging Parramatta 8-6 in their gripping 2021 semi-final and runaway 27-8 winners in the Qualifying Final this year (although the score was 13-8 when Mitch Moses left the field).
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Rivalry, desire and emotion aside, these two sides’ similar style explains their recent competitive battles. In 2022 they rank one and two for time-in-possession, completions, run, post-contact and kick metres; emphasising that both teams place a large focus on winning the possession and territory battle. They utilise their robust middles, powerful outside backs and aggressive edges to lay the platform for their halves to kick to advantage. Once in good yardage through opposition error or grinding them into submission, they pounce. If both teams channel this, we could be set for a bruising, low scoring epic.
Premiership Drought
It’s been nine Prime Ministers, 10 head coaches, and 36 torturous years since the Parramatta Eels last tasted Premiership glory, circa Peter Stirling and co. The grim reality for the majority of their fans is they are yet to experience this beautiful feeling, so will their suffering finally end in 2022? Since the turn of the century we have witnessed the 2002 Roosters (27 seasons), 2005 Tigers* (36), 2010 Dragons* (31), 2014 Rabbitohs (43), 2015 Cowboys (21), 2016 Sharks (50) and 2021 Panthers (18) all break significant title droughts. Will this trend continue?
*The Tigers and Dragons broke respective droughts as joint-venture clubs
Back-to-Back
The Panthers will be gunning to join the 2018-19 Roosters as the only teams to win back-to-back titles in the NRL era. The last time two clubs achieved this feat in such close proximity were the 1989-90 Raiders and 1992-93 Broncos, where their own respective titles were separated by a single year – a pattern that repeats if Penrith are victorious on Sunday. Coincidentally, it was the Panthers who separated the Raiders and Broncos with their maiden title in 1991.
Eels Inexperience
The Eels have plenty of rep players at their disposal, but very little experience when it comes to Grand Finals. In fact, only Ryan Matterson (Roosters 2018) and Bailey Simonsson (Raiders 2019) have suited-up on the final Sunday of the season – both respectively from the bench. That is in stark contrast to the Panthers squad that is quite obviously littered decider experience; Api Koroisau alone has more Grand Final experience than the entire Eels squad. If Parramatta do go all the way, they’ll become the least experienced side to win an NRL competition since the 2005 Wests Tigers.
Nathan Cleary
Cleary is the most influential halfback in the comp, arguably the greatest in the world, and at 24 has the opportunity to become the youngest number seven in 32 years to win two Premierships. Like Ricky Stuart who achieved the double at just 23 in 1990; Cleary has one Clive Churchill Medal to his name. If he were to repeat his 2021 Man of the Match performance on Sunday, he would become the first to win the medal twice consecutively; and just the third player to win two, joining just Bradley Clyde and Billy Slater.
Brad Arthur
You get the feeling it is now or never for Arthur, as he approaches the end of his ninth full season in charge at Parramatta. He has done an admirable job to develop a side that has consistently pushed for top-four contention for the best part of six years, doing so with a squad void of out-and-out superstar. It’s an undeniable credit to his coaching ability, but his legacy will take a huge hit if he cannot claim an elusive Premiership. The only other Eels coach to remain at the helm for so long is Brian Smith, who failed to cultivate a title-winning side, despite regularly building premiership-quality operations. In Smith’s ninth season in charge, he claimed the Minor Premiership before crumbling in the Prelim, resigning midway through the following year. Hopefully a similar fate does not await BA.
Ivan Cleary
It is hard to believe four years have passed since Cleary’s infamous stint at the Wests Tigers. For a coach whose career was seemingly on the rocks, he now has the opportunity to cement his place in the annals of rugby league history. While many good coaches have won a single title, it takes one of high quality to win another, as the hunted. If Cleary’s boys get the job done against Parramatta, he will join the likes of Bob Fulton, Des Hasler, Phil Gould and Chris Anderson to have two competitions to their name.
