What we learned: Penrith face one more obstacle to be the undisputed best ever

The grand final is locked in after a comfortable 20-point win for the Panthers on Saturday night over the Sharks.

For just the second time in the NRL era, we will have a repeat of a previous grand final, as the two teams from 2020 run it back in 2024.

But that's next week. Here's three things we learned from tonight's game:

Penrith face one more obstacle to be the undisputed best ever

What is there left to be written about Ivan Cleary's Penrith Panthers that hasn't already? What is there to write about son Nathan, the best halfback I've ever seen? Or Isaah Yeo, the forward leader who rose from fringe back-rower to best lock in the game? Or Brian To'o, the safest pair of hands ever to set foot on an NRL wing, or Jarome Luai, the Tigers-bound playmaker who seems able to slow time down whenever he gets the ball?

The answer is: not much. It's a fifth grand final in a row, and a potential fourth premiership. Unheard of territory in a sport that for so long, prided itself on parity before this current era of dominance.

Cronulla turned up and played their part but were far below what was needed of them to upset the apple cart. Penrith, as dominant as they've been, were not anywhere near the level they reached in last year's preliminary final win over the Storm. As it turns out, they didn't need to be. Even a sub-par showing ended up being a 20-point win.

The only thing that was truly different was that it wasn't their typical 'grind them out' style that broke the game open late on, but rather three separate passages of play where offloads flowed thick and fast. The first to get them out of a sticky situation deep in their own half after a kick had pinned them there, the second a failed short side play that ended up with an ad-lib kick for Brian To'o's try, and the third another beautiful passage right through the middle of the park, which ended up with Paul Alamoti crossing for his second.

But there is ONE thing this dynasty hasn't done, and that's beat the Storm in a grand final. Yes, they've beaten them in two prelims, but if a three-year reign at the top is book-ended by grand final losses to Melbourne on both ends, that's really the only mark against them being called the greatest team ever.

For many people, including me, winning three in a row in the hyper-competitive, hyper-professionalised era of the NRL that we are in supersedes any achievements by clubs in the olden days. But even the most rusted on Dragons sympathisers would have to concede that four in a row in 2024 is more impressive than anything in the 1950s.

Sharks will rue missed chances

To beat this iteration of the Panthers, you have to be close to perfect, and if you're not, at the very least, you have to take your chances in the red zone. Cronulla routinely squandered good ball sets, mostly with silly errors or poor options late in the set. There wasn't a gigantic disparity in tackles inside the 20m line, but in a game where victory would involve a series of heroic goal line stops for the Sharks' defence, there was very few.

It seemed like any time the Panthers went on the attack deep in Cronulla's half, points followed. The Sharks went close a few times but had two tries denied thanks to an attempted bat back from Ronaldo Mulitalo going forward, and a Sione Katoa bobble.

The Mulitalo one was particularly painful as it was 2-2 when it happened. Instead of Nicho Hynes being under the posts, it was Penrith who scored shortly afterwards, flipping the scoreboard by 12 points.

A lot of 2024 will be a source of pride for Craig Fitzgibbon's team; they won a finals game and looked competitive for long stretches in this prelim - but the final score will be somewhat of a sour note.

Fine margins define big matches

With the game still up for grabs in the first half, Braydon Trindall uncorked a superb effort for a 40/20, at a moment in the game where his team sorely needed to flip the field position.

It was a cracking kick, there was just one problem. Dylan Edwards never gives up on anything.

Edwards hustled across mightily to save the ball from going into touch, before Sunia Turuva arrived to clean up and prevent a Billy Slater situation of a gift try to the opponents.

The Sharks turned up on the ensuing defensive set, flying out of the line and forcing a kick from very deep in Penrith's own half. But if there's one team you don't want to get into a battle of effort with, it's these Panthers. Ronaldo Mulitalo caught that on his own 30 metre line and by the time their next set ended, they weren't even at Penrith's 40. What could have been a game-changing play, or at the very least, a massive swing of territory, was nullified first by the individual play of Edwards, and then the unstoppable spirit of the Panthers as a whole.

Of course, a few minutes later, Nathan Cleary opted for a 40/20 attempt of his own and it was as perfect as could be and led to the opening try a few tackles later.