Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos NRL Grand Final: How the epic match reminds us why sport means so much

OPINION

Every so often, sport reminds us why it matters so much to so many.

It can be trivial, it can seem unnecessary and people who don’t follow sport wonder how it can capture so much attention.

Sunday’s epic NRL grand final was another example of how special it can be, the kind of unscripted drama that doesn’t really exist in any other sphere of entertainment.

As a spectacle, it was perfect, chaotic and outrageous.

It’s rare to see something this good on such a big occasion.

It happened at the 2022 Fifa World Cup final in Doha, where Argentina and France created something that will never be forgotten. It happened on the final day of Wimbledon in 2008, when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal pushed each other to unforeseen heights over five sets. It happened at Lancaster Park in 1985, when Auckland prevailed in the greatest Ranfurly Shield contest you’ll see, back when the Log’ o’ Wood was the biggest thing in rugby.

Panthers celebrate the try of Mitch Kenny. Photo / Photosport

And it happened at Stadium Australia, with Penrith’s incredible 26-24 victory over Brisbane, after the biggest comeback in grand final history.

There is always recency bias when analysing the scale of something but it feels like this match has few equals in the NRL era.

There were some tense, tight tussles in the 1990s, highlighted by Newcastle’s last-minute win over Manly in 1997 and Melbourne storming home to beat St George-Illawarra two years later.

The Bulldogs’ win over the Roosters in 2003 was a goodie, while the free-wheeling Tigers attracted plenty of neutral fans in 2005.

The last decade also had plenty of fitting finals, from Sonny Bill Williams and James Maloney inspiring a Roosters comeback against Manly in 2013, to Cronulla achieving their holy grail in 2016. The Roosters’ 2019 win over Canberra was an engaging contest, as was the Rabbitohs’ battle with Penrith two years ago.

The 2015 decider produced the greatest finish, with the Cowboys’ 80th-minute try to force golden point against Brisbane before Jonathan Thurston’s field goal cued a North Queensland party.

But nothing has come close to this.

Perhaps only the 1989 decider between the Canberra Raiders and Balmain Tigers. That match, which went to extra time and turned a whole generation of New Zealanders onto the Winfield Cup, is always the benchmark for grand finals and maybe now it has an equal.

Sunday’s match had everything.

There was outstanding defence from Brisbane in the first half, as they defied a massive possession and territory advantage to restrict Penrith to one try, before getting their own just before the break.

There was the Brisbane blitz in the third quarter, where they produced one of the most remarkable periods of attacking football in grand final history, with three brilliant tries to Ezra Mam.

At that stage, they had flipped the script completely. Penrith had conceded an average of nine points against top-eight opposition over the last two seasons; now they had shipped 18 points in 11 minutes, to be 24-8 down.

Dreams of a premiership threepeat – which hadn’t been achieved since the early 1980s - seemed gone, as Brisbane started planning the victory parade. But maybe that was the problem, with hints coming with the Broncos’ massive celebrations after their fourth try in the 55th minute. They eased off – ever so slightly.

James Fisher-Harris on the charge. Photo / Photosport

That was the cue for Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary to step up, though for a while it seemed it was only about regaining pride. But then a 16-point deficit became four – helped by a Cleary sideline conversion – and the unthinkable was on, before his solo intervention in the 77th minute.

Referee Adam Gee enhanced the occasion by stepping back. There were no six-again calls – which can be an artificial blight on the game - and few penalties. At times it felt like he let too much go but overall it gave the match a wonderful flow.

From a local perspective, most of the Kiwis involved played big roles. Panthers prop Moses Leota wasn’t far behind Cleary as best on field, while fellow enforcer James Fisher-Harris was immense. Second rower Jordan Riki was superb for the Broncos, along with former Warriors Jesse Arthars.

There must be sympathy for Brisbane, especially after 2015. They were so close. They stood up to this Penrith machine in a way that no other team has in a major game – only to lose in the hardest fashion, ultimately a victim of youth and inexperience. They’ll be back but this match will leave deep scars.

And Penrith? How can they ever top this? It’s probably impossible but you know they will keep trying, which is why we love sport so much.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.