Lang Park Stadium
Sun Oct 3, 6:30pm AEST
CyberView from the Hill - Last Week
CyberView from the Hill - This Week
Late Changes
Burns and Cartwright were trimmed 24 hours before the game. Milne was trimmed on game day.
LOSS 12-14
Finals are being played in Queensland due to the Greater Sydney Delta Variant covid outbreak.
The Grand Final had been sold out on Tuesday then, 13,000 fans had to be turned away after a midweek covid outbreak in Brisbane, as the stadium capacity was reduced to 75%.
Once bitten, never shy. Penrith have prevailed in one of the great gruelling grand finals, a pivotal Stephen Crichton intercept proving the difference as South Sydney threatened to pinch the ultimate rear-guard premiership. Three drop-outs Penrith forced in the first 15 minutes, yet still South Sydney looked equally likely when they counter-punched. A heavy head knock for Dane Gagai saw Benji Marshall in his current incarnation – the everywhere man – lining up at left-centre and a potential target. But it was on the other edge where Campbell Graham has proven one of the game's most robust defenders that the Rabbitohs erred, Jarome Luai punishing Graham's ill-advised inward rush by piloting Matt Burton through the gap he left. Where the Rabbitohs were split out wide, Walker found fortune through the middle, leaving Cleary and Kurt Capewell for dead in a 35-metre jaunt to the line. That right shoulder of Cleary's looked in desperate need of the surgeon's knife when Walker brushed past him for 6-all. As Dane Gagai passed his HIA and Jai Arrow was hit high by Viliame Kikau, in his first hit up and left the field – both forward packs began to flag after 30 minutes at a furious pace. A dropped ball by Graham from the scrum gave the Panthers another chance. Then Arrow's penalty for crowding the ruck as soon as he got back on the paddock gave the Panthers a 8-6 lead from Cleary's boot. With just 40 per cent of possession Souths sorely needed the break, playing above and beyond to keep Penrith's lead to just two. Where Bennett used each of his four benchmen within 20 minutes, Cleary enjoyed the luxury of keeping Tyrone May and Spencer Leniu on ice. Arrow later being ruled out of the contest at half-time due to delayed concussion symptoms only played further havoc for Souths. Somehow the Rabbitohs stayed in it, Wayne Bennett's final red-and-green gift so nearly being one of the finest defensive wins seen in a decider. After half-time Souths levelled up proceedings through a Reynolds penalty goal. 8 all. A Su'A dropped ball, gave the Panthers another chance as aoffload from Cleary had Kikau over the line, only for the halfback's pass in traffic to be called back as forward. Time and again Cleary terrorised Rabbitohs youngsters Jaxson Paulo and Blake Taaffe. In total he launched 10 bombs and most all of them had the Bunnies back three in all sorts. At 8-8 and having been that way for most all of the second half, Rabbitohs talisman Cody Walker swung left with a long ball in the 66th minute. Had it hit its mark, Alex Johnston would've been on his way, instead it was Crichton streaking in the opposite direction to secure a 8-14 lead. But Souths hit back, Walker had a leading hand when the Rabbitohs next marched downfield, Johnston over in the left-hand corner. His 30th for the season and breaking a 67 year old record. Reynolds’ strike from right on the sideline sailed oh so close, yet oh so far, 12-14 it stayed to the end. Redfern favourite Adam Reynolds twice had the toughest of chances – off the tee and with a 40-metre-plus, two-point field goal attempt with a minute to go – to pen his own farewell fairytale, but the effects of his groin injury proved too much. Nathan Cleary's own masterclass off the boot forced all five-drops a thrilling contest saw, kicking the Rabbitohs to the kerb and earned him the Clive Churchill medal.
16 min 0-6
21 min 6-6 Walker try Reynolds goal
32 min 6-8
HT 6-8
44 min 8-8 Reynolds goal
66 min 8-14
74 min 12-14 Johnston try Reynolds miss
Walker, Johnston tries
Reynolds 2 from 3 goals
Weather Fine
Ground Soft
Crowd 39,322 (Played with 75% capacity due to the Brisbane Covid outbreak)
Referee Gerard Sutton
Touch Judges Dave Munro / Todd Smith
Video Grant Atkins
Scrums 5-2 (1H 1-1 )
Penalities 3-2 (1H 1-1 )
6 Again 4-1 (1H 3-1 )
Final Line Up -
Min Tac Pe 6A MT LA LB Rn DR m Er OL K TA T G/A FG 2FG
Flbk - 1 - Taaffe, Blake 80 6 - - - - - 13 1 116 2 - - - - - - -
LWng - 2 - Johnston, Alex 80 - - - - - 1 12 2 108 - 1 - - 1 - - -
LCnt - 3 - Gagai, Dane 67 6 - - 3 1 - 17 - 119 2 - - 1 - - - - [0-11,24-80] HIA
RCnt - 4 - Graham, Campbell 80 21 - - 1 - - 15 - 91 - - - - - - - -
RWng - 5 - Paulo, Jaxson 80 6 - - 2 - 1 14 1 123 3 - 1 - - - - -
5/8 - 6 - Walker, Cody 80 21 - - 1 2 1 9 - 93 2 1 2 - 1 - - -
Half - 7 - Reynolds, Adam 80 18 - - 1 - - 15 - 107 - - 17 - - 2/3 - - (c)
Prop - 8 - Nicholls, Mark 33 29 - - 2 - - 10 - 70 1 - - - - - - - [0-19,57-71]
Hook - 9 - Cook, Damien 80 45 - - 2 - - 8 7 72 - 2 - - - - - -
Prop - 10 - Tatola, Junior 46 36 1 - 1 - - 12 - 107 - 1 - - - - - - [0-19,53-80]
SRow - 11 - Koloamatangi, Keaon 57 28 - 1 2 - - 10 - 94 - - - - - - - - [0-57]
SRow - 12 - Su'A, Jaydn 72 35 - - 2 - - 10 - 84 1 - - - - - - - [0-32,40-80]
Lock - 13 - Murray, Cameron 73 53 - - - - 1 10 - 97 - 1 - - - - - - [0-25,32-80]
Int - 14 - Marshall, Benji 25 14 - - 1 - - 3 1 9 - - - - - - - - [11-24,68-80]
Int - 15 - Host, Jacob 48 19 - - 4 - - 5 - 40 - - - - - - - - [20-68]
Int - 16 - Burgess, Tom 42 23 - - - - - 16 - 139 - 1 - - - - - - [19-53,71-80]
Int - 17 - Arrow, Jai 16 13 1 - 1 - - 5 - 35 - - - - - - - - [19-20,25-40] HIA
Conc - 19 - Mago, Patrick (DNP)
373 2 1 23 3 4 1509 11 7 20 1 2 2/3 - -
Completion Rate - 32/43 74%
Opposition Offloads - 6
Effective 1st Tackles
0 min 10m KO
1 min 31m Reynolds kick COF
3 min 43m Pe Err Pe-CC / Reynolds kick
5 min 64m DO
6 min 68m DO
7 min 3m Pe Err / SS Err(Nicholls)
9 min 15m Reynolds kick ChOv
11 min 47m Reynolds kick COF 2m / SS P(Tatola)
14 min 93m Pe-6A / Reynolds kick 40m / SS-6A(Koloamatangi)
15 min 75m DO / (Pe TRY)
18 min 18m KO
20 min 0m P / TRY
23 min 30m Pe-6A / Reynolds kick COFIG
25 min 38m Walker kick COF
27 min 19m Reynolds kick
29 min 38m Reynolds kick COF
30 min 100m Pe Err SCR SS Err(Graham) SCR 90m / SS P(Arrow) (Pe GOAL)
33 min 9m KO
35 min 9m Reynolds kick
37 min 20m Reynolds kick COF
39 min 45m Pe-6A / SS Err(Paulo)
half time
41 min 15m Pe-6A / SS Err(DGagai) /
43 min 20m Reynolds kick COF
44 min 0m P GOAL
46 min 76m SS Err(SuA) SCR / (Pe NO TRY)
48 min 11m Pe Err SCR / Reynolds kick COF
50 min 46m Reynolds kick ChDn SS-CC(x) / 46m
52 min 63m DO
54 min 33m Reynolds kick COF
55 min 92m SS Err(Taaffe)
57 min 15m Pe Err / Reynolds kick
58 min 100m SS Err(Paulo)
59 min 64m DO
61 min 12m Pe Err SCR / Reynolds kick COF
63 min 22m Walker kick
64 min 97m SS Err(Paulo)
66 min 100m Pe Err / SS Err(Walker) (Pe TRY)
68 min 18m KO
70 min 27m Reynolds kick
72 min 12m Paulo kick
74 min 0m P / TRY
77 min 11m Pe-6TG SCR / SS Err(Walker)
79 min 30m Reynolds kick NO 2-FIELDGOAL DIG
Average effective 1st tackle location
- 40.0m - for the whole match
- 39.4m - 1st half
- 40.3m - 2nd half
Judiciary News
No one has been charged out of the match.
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