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The NRL grand final was one for the ages, with the Broncos seemingly on the verge of victory before the Panthers dug deep to conjure up 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 must be able to appreciate the drama that took place at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
These are five feature moments from one of the greatest grand finals we have witnessed.
Panthers’ astonishing comeback
Trailing 24-8 midway through the second half, the Panthers looked down and out.
The Broncos had poured on 24 unanswered points – highlighted by a breathtaking hat-trick from Ezra Mam — to establish their commanding lead.
Momentum was clearly in their favour, while losing star five-eighth Jarome Luai to injury in the 51st minute did not help the Panthers’ cause.
But somehow, the Panthers orchestrated a fightback that would carry them to premiership glory.
They chipped away at the Broncos lead, starting with a converted try to Moses Leota in the 62nd minute.
Next, it was the turn of departing centre Stephen Crichton, who barrelled his way over the stripe for a try five minutes later.
Cleary’s conversion cut back the Broncos’ lead to 24-20, setting up a grandstand finish.
Stoic Broncos defence kept the Panthers out as full-time approached, but the dam wall burst when Cleary levelled scores in the 76th minute.
He had the easiest of conversion attempts right in front to send the Panthers into the lead, where they stayed amid some frantic final moments.
Most teams could have folded when down by 16 points, but this Panthers outfit aren’t like most, as they completed the greatest comeback in grand final history.
Cleary stands tall when it counts
The key to the Panthers’ comeback was the performance of Clive Churchill medallist Cleary.
He took the match by the scruff of the neck in the final 20 minutes, first by giving the final pass when Leota scored after employing a neat dummy and fend to break through the Broncos’ defensive line.
His kicking game came to the fore with a 40-20 in the 65th minute that put the Broncos under enormous pressure in defence.
It was only desperate tackling that kept the Panthers out, but minutes later they were able to score again via Crichton.
Another intelligent play from Cleary saw him earn a Panthers’ penalty by ensuring a Broncos’ drop-out to go into touch on the full, before he clinched victory four minutes from full-time with his converted try.
It came as little surprise when Cleary was named the Clive Churchill Medal winner for the second time in his career.
Joining the greats
The Eels were the last team to win three straight NRL/NSWRL premierships until the Panthers matched the feat on Sunday night.
Nostalgic rugby league fans consider the Eels — who won from 1981 to 1983 (as well as 1986) — one of the greatest teams of all time.
The Panthers have now earned the right to be thought of with the same reverence.
They faced the additional challenge of winning a hat-trick of premierships during the salary cap era.
No team will be able to equal or surpass St George’s 11 premierships between 1956 and 1966, but the Panthers deserve to be mentioned among rugby league’s most legendary teams.
Cometh the moment, cometh the Mam
Had the Broncos been able to hold onto their lead at the death, five-eighth Mam would have been a deserving Clive Churchill Medal winner.
Trailing 8-6 early in the second half, Mam turned the match on its head when he took a pass on the halfway line and used a brilliant turn of speed to weave his way through the attempted tackle of Lindsay Smith and Izack Tago.
Mam then beat Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards in a sprint race to the line to dive over in the left-hand corner.
That try alone will go down in grand final folklore, but Mam wasn’t done yet.
Eight minutes later, he pulled off a brilliant step to split the Panthers’ defensive line from 25 metres out, before comfortably making his way across for his second try.
Mam showed with his third try that he is an excellent support player after getting a second touch on an attacking movement that featured a Reece Walsh line break.
He still needed to rely on his speed to touch down for his third try and following the conversion, the Broncos had established a 24-8 lead.
Botched drop-outs cost Broncos
When Cleary force a penalty from Adam Reynolds’s drop-out late in the match, it was just another mistake the Broncos had made from their re-starts.
In the 18th minute Reynolds seemed to have perfectly executed a short drop-out from the goal line when Herbie Farnworth leapt up to tap the ball back on the 10-metre line.
The only problem for the Broncos centre was that none of his teammates were in position to take the ball.
Instead, Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny was Johnny-on-the-spot to scoop up possession and cross the goal line unopposed for the opening try of the match.
The Broncos had defended their line up until that point, so it was a hammer blow to cough up a try with such an unavoidable mistake.
They conceded more points when another short drop-out went over the touch line on the full, with the Panthers slotting the easiest of penalty goals for an 8-0 lead.
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