NRL Match Thread - GRAND FINAL - Panthers v Souths

[Farmduck]

73min: Souths get a penalty 20m out

[Farmduck]

74min: Alex Johnston try in the corner

[Farmduck]

Reynolds missed the conversion

 

Souths  12  Panthers  14

[Davo5]

Great comeback from Walker,but thought Reynolds was going to kick that.

[Man of Kent]

Shame.

[Farmduck]

No penalty for Burton high contact. Good. His injury was legular from the low tackler not the head tap.

[Davo5]

Contact with the head,penalty all season except the last 5 mins of a GF

[dkw]

That's now not a penalty? 

[Davo5]

Looked like Penrith got a touch on that.

[Man of Kent]

Another poor decision by Walker 

[Farmduck]

Reynolds tries the 2-point field goal but it fell short

[Farmduck]

FT:  Panthers  14   Souths 12

[Man of Kent]

Good final. Penrith win but arguably were a little bit too cautious and for all their territorial dominance they could have easily lost that. 

[MC Finchy]

Penrith Catalan WCC in Barcelona anyone

[Spotty Herbert]

Just now, MC Finchy said:

Penrith Catalan WCC in Barcelona anyone

They would prefer to play a meaningless pre season trial somewhere in the NSW bush.

[Sports Prophet]

I just felt the Panthers try would promote the Rabbits to play the way that makes them dangerous. They had rarely done so all game.

To relinquish your shot at a Premiership with such a low percentage play as that 2 point field goal attempt was a real shame.

Not a classic. Very attritional. Exciting though. Edge of the seat and game in the balance to the very end. A fun watch.

[Sports Prophet]

Deserved Premiers. Not a fan of the Panthers, but with 13 of the 17 coming through the academy system is a great story. Good on em

[EastLondonMike]

Disappointed for Souths but Penrith deserved it. Two tries a piece and a missed kick the only thing separating them.

Great effort from both sides.

[unapologetic pedant]

2 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Not a classic. Very attritional. Exciting though. Edge of the seat and game in the balance to the very end. A fun watch.

A tight game like that would especially benefit from the ability to effectively apply kick pressure, and possibly make big plays that break the game open. 

But teams are not going to expend all the effort defending 5 plays then risk conceding a repeat set by playing at the ball and not regathering.

Ironic that Gus identified that the rules relating to playing at the ball are "stupid".

[George Watt]

Mixed form on my predictions arising from this match. At the start of the season the teams at the top of the betting to win the GF were the 2 teams playing tonight. I then said neither team would win it!

After Bennett left St George in 2010 I said he wouldn't coach another team to a GF win. 

I have been a Penrith season ticket holder since 2000.

[Davo5]

1 hour ago, MC Finchy said:

Penrith Catalan WCC in Barcelona anyone

Cleary promoting the game overseas

Good luck with that.

[graveyard johnny]

if Latrell Mitchell hadn't have been such a d****khead souths would have been celebrating a gf win right now, having said that the panthers defence has been awesome of late and they prob deserve the win, just

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Good on the Penny Panthers.. From my perspective it could have been worse..especially in the last 10 minutes that felt like an eternity..

[Dunbar]

41 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

if Latrell Mitchell hadn't have been such a d****khead souths would have been celebrating a gf win right now, having said that the panthers defence has been awesome of late and they prob deserve the win, just

Spot on.  Souths just didn't have the strike on the edges that they have when Mitchell is there.  No way of knowing how it would have turned out but an in form Mitchell makes Souths 10 times better in attack.

But part of being successful in sport is composure and professionalism and Mitchell was not available in that match because he is as you describe. 

[DC77]

3 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I just felt the Panthers try would promote the Rabbits to play the way that makes them dangerous. They had rarely done so all game.

To relinquish your shot at a Premiership with such a low percentage play as that 2 point field goal attempt was a real shame.

Not a classic. Very attritional. Exciting though. Edge of the seat and game in the balance to the very end. A fun watch.

Only seen a Wayne Bennett team with England and now South Sydney so it’s perhaps not a fair assessment, but I couldn’t watch a side coached by him if those teams are anything to go by. Competitive yes, but low risk (which ultimately makes them competitive). You do of course have to credit him for getting both these sides to a final. 

Bit after the Lord Mayor’s show that game. Decent game, but last week’s titanic tussle was the final. Cleary’s kicking was imperious yet again.