Match Centre

Grand Final: NRL GRAND FINAL: Panthers v Eels preview

Battle of the West to decide the premiership

So, we're down to the final two and it's fitting that the Battle of the West sets the scene for the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final. For the fourth time this season, the minor premiers in the Penrith Panthers go toe to toe with their arch-rivals in the Parramatta Eels.

For the Panthers, this is the first time since the Melbourne sides of 2016, 2017 and 2018 where a side has made three consecutive grand finals. Ivan Cleary and his coaching staff deserve the credit that they are getting with this sustained run of dominance which will see a majority of the Panthers squad participate in the upcoming World Cup.

Last Saturday was a tale of two halves. For the first half, it was a case of ironing out the cobwebs with the limited football Penrith's full strength side has played in the last six weeks. But, when this Penrith side gets going, there's no stopping them. The most important thing though, was the ability to keep their cool when South Sydney wanted to get aggressive. They were able to maintain their composure and stick to what they do best, and that's playing enterprising football. Dylan Edwards is the game's most improved player over the last three seasons, Saturday night proved that once more with the monster kick return leading to Izack Tago's game sealing try.

Penrith's forwards were able to dominate the middle and the impact of Leniu and Sorenson was immense. To get up against the Eels, they'll have to continue their strong power game. Api Koroisau will be the impact man off the bench that has swung the game in recent weeks. That combined with Cleary and Luai's lethal combination could be enough to swing the pendulum Penrith's way. Charlie Staines will retain his spot on the wing with Taylan May failing to overcome his hamstring injury, while Spencer Leniu will need to pass concussion protocols in order to play, Matt Eisenhuth is on stand-by.   

It's been a bizarre season for the Eels as I've written about them almost every second week. Normally, it's a week that comes off a poor performance or a leak from the NewsCorp tabloids that threatens to ‘derail their season'. In this instance, this creates an ‘us against them' mentality, which gives the Eels added motivation to prove the doubters wrong as well as the ambition to finally end the longest current premiership drought of any NRL side.

But this week, they were able to buck the trend that's cursed their entire season. When the going got tough and were down 20-12, it seemed that Parramatta's season would come short, on top of a poor completion rate and some poor miscues in defence. However, the Eels dug deep, and the second stints of Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were immense and just what the Eels needed to combat the Cowboys forwards who ironically tired out in the warm conditions.

To get up against Penrith, they need to correct the wrongs of three weeks ago. That is the following, match the forward aggression for the full 80 minutes. Get pressure on Nathan Cleary, the bombs will be terrorising Waqa Blake all week, so the forwards must get to Cleary out of marker like Souths did. But, unlike Souths they'll need to sustain the pressure for the duration of the evening. Parramatta also need to hold their shape in defence and prevent Penrith running away with the game in the first half. On the team front, Brad Arthur has opted for the aggression of Nathan Brown over utility Bryce Cartwright. Tom Opacic is named in the reserves, but is a long-shot to take his place on Sunday night.

Last meeting: Finals Week 1 2022 - Panthers 27 Eels 8

Who to watch: It was quite clear that Apisai Koroisau was the difference maker in the preliminary final against Souths. Api has been given a new role in the back half of the season, coming off the bench in a bid to be the difference maker, and he's done just that in this new role. Koroisau has been as dangerous as ever, outpointing Kangaroo hopeful Damien Cook. Look for Api to find some holes in the Parramatta defence on Sunday night. 

In the yellow and blue corner, it's time to focus on Shaun Lane. The rangy back-rower has found a new legion of supporters this season, with the edge forward providing a flare and distinct playing style to this Parramatta side. The ability to create when there's two defenders tackling him is rare, and is what creates a world of problems for opposing defences. Look for Lane to offload for fun in a bid to breakdown the steel defence of the Panthers.

The favourite: Penrith start warm favourites for this Battle of the West. The record this season stands at Penrith winning one match, Parramatta winning two. 

My tip: Everyone has an opinion on who wins the grand final. But you've come here for my two cents worth, so here it goes. Penrith have the strengths in the backs coming out of yardage, plus the creativity of the best spine in the competition as well as the energiser bunnies coming off the bench. Parramatta are the underdogs, what they do have is the best offload creators in the competition in Lane and Matterson which can create some dangerous second phase as well as an imposing pack of forwards that has caused some trouble for Penrith. But, for me the experience of Penrith in the big moments is what guides my tip to retain their crown in 2022. Penrith by 4.