The Last Ride may just have an encore.
Penrith co-captain Nathan Cleary has fired a warning shot to the competition, declaring his side remains hungry for more success after claiming a fourth straight title last night.
The Panthers downed Melbourne 14-6 in an epic season decider at Accor Stadium.
“It’s honestly crazy,” Cleary said post-game.
“It’s such a great feeling. It’s just addictive. It’s the best. It’s hard but you’ve got to pay the price for success and you’ve got to pay the price even moreso to stay at the top.”
Cleary said he couldn’t separate the four titles he’s now guided his beloved Panthers to.
“The first time was a bit more relief. This one is just mind-blowing that we’ve been able to do this,” he said.
“The cool thing is all of them have been so different. That was extremely hard, just trying to catch your breath. I was just so proud of us as a group. Our defence probably wasn’t where we wanted it to be during the year but in the big games we turned up.”
And what would we have said if you told him back in 2021 that the victory over Souths in that Grand Final was just the beginning?
“I would have said you were mad to be honest,” he said.
“There was definitely belief there but it has exceeded all dreams and expectations.
“The beauty of it has been staying present through the lot, just enjoying the journey that we’re on. It’s been an incredible ride.”
For the first time in Penrith’s Premiership run, they conceded the first try. Harry Grant barged over in the 22nd minute to open up the game after a brutal opening quarter.
But the Panthers gained the ascendency towards half-time with Sunia Turuva and Liam Martin scoring to give Penrith a 10-6 lead at the break.
Paul Alamoti’s spectacular try in the 60th minute put Penrith further ahead, but the game remained tense until the final stages when victory was assured.
“It feels like it validates everything we’ve done and what we’ve tried to become,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.
In other Grand Final news, the NRL has not charged Cameron Munster over a biting allegation late in the game.
The NRL has also confirmed that a contentious call to disallow Storm forward Jack Howarth a try early in the second half was correct.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.