NRL grand final five quick hits: Panthers join greats, Nathan Cleary dominates but Ezra Mam almost s
- 7 months ago
#nrl #brisbane #broncos #penrith
The NRL grand final was one for ages; The Broncos were seemingly on the verge of victory before Panthers dug deep to create a remarkable 26-24 victory. It was a match that was a fitting end to one of the best NRL seasons in recent memory. Even if you're a Broncos fan, you should be able to appreciate the drama unfolding at Sydney's Australia Stadium. These are five key moments from one of the greatest finals we have ever witnessed. Panthers' surprising comeback Trailing 24-8 midway through second half, the Panthers looked down field. The Broncos had built their lead by scoring 24 unanswered points, highlighted by Ezra Mam's stunning hat-trick. The momentum was clearly in their favour, but losing fifth star Jarome Luai to injury in the 51st minute did not help the Panthers' cause. But somehow the Panthers put together a fight that would carry them to premiership victory. The Broncos whittled away their lead, starting with a converted try to Moses Leota in the 62nd minute. Next up was Stephen Crichton's turn, who crossed the line to score a try five minutes later. Cleary's conversion cut the Broncos' lead to 24-20, ensuring a grandstand finish. The stoic Broncos' defense kept Panthers out as full-time approached, but dam burst when Cleary leveled scores in 76th minute. He made easiest of conversion attempts to send Panthers into lead, and they were caught up in frantic final moments. Most teams could have withdrawn from 16 points behind, but this Panthers team is not like most as they have completed the greatest comeback in grand final history. Cleary stands tall when it matters Key to the Panthers' comeback was the performance of Clive Churchill medalist Cleary. In final 20 minutes of game, Leota took game by scruff of neck by making final pass when he used a neat dummy and scrambled to break through Broncos' defensive line and then scored. Nathan Cleary put on a masterclass to guide the Panthers to victory. The basketball game, which came to fore with a score of 40-20 in the 65th minute, put Broncos under great pressure on defense. Desperate tackling was all that kept the Panthers out, but they managed to score again minutes later through Crichton. Another clever play from Cleary saw him win Panthers penalty by allowing Broncos' leave-of-play to take full touch, and he then clinched victory four minutes from end with his converted try. It came as little surprise when Cleary was named winner of the Clive Churchill Medal for second time in his career. Join the elders The Eels were last team to win three consecutive NRLNSWRL titles until the Panthers achieved same feat on Sunday night. Nostalgic rugby league fans regard the Eels, who won from 1981 to 1983 , as one of the greatest teams of all time. The Panthers have now earned the right to be remembered with the same respect. The Panthers deserve to be recognized as one of rugby league's greatest teams. They also faced ditional challenge of achieving a hat-trick of
The NRL grand final was one for ages; The Broncos were seemingly on the verge of victory before Panthers dug deep to create a remarkable 26-24 victory. It was a match that was a fitting end to one of the best NRL seasons in recent memory. Even if you're a Broncos fan, you should be able to appreciate the drama unfolding at Sydney's Australia Stadium. These are five key moments from one of the greatest finals we have ever witnessed. Panthers' surprising comeback Trailing 24-8 midway through second half, the Panthers looked down field. The Broncos had built their lead by scoring 24 unanswered points, highlighted by Ezra Mam's stunning hat-trick. The momentum was clearly in their favour, but losing fifth star Jarome Luai to injury in the 51st minute did not help the Panthers' cause. But somehow the Panthers put together a fight that would carry them to premiership victory. The Broncos whittled away their lead, starting with a converted try to Moses Leota in the 62nd minute. Next up was Stephen Crichton's turn, who crossed the line to score a try five minutes later. Cleary's conversion cut the Broncos' lead to 24-20, ensuring a grandstand finish. The stoic Broncos' defense kept Panthers out as full-time approached, but dam burst when Cleary leveled scores in 76th minute. He made easiest of conversion attempts to send Panthers into lead, and they were caught up in frantic final moments. Most teams could have withdrawn from 16 points behind, but this Panthers team is not like most as they have completed the greatest comeback in grand final history. Cleary stands tall when it matters Key to the Panthers' comeback was the performance of Clive Churchill medalist Cleary. In final 20 minutes of game, Leota took game by scruff of neck by making final pass when he used a neat dummy and scrambled to break through Broncos' defensive line and then scored. Nathan Cleary put on a masterclass to guide the Panthers to victory. The basketball game, which came to fore with a score of 40-20 in the 65th minute, put Broncos under great pressure on defense. Desperate tackling was all that kept the Panthers out, but they managed to score again minutes later through Crichton. Another clever play from Cleary saw him win Panthers penalty by allowing Broncos' leave-of-play to take full touch, and he then clinched victory four minutes from end with his converted try. It came as little surprise when Cleary was named winner of the Clive Churchill Medal for second time in his career. Join the elders The Eels were last team to win three consecutive NRLNSWRL titles until the Panthers achieved same feat on Sunday night. Nostalgic rugby league fans regard the Eels, who won from 1981 to 1983 , as one of the greatest teams of all time. The Panthers have now earned the right to be remembered with the same respect. The Panthers deserve to be recognized as one of rugby league's greatest teams. They also faced ditional challenge of achieving a hat-trick of