Sun 25 Oct: NRL Grand Final : Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm KO 8.30am (UK Time)

[Spidey]

Just now, Futtocks said:

Bellyache once again commits GBH on an innocent chair,

What an absolute tool

[Damien]

That is probably the strangest Grand Final I've seen.

[Futtocks]

Kaufusi intercepts one of the Panthers' wild passes and it's all over.

[Rupert Prince]

5 minutes of excitement...

[Futtocks]

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

5 minutes of excitement...

5? They were only within one try for 3 seconds

[OMEGA]

39 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

Ha ha...  that was an obstruction... but this time they give it... !!!  

Blind leading the blind....

Who was obstructed?

[Hela Wigmen]

That’s some comeback from the Penny Panthers. They’ll rue that first half but Storm were clinical and ruthless. They still looked dangerous out on the left, if they were their own worst enemy my at times. 

I think they’ll come back stronger the Panthers and Storm are looking at losing The Fox and Vunivalu. 

Al credit to the Storm though. That’s some effort they’ve put in this year, being based in the Sunshine Coast and going on to win. 

[Moove]

I know we're obliged to say everything about the NRL is amazing but until the last five or ten minutes it was pretty disappointing, especially after a really good play off series.

Melbourne efficient and clinical for the first hour or so before mistakes crept in but bar one or two bits of skill a bit boring. Penrith discipline rubbish and basic skills which at times wouldn't have looked out of place in League One. Throw in some questionable officiating and it wasn't a great watch.

[latchford albion]

4 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Plenty of bad haircuts on show.

[ATLANTISMAN]

2 minutes ago, Moove said:

I know we're obliged to say everything about the NRL is amazing but until the last five or ten minutes it was pretty disappointing, especially after a really good play off series.

Melbourne efficient and clinical for the first hour or so before mistakes crept in but bar one or two bits of skill a bit boring. Penrith discipline rubbish and basic skills which at times wouldn't have looked out of place in League One. Throw in some questionable officiating and it wasn't a great watch.

Scrappy but still enjoyable is my take on it:)

 

P 

[Rupert Prince]

2 minutes ago, Moove said:

I know we're obliged to say everything about the NRL is amazing but until the last five or ten minutes it was pretty disappointing, especially after a really good play off series.

Melbourne efficient and clinical for the first hour or so before mistakes crept in but bar one or two bits of skill a bit boring. Penrith discipline rubbish and basic skills which at times wouldn't have looked out of place in League One. Throw in some questionable officiating and it wasn't a great watch.

100% correct.  I grow tired of NRL fanboys.

[Copa]

It’s all over.

I’m now expecting the annual “England can beat the Aussies” thread..

[Futtocks]

3 minutes ago, Moove said:

I know we're obliged to say everything about the NRL is amazing but until the last five or ten minutes it was pretty disappointing, especially after a really good play off series.

Melbourne efficient and clinical for the first hour or so before mistakes crept in but bar one or two bits of skill a bit boring. Penrith discipline rubbish and basic skills which at times wouldn't have looked out of place in League One. Throw in some questionable officiating and it wasn't a great watch.

Nobody's obliged to say that, but the playoffs showed off some fantastic Rugby. This Grand Final? Not a classic, but nowhere near as bad as described by those who obviously do feel obliged to rubbish the NRL at every opportunity.

[Neutralfan7]

Might be going against the grain with this comment but I honestly don't understand all the hate Smith gets! 

[Pulga]

30 minutes ago, Copa said:

It’s all over.

I’m now expecting the annual “England can beat the Aussies” thread..

England are as far away from beating the Kangaroos as they've ever been. The worrying thing for England is though that Tonga, Fiji and PNG (also possibly Samoa) are closer to beating the Kangaroos than ever before.

[graveyard johnny]

not  a great final - in fact exactly the reason i would have preferred souths roosters or raiders to have got to the final, saw far too much of the ref and the bunker which is now sadly becoming a normal part of the game, say what you like about bellamy but he has to be ranked as the greatest rugby league coach of all time

[Hela Wigmen]

19 minutes ago, Pulga said:

England are as far away from beating the Kangaroos as they've ever been. The worrying thing for England is though that Tonga, Fiji and PNG (also possibly Samoa) are closer to beating the Kangaroos than ever before.

This is not necessarily a worry for me. I’m hoping, though not holding my breath, that English arrogance is binned and we actually start playing Fiji, Tonga and PNG with more regularity. 

9 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

not  a great final - in fact exactly the reason i would have preferred souths roosters or raiders to have got to the final, saw far too much of the ref and the bunker which is now sadly becoming a normal part of the game, say what you like about bellamy but he has to be ranked as the greatest rugby league coach of all time

I’m sure they said Bellamy has now matched Bennett’s eight finals. I’d back Bellamy to get to another and not just because age is on his side. 

[graveyard johnny]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

This is not necessarily a worry for me. I’m hoping, though not holding my breath, that English arrogance is binned and we actually start playing Fiji, Tonga and PNG with more regularity. 

I’m sure they said Bellamy has now matched Bennett’s eight finals. I’d back Bellamy to get to another and not just because age is on his side. 

the reason i go for bellamy is because he has achieved so much with players that  "were looking for a chance or a club" and turned them in to world class players- hes never gone out and just bought a latrell mitchell or a ready made superstar- yes bennett was a good coach but with the likes of renouf etc at your disposal who wouldnt be?

[DavidM]

No surprises there , pretty much how I saw it going . Storm just did a Storm , not flashy but clinical . Put the stamp on it early and they’re the hardest side to play from behind . Yes they had the rub at times and the board didn’t fully reflect the play , but the Smith try was a killer and put that premiership to bed . After that they protected and spoiled a fair bit , with the Papenhuyzen try the icing on the cake . Tbh I thought the Panthers picked the biggest day to play their worst game . Experience worked for the storm and inexperience was a factor for the Panthers . They got panicky with the scoreboard , felt the pressure and were pretty error strewn really . It would have been larceny if they’d got up but they showed great character and resolve and they’ve had a great season . Not a classic but sure will be an unforgettable season . I don’t like them but I tip my hat to Melbourne , they’re a rugby league machine  . Very unfortunate Sky didn’t think the trophy presentation was at all important ...

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Tough loss for the Penny Panthers who have been the best team in the NRL this year but you got to hand it to Melbourne, as I have always ssaid on this board, whenever I see them I see a well coached RL team who are always hard to best.

At lets not forget the Storm have basically been playing away from Victoria for virtually the whole season, So time to tip the hat in their direction.

[Futtocks]

There's a theory that, to win a final, you have to have already been in a final. You see it in some sports where a beaten finalist shows far more nerve and composure the next time they are in that position. Okay, there are exceptions (Boris Becker in tennis, the Storm in their first GF), but the Panthers didn't look their normal selves. Kikau just looked over-excited and was trying to do too much every time, for instance.

But this is a mostly young squad, and you'd expect them to be at or near the top again very soon. And next time, they may well be more like their usual selves when the big match comes around.

[DoubleD]

 

Storms phenomenal scramble defence won the game in the first half. They shut down the halves and Cleary and Luai had no answer. They both looked like rabbits in headlights. It’s a shame because both had poor games. Melbourne’s back 3 showed their class vs the Panthers and Smith was brilliant. 

That said, Melbourne were very poor in the second half and let Penrith back in. It became a very scrappy game and I’m not surprised Bellamy was losing it. It’ll be interesting to see how Penrith come back next year, i think it will stand them in good stead as a learning experience 

 

[DavidM]

10 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

There's a theory that, to win a final, you have to have already been in a final. You see it in some sports where a beaten finalist shows far more nerve and composure the next time they are in that position. Okay, there are exceptions (Boris Becker in tennis, the Storm in their first GF), but the Panthers didn't look their normal selves. Kikau just looked over-excited and was trying to do too much every time, for instance.

But this is a mostly young squad, and you'd expect them to be at or near the top again very soon. And next time, they may well be more like their usual selves when the big match comes around.

Yes , when you look back at that you can say to yourselves ... well we gave them a 26 point start , gave them at least one try , had one chalked off and a near miss , didn’t get the rub in the first half , played poorly in the main completing just in the high 60s with our main men not firing at all really ... and lost to the mighty storm by 6 . I think the panthers use this to push on and this experience will be money in the bank for them . All the pieces of the jigsaw are there . They got mugged by the storm , they’re not the first 

[Futtocks]

2 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Yes , when you look back at that you can say to yourselves ... well we gave them a 26 point start , gave them at least one try , had one chalked off and a near miss , didn’t get the rub in the first half , played poorly in the main completing just in the high 60s with our main men not firing at all really ... and lost to the mighty storm by 6 . I think the panthers use this to push on and this experience will be money in the bank for them . All the pieces of the jigsaw are there . They got mugged by the storm , they’re not the first 

Not even the first in October 2020 - remember how they blew out the score very early against the Raiders? I don't know if there are any stats of chances* converted to points, but if there are, I think I know who'd be top of the list.

*how to classify a "chance" for instance?