NRL Grand Final Talking Points, Panthers vs Broncos, Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam, Ivan Cleary

PANTHERS RATINGS: Cleary’s perfect night as unlikely hero stuns

BRONCOS RATINGS: Walsh overwhelmed as Haas, Mam heroics fall short

CHAMPION: Cleary’s historic masterclass earns him second Clive Churchill Medal

“Yet as Penrith do, hadn’t always capitalised on the scoreboard, but often come over the top of the opposition in the second half.

“The spotlight just seemed to go so brightly on Nathan Cleary, the pressure gauge would have been absolutely incredible.

“The weight of expectation with everyone looking at Cleary going ‘how does he get his side out of this’.

“You see Jarome Luai leave the field… it was all on Nathan Cleary and he stood up like the great champions do and completely owned the performance and took it away from Brisbane.

“In one of the great performances that coaches, all across sport, will reflect on about a desire to continue to fight even when the game isn’t going your way.

“That the game is never done, and that’s what the champions do and tonight Nathan Cleary has become a rugby league champion.”

Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns said the last 20 minutes put Cleary among the greatest halves of football by a halfback in a grand final.

“Nathan Cleary has just elevated himself into NRL immortality,” Johns said.

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EDWARDS OUTSHINES WALSH IN NO.1 DUEL

Dylan Edwards gave Reece Walsh a masterclass in how to stay involved and limit your errors in another brilliant and consistent performance from the Panthers fullback.

The battle of the No.1’s was always going to prove pivotal to the result and while Walsh grew into the contest he was slow to get going and guilty of far too many errors.

Edwards finished with 271 run metres to go with three tackle busts, an offload and seven tackles, with just one miss.

Walsh finished with 102 metres, 10 tackle busts, an offload, two linebreaks and a try assist, but he also had three errors and some poor defensive lapses.

Corey Parker believes Edwards gave exactly what he always does in a consistent display, but was left wanting more out of Walsh in the biggest game of the season.

“He was unbelievable,” Parker said of Edwards.

“We talk about Nathan Cleary for what he did and rightly so, but for Edwards 25 hit-ups, close to 300 run metres from the No.1.

“We spoke about how Ivan Cleary doesn’t have to worry about what Edwards is going to do. He knows exactly what he is going to turn up with.

“We spoke about Reece Walsh and understanding the enormity of the game that he was in and to be fair he was pretty quiet in the first half.

“He had some moments in that second half where he really opened up and you thought Reece is really going to loosen the game up.

“He set up a beautiful try for Ezra Mam and he came up with a linebreak down the right.

“But he would be sitting there going could I have done something a little bit more?”

Michael Ennis agreed that Walsh was guilty of ball watching at times after picking up an injury early and will feel he missed some assignments in defence, while he struggled to get into the game in the first half.

“You’re right I thought he had some brilliant touches in the second half and really ignited them when they got going and he was a big part of why they did get going,” Ennis said.

“But I think there will be some moments particularly defensively. He picked up that little leg injury and was caught in back play with Allan Langer on that short dropout that Kenny scooped up and scored.

“He came across when Crichton scored and wasn’t able to get a grasp on Stephen Crichton.

“Then he hesitated for a moment when Cleary found him back on the inside from marker.

“He has had a hell of a year Reece and he is such a superstar but you are right, had they been able to hold on you don’t dwell on those moments.

“The adulation of winning a grand final just erases all the mistakes that you made, but when you lose it and it just seeps into your soul.”

‘INCREDIBLE’ IVAN JOINS THE BEST OF THE BEST

Champion halfback Cooper Cronk has declared Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is now on the same level as Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson after guiding his side to the game’s first three-peat since the early 1980s.

Cleary returned to the foot of the mountains in 2019 for his second stint as head coach and has build a juggernaut. In the last five years, the Panthers have made four consecutive grand finals, won three minor premierships and three NRL premierships.

The latest grand final win comes after losing one of the best hookers and second-rowers in the game in Apisai Koroisau and Viliame Kikau.

And yet some would argue Penrith got even better this season.

For years it’s been Bennett, Bellamy and Robinson leading the conversation of best coaches in the NRL era but Fox League analyst Michael Ennis threw Cleary’s name in the mix.

“The character of the side and what Ivan Cleary’s been able to do – let’s not underestimate what Ivan’s been able to do… Four straight grand finals (and) three straight premierships in this era,” Ennis said after Sunday’s Grand Final.

“Losing incredible talent each year in his side that played in critical positions and played important roles for the side, he’s been able to transform other players to come into the system and deliver on the biggest stages.

“What Ivan’s provided there should also be spoken about in the highest regard, it’s been incredible.”

Cronk – who won premierships under Bellamy and Robinson – agreed with Ennis.

“Ivan Cleary probably sat below Craig Bellamy, Trent Robinson and Wayne Bennett for a period but he’s absolutely got a seat at the table when they catch up for dinner and talk about grand finals because (of) what he’s been able to do,” he said.

“He deserves a hell of a lot of credit because your coach is your focal point of any team. The most important person is the coach and he’s delivered in spades.”

HAT-TRICK HERO MAM COULD TRIGGER BIDDING FRENZY

Broncos young gun Ezra Mam has one hand on the Clive Churchill Medal after crossing for a third try in the 54th minute.

The 20-year-old, playing in his first grand final, scored a 10 minute hattrick to hand his side a 24-8 lead.

The scoreline looked like too big a mountain to climb for the Panthers, but Ivan Cleary’s men did the unthinkable and Nathan Cleary stunned to deliver a third-straight premiership.

While Mam may not have been able to break the Broncos’ premiership drought, he will now one of the hottest free agents in the NRL come November 1.

Speaking after being crowned the Clive Churchill Medallist, Cleary called Mam a “freak”.

And this “freak” could be set for a huge pay day, currently earning only $240,000-per-season on his current contract.

The Courier Mail’s Peter Badel previously reported Broncos powerbrokers are set to offer Mam and Walsh a $5 million package to keep them at Red Hill until the end of 2027.

That move would see Mam earn $700,000-per-season, signing on three more years.

However, NRL clubs be circling with a general shortage of quality halves throughout the competition.

That could see Mam field offers worth potentially north of $800,000-per-season, with the Broncos already feeling the salary cap pinch.

Both Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler have now played their last game for the famous Brisbane club, joining the NRL newcomers, the Dolphins.

Teams such as the Bulldogs, Raiders, Tigers and Dragons, who are all looking for quality playmakers, could make a bold play to recruit Mam should he hit the open market.

GRAND FINAL BRONCOS HAD TO LOSE

The Broncos only need to look back to 2020 to see the success that can be borne from grand final defeat.

Penrith lost the 2020 grand final but on Sunday night they became the first club in 40 years to win three straight titles.

NRL legend Cooper Cronk said Brisbane must channel the pain of defeat to ensure they learn from it.

“We’ve all lost grand finals and I still have sleepless nights about moments you could have changed,”

“The cold, hard truth of it is that nobody really remembers the three tries that Ezra Mam scored because Nathan Cleary delivered at the back end.

“I get the Broncos would be absolutely disappointed but they need to take the lessons away from this.”

Broncos coach Kevin Walters said he doesn’t believe losing a grand final makes you hungrier, but he also never lost one as a player with the champion half winning six from six deciders.

“We should have won that game, but we didn’t and hats off to Penrith, they played some good football at the back end and that’s where we’ve got to get better, our starts and our finish,” Walters said.

“That second half in that period there for 20 minutes, that’s the Broncos I know and we’ll get there, doing that for 80 (minutes).

“We’re not there yet but when we do we’ll win premierships and that’s what it’s about. We’re not far off, we’re getting there, we’re a lot closer now than we were 12 months ago.

“To where the club is now compared to where it was when all these guys got their hands on the club, is just absolutely remarkable.”

Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds also lost the 2021 grand final to Penrith, going down 14-12, and he vowed the Broncos would return stronger next year.

“Losing in general is tough, it doesn’t matter the result. It’s a big game and you want to win those games and unfortunately I’ve been on the other end of it (twice),”

“We had our moments and were good in patches but just didn’t find a way in the end to get it done.

“You never wanna feel that way again so you can use that as motivation. We’ve got a good group of fellas in there who work hard and they want to get better, every day.

“There are (good times to come) but it’s hard to think about that now after a tough loss but I couldn’t be any prouder of the boys, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other boys and we’ll come back next year stronger.”

FORGOTTEN MOMENT THAT SWUNG THE MATCH