That is simply what rugby league is now — all of us run round for a couple of months, groups rise and fall and, ultimately, the Panthers win.
They’ve a standing reservation at Stadium Australia each October and so they by no means, ever miss it. We may all have saved lots of time over the previous couple of years by simply leaving the premiership trophy within the lobby of the Panthers Leagues Membership.
Their 14-6 grand last victory over Melbourne was not dramatic and cathartic, like their first overcome the Rabbitohs again in 2021.
Nor was it dominant and livid, just like the grand last win over Parramatta in 2022 and it wasn’t a miracle, like final 12 months’s resurrection towards Brisbane.
Nevertheless it was their most smothering win and maybe one which finest displays the qualities which have made them immortal. The method of victory is a lifestyle for them at this level.
The foundations have been the identical as ever — energy yardage runs, a defensive zeal that have to be seen to be believed and an insatiable starvation not simply to win, however to make their opponents lose.
They locked their jaws onto the Storm and didn’t let go. They smothered them and didn’t allow them to breathe. It appeared prefer it damage.
This was a footballing suffocation, the sort Melbourne have been so good at within the early Craig Bellamy years and it was lovely to look at, albeit in a brutal, horribly uncomfortable sort of method.
They confirmed but once more they’re a staff that finds pleasure within the wrestle, who just like the combat greater than they just like the win — and so they just like the win an terrible lot.
Other than one miss on Harry Grant early, their defence was impregnable and their mission was clear. They pinned Melbourne down their very own finish over and over, and dared them to do one thing about it.
The Storm, attempt as they could, couldn’t escape.
The Storm are minor premiers for a cause — even on this recreation, the place they have been wanting bodily outmatched for therefore lengthy, they managed to search out a few probabilities.
However the Panthers have been at all times there, holding gamers up on the final second, getting throughout in cowl, mugging Storm gamers who claimed attacking kicks, stopping raids that will have ended with tries towards actually another staff on this planet.
They did not hand over however finally, the aspect that has dominated a lot of this season appeared out of concepts. Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster tried onerous with little luck, Grant did what he may with the little room he had and Jahrome Hughes had the quietest recreation of what has been an impressive season.
Liam Martin was a deserving winner of the Clive Churchill Medal, however this was a triumph of the various.
Martin’s performs have been the largest, as he scored a key attempt on half-time that gave Penrith a lead that higher mirrored the run of the primary 40 earlier than he in some way gained an aerial contest with Xavier Coates to assist arrange Paul Alamoti’s attempt.
However there have been so many others that counted — like Izack Tago’s completely timed cowl deal with on Papenhuyzen, or Alamoti’s good flip and popped move to Jarome Luai that led to Sunia Turuva’s attempt, or Luai’s swap of play within the lead-up to Martin’s rating or the robust runs of Isaah Yeo and Brian To’o.
You can sit for days itemizing all of the little issues that added as much as their victory and that is sort of the purpose. Penrith is aware of that profitable the warfare comes by means of claiming victory in a thousand smaller battles — be it one set, one run, or run deal with.
They win every thing, on a regular basis. They make some extent of it and it has been occurring so lengthy that it is troublesome to recollect what got here earlier than or to think about what may come after.
It is simple to turn into accustomed to greatness, so it can’t be stated sufficient that that is the kind of run that happens a few times in a century. It’d by no means occur once more within the lifetime of anyone studying this.
There may nonetheless be a few of it left. Luai, Fisher-Harris and Turuva are leaving and their departures will check Penrith’s means to proceed to regenerate, however they’ve already changed extra expertise than most groups can ever hope to search out and nothing has modified.
So who’s to say they will not go once more? Who’s to say this may ever finish? Boys have turn into males whereas this run has been going, who’s to say they will not develop outdated ready for it to move?
All of the measures designed to cease issues like this taking place have been laughably ineffective.
Penrith swept all of them apart years in the past — issues just like the wage cap squeeze and the complacency that ultimately claims each premiership aspect, they’re damaged on the highway behind them.
They simply maintain profitable, yearly, come hell or excessive water, it doesn’t matter what. The rugby league story now has one ending and Penrith by no means, ever get bored with telling it.
