NRL grand final 2024: Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers – live

Kick-off!

Welcome to Country and Advance Australia Fair taken care of the two sides move into huddles, Penrith brimming with intent, Melbourne much more circumspect. The camera follows the most significant protagonist, Nathan Cleary. Here we go!

Now come the Storm, to the soundtrack of plenty of boos. Harry Grant leads the way with a nervous smile on his face. AC/DC on the PA system tells us kick-off is imminent.

With fireworks and pyrotechnics and smoke machines and noise turning Accor Sydney into a frenzy, out come the Panthers, led by Isaah Yeo. Ooof! That was a superb entrance. The Penrith players looked hyped!

These sides have met twice already this season, with Storm coming out on top on both occasions. The first was way back in round one when the Panthers were caught cold following their trip to the UK for the World Club Challenge, then later in round 24 when Nick Meaney’s boot sealed a narrow victory after a ding-dong affair. There’s unlikely to be much in it again this evening.

I’m not a fan of the actor-narrated pregame hype movie, but Channel Nine have just nailed tonight’s, featuring Ben Mendelsohn stroking a pub in Huddersfield. Superb delivery.

It’s been a warm spring day in Sydney, giving way to a mild and dry evening. There’s a whisper of a westerly breeze but it shouldn’t cause either fullback any concern under the high ball.

From one kid to another a 45-year-old with male pattern baldness. For the third time in his career Ashley Klein will referee an NRL grand final. Klein also refereed all three State of Origins this year and recently celebrated his 400th game in the middle.

The Kid Laroi: 6/10. Lad’s got presence. Good luck to him.

The Kid Laroi has moved away from his identical-sounding synth-pop hits and moved into a cover of Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. He’s got decent pipes, but the arrangement around him is pants, and his voice is lost in the mix.

If someone half my age could email in and tell me if this is any good or not, I’d be grateful. To my middle-age ears, it’s perfectly fine mid-tempo FM radio noise. And he gets the benefit of any doubt from me because he’s a Sydneysider (and a rugby league fan). You can guess how I felt about Katy Perry in Melbourne last week.

Pregame entertainment headliner The Kid Laroi is now in the middle of Accor Stadium, being all young and cool.

As he prepares for his record-equalling 10th grand final Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy has flagged he might only have a few years left in first grade.

If the man who made Melbourne does bow out sooner rather than later, where does he stand in the Australian coaching hall of fame?

If one Jarome is responsible for the Panthers reaching the grand final, another Ja[h]rome deserves equivalent praise for the Storm. This has been a defining season for the Kiwi halfback.

Yet the NRL career of the 29-year-old (he turns 30 next week) was never a sure thing when he struggled to crack first grade at Gold Coast and North Queensland. His first tentative steps at the Storm were at fullback but, since locking down the No 7 jersey in 2019, he has steadily risen to become the team’s most dangerous player. Given that his side includes Cam Munster, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Grant, and are widely considered an even chance against the Panthers this Sunday, reaching that status is not insignificant.

In Cleary’s absence, Jarome Luai stepped up for the Panthers, showing a maturity and game management his army of critics did not think he was capable of.

Luai is the most misunderstood man in rugby league. His competitive personality and determination to defend his teammates has meant he has become the NRL’s chief villain. The Panthers’ dominance has cultivated envy around the league, and the No 6’s tendency to live life on the edge has made him an easy figure to hate.

“Good afternoon Jonathan,” great to have you on board HarryofOz. “Well here we are just 45 minutes or so away from the kick-off. I’m really looking forward to the clash of the two best teams in the comp this season. Cleary v Hughes and the battle of the spines – should be a cracker. And don’t ask me to pick a winner, this is just too close to call. What do you think?”

I think if Nathan Cleary plays 80 minutes Penrith win. He’s too clutch, and the Panthers spine is too strong in a one-off contest. However, Melbourne are clearly going to target the No. 7, and if they land a big shot early, or Cleary slips awkwardly off a tackle, like he did against the Sharks, then he might not see the game out. In which case, I’d edge towards the Storm.

Nathan Cleary missed State of Origin, sat out large chunks of the season, and has had to play through pain all year, but the game’s greatest modern player will still be the most crucial participant tonight.

The 26-year-old has played just 12 games this season, his lowest tally across nine seasons in the NRL. The knee injury he suffered in last season’s grand final affected his off season, and then a serious hamstring complaint meant he played just two games between rounds three and 20. His shoulder injury a month later kept him out for another three weeks, but he has returned and managed it during the finals.

Yet Cleary’s left shoulder remains one of the grand final’s major talking points. He was taken off in the final minutes in the preliminary final against Cronulla after appearing to aggravate it in a tackle, and respected NRL injury analyst Brian Seeney has described the problem – which makes a recurrence more likely – as a “ticking timebomb”.

Looking at those two powerful line-ups, here’s where Angus Fontaine sees the game being won and lost. The Cameron Munster v Liam Martin sideshow promises to be particularly interesting.

Munster said this week that he and Martin “didn’t like each other” even when they were teammates for Australia. “I thought we were fine, but obviously that’s not the case,” Martin responded. “If he feels like that, then that’s his problem. It won’t change anything on Sunday.”

The toss has just been made and the Panthers will kick off. Hopefully Tui Kamikamica or Eliesa Katoa walk away from that first collision unscathed.

Penrith Panthers XIII

Melbourne Storm XIII

As fans take their seats, the Olympic Stadium is playing host to a tribute to this year’s retirees. Among them, Dale Finucane, Shaun Johnson, and Wade Graham.

As the nominal away side, Penrith will be in their iconic pink change jersey.

As the home team, Melbourne will run out this evening in their traditional navy and purple with lightning accents.

Jack Snape sets the scene for a grand final that could determine just whose era this really is.

Four years ago the Storm won the only grand final between the pair, watched by half a stadium due to Covid, but only narrowly. The Panthers’ roaring 20-point comeback left them just short, and they departed Homebush with all the momentum but without a trophy. They would sustain the excellence of that second half for three years, their run of premierships securing them the loftiest status in the sport.

But their dynasty will not look the same if Melbourne win on Sunday. The Panthers would leave this half decade of grand final appearances three from five, but with two losses to the Storm. The murmurs would be immediate: perhaps this is just as much Melbourne’s era as it is Penrith’s.

Indeed, the Storm were minor premiers in 2021 before the Panthers narrowly beat them in the preliminary final. They were on top of the table in 2022 until injuries curtailed their season which ended with three straight losses. The Panthers’ dominance over the Storm last year, culminating in a preliminary final walloping, has been a key part of Melbourne’s motivation this year: the impact of the 2020 grand final, but in reverse.

Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft