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It's crossed the point of being impressive, and is now just downright greedy. Somehow despite the trickle-down economics of the NRL that sees their players depart for other clubs, or the gigantic target on their back that's now too big to fit inside Stadium Australia or the simple fact that it's borderline impossible to be up for every game every week, for four years, Penrith keep winning. What may be the most impressive aspect is how Ivan Cleary's team has conquered the NRL differently in each season. First, it was a dominant territorial display and one moment of magic. Then a smashing out of the gates a year later. Last year, a late flurry of brilliance when they needed it the most. And now, a gritty defensive performance where nobody gave an inch for almost the entire 80 minutes. The early contest had some low stakes gambles, but nothing was gained. Penrith looked dangerous via a couple of Jarome Luai short side raids, and allowed a couple of early bombs to be uncontested for Storm chasers, who were then quickly wrapped up without fuss. Then, the first test for Melbourne. They knew it was coming, and that the game would likely be unwinnable if they didn't pass with flying colours. They did.  A flash of pink blurs hurtled towards the Storm goal line in quick succession, but found no way through - before a pressure-relieving penalty and the ultimate sucker punch in the form of a headgeared Harry Grant. The performance of The Kid LAROI and the presence of light up wristbands that you'd see at a Taylor Swift concert had given the stadium the air of a big fight feel that NRL productions can sometimes lack. The crowd were up for it, bringing an atmosphere to match the intensity of the game, and it was the Storm fans who got to scream in delight first, as the tension had built and built until the opening try. Melbourne had the lead, but they had to be careful. Because sometimes, when you play Penrith, finding success against the grain can eventually set you up for failure. Souths learned that in 2021 when after a mountain of defensive work, they thought they'd finally earned the right to attack - before throwing an intercept for a try. Brisbane learned it last year when they had what most thought was an insurmountable lead.  Straight after scoring, Will Warbrick, who had such an impressive finish to the season, spilled the ball. Straight after that, it was one try apiece and straight after that, a kickoff sailed out on the full. Eli Katoa prevented the scoreline from getting more out of hand, and Melbourne looked to have done enough to get to the break with a lead. But as the Panthers so often do, they struck right when it would hurt the Storm the most.
What happened to start the second half was surprising, given how the first finished. It was the Storm who came out swinging, and the Panthers on the defensive - culminating in one of the most controversial calls in Grand Final history, which will no doubt be talked about for days and weeks to come. There was no such doubt with ten to go, when Melbourne defiantly launched a desperate last raid, and Warbrick was thrown into touch. Now it's clear there are no more worlds to conquer, no more asterisks from any conceivable angle. Volume of premierships are no longer a case for the Brisbane or Parramatta sides of the 1990s and 1980s respectively, and with the greatest respect to the 1950s Dragons, four in a row in an era of hyper professionalism is simply more impressive. It will likely never happen again. The only remaining knock against these dynastic Panthers was that they hadn't beaten Melbourne in the big one. A couple of prelim wins, sure, but could they really be called the best ever team if three premiership wins were bookended by two losses to the greatest club of the NRL era? For many, it wouldn't matter. Three-in-a-row in the modern game was already enough to crown these Panthers. But now, with four, and no possible way to denigrate them, it's inarguable. This is the best team of all time, and we're lucky to have witnessed it.
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