Standard knowledge says a winger cannot win the Clive Churchill Medal for greatest participant within the NRL grand last.
It is by no means occurred within the awards’ 37-year historical past, with playmakers and infrequently forwards dominating the checklist of previous winners as exterior backs get disregarded within the chilly.
The bookies predict it to occur once more, with Brisbane’s Reece Walsh and Penrith’s Nathan Cleary heat favourites to take it house after Sunday’s decider.
But when ever a winger may win it, it is Brian To’o, and if he cannot do it then it in all probability cannot be executed in any respect as a result of it is exhausting to see a winger doing greater than what To’o has managed in Penrith’s most significant wins over their outstanding four-season run.
The highlight is all the time drawn in the direction of backbone gamers however To’o has quietly put collectively a repute as probably the greatest big-game performers in the complete sport. It is exhausting to think about a winger doing extra on the largest stage.
He was at it once more in Penrith’s 38-4 win over Melbourne within the preliminary last when he scored three tries, ran for 181 metres and broke 9 tackles.
After the match, To’o was limping round on a sore calf and regarded like he’d simply been in a automobile crash, however that is commonplace for the nuggety Samoan worldwide. The bumps and bruises he wears aren’t an occupational hazard — they’re why he does what he does on the sector.
“I all the time have the urge to come back off that subject and really feel busted up, however I all the time need extra of it. I am unable to get sufficient of it,” To’o stated.
“It is all the time part of the job however I adore it. I like the physicality, the battle between two groups.
“With the massive events, everybody has to play their function and do their half. That is all I am making an attempt to do; I simply need to do my job to the very best of my skill.”
The perfect of To’o’s skill has confirmed itself to be fairly rattling good, and the numbers he is put up over the previous few finals collection are completely wild.
He is bought 182cm and 97kg of Samoan metal at his disposal and, by God, he will use it the one manner he is aware of how — by working the ball over and time and again till there’s no person else to run it at.
To’o has scored 12 tries in 11 finals matches because the begin of 2020, together with a minimum of one in every of Penrith’s 4 preliminary last wins and in three throughout two completely different grand finals.
Over the previous three finals collection, To’o has averaged 24 carries, 229.5 metres and 6.75 sort out busts per sport and proven an important knack for peaking on the proper time.
In 2021, it was his attempt simply after half-time that put Penrith in management of their epic preliminary last win over Melbourne, which he scored on a busted ankle.
Final yr he was at it once more with a long-range intercept attempt that flipped the script within the prelim win over Souths and on the way in which he despatched Cody Walker to the land of wind and ghosts with a hellacious fend.
And, like all big-game specialists, To’o by no means peaks too early. In every of Penrith’s two grand last victories he is produced his highest run metre whole of the finals.
And final yr, when he scored two tries and churned out 299 yards on the bottom, solely a sterling show from fullback Dylan Edwards stored him from claiming man of the match honours.
It was the second yr in a row To’o may declare runner-up standing for the Clive Churchill Medal — he ran for a whopping 299 metres from 24 runs within the membership’s 14-12 win over South Sydney the yr earlier than, lacking out to halfback Nathan Cleary.
However the legend of Huge Sport Bizza has stored rising on a regular basis, and he is already bought a little bit little bit of {hardware} to show it after To’o claimed the Brad Fittler Medal as New South Wales’ greatest participant on this yr’s Origin collection.
To’o is humble to a fault and disregarded any speak he may make historical past on Sunday towards Brisbane.
In response to him, his energy, sturdiness, and inhuman willingness to maintain taking over each opposition defender he can discover comes from his teammates.
“I get it from our middles, as a result of I do know they’re busting their arses,” To’o stated. “I get motivation from them. They do the exhausting yards they usually’re extra busted than me.”
“I get again and do my job for them.
“My drive comes from not solely my household and my religion however from the boys we’ve got right here. Everybody is keen to come back and put the exhausting work in, and it is an infectious power.
“We now have that can to grind exhausting for one another.”
