Throughout the year, league expert Phil Gould has continued to forecast it’ll be a Melbourne and Panthers grand final.
”We could have played this in February and got it over with,” he said on the grand final edition of Nine’s 100% Footy.
“It was always going to end this way.”
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So when it comes to the for and against stats, who led the way?
Melbourne finished with 692 points scored and 449 against.
As they have in each of their three premiership seasons, the Panthers had the best defence in the competition. They conceded only 394 points.
They scored 580 points, and Nathan Cleary only played half the season.
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In 2020, they conceded the least too with 238 from 20 rounds. However, Melbourne won the competition.
Both sides are known for exquisite, mesmerising set plays as much as they are known for defensive grit.
When you see Cleary dropping players under him, you can just tell a try is on the horizon.
The same goes with Melbourne when Ryan Papenhuyzen is scheming out the back.
WHERE WILL MELBOURNE TARGET THE PANTHERS?
NRL Immortal Andrew Johns believes Luke Garner and Jarome Luai will be the targets for Melbourne.
Against the Roosters in the preliminary final, Melbourne’s first try came when Papenhuyzen ran through a hole between Angus Crichton and Luke Keary.
“They’ll be attacking the gap between Garner and Luai,” Johns said on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy & The Eighth while watching the Papenhuyzen try.
Then the second try came when Papenhuyzen ran to the outside of Keary before flicking the ball to Nick Meaney. Meaney then ran through a gap outside Crichton before Jahrome Hughes backed up in support and scored.
“Just watch the variations they do on their right side,” Johns said.
“Once again the targets are between Angus (Crichton) and (Luke) Keary. Once again done at speed, manipulating the defensive line in between where Garner and Luai will be defending, I have no doubt that will be a target again.”
Melbourne’s fourth try came with the side setting up another play on the right. This time, Hughes ran the ball because Keary had pushed up and Crichton was still close to the line. A gap was created and Hughes went over.
“Once again, a set play to hold defenders and Jahrome Hughes straight between the half and back-rower,” Johns said.
SJ BREAKS DOWN THE BRILLIANCE OF CLEARY
Halfway through the first half during the preliminary final between the Panthers and Sharks, Nathan Cleary went to work.
He kicked a 40/20 to put the Panthers in attacking territory.
From there, it was vintage Panthers.
Moses Leota took the first hit up. Isaah Yeo then set up a first receiver and put James Fisher-Harris under him for a hit up.
Cleary was then first receiver, he passed wide to Dylan Edwards who dropped Izack Tago under him. He dummied to Brian To’o who was running outside him.
This is a Panthers play we’ve seen before when the Panthers defeated the Roosters in week one of finals.
On the Play On Sports Show, retired Warriors half Shaun Johnson analysed this to perfection.
The first two plays went the exact same way, but it was Fisher-Harris taking the first hit up and Lindsay Smith the second.
“This is actually a sequence that Penrith had run a few times throughout the night,” Johnson explained.
“What they’re doing with this sequence is they are manipulating the defence. They’re tying up defenders to get defenders moving, get defenders switch and flip and get (James) Tedesco to put himself in the line somewhere.”
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Then it was Tago under Edwards and To’o running through the middle.
”When you’re a lazy side in defence, it’s easy for you to switch off so their cue is if they didn’t see (Sitili) Tupouniua pushing up, they’re playing to To’o to play straight through that gap,” Johnson continued.
Tago carried the ball to the line with Tedesco behind the play the ball.
On the second tackle, Cleary kicked behind with Paul Alamoti and Luke Garner pushing up flat and Jarome Luai out the back.
Garner pushed through and scored with no fullback there.
“This is the art of footy, there’s no luck there,” Johnson said.
PANTHERS MIRRORING FREDDY’S ‘BK’ PLAY
Back to the Sharks game, and Tago had been tackled 10 metres from the line.
This time, Mitch Kenny put Leota under him before he was tackled metres away from the line. And guess where fullback Will Kennedy was? Right behind the play the ball.
Cleary had Alamoti and Garner set up in the same spots as the Roosters match. He passed to Alamoti who beat Siosifa Talakai on his outside and scored.
Brad Fittler said this was reminiscent of a play from his days.
“We used to have a player in the old days called ‘BK’ where you have a ball player and two runners that buddy up,” he said on Freddy & The Eighth.
“If you have a look here you have Alamoti and Garner, they double up on one defender and you have someone come around the back.”
The play featured again late against the Sharks.
Fisher-Harris hit the ball up on the third tackle right near the line. Kennedy was near the play the ball.
Luai is seen calling a play to Edwards who lets his outside men know.
Liam Martin and Tago are pushing up with Edwards out the back. Luai grubbers and Martin scores.
“They did this a couple of times where they do it for kicks and passes and they do it on both sides of the field as well,” Fittler explained.
“This has been one of the big changes to the way they play … fullback at the back and BK, the two players lining up on the one defender and there’s always the option to kick.
“With the BK, you’ve got two blokes, the outside defence have to come up and forward and the kick ends up being a great option.”