Penrith Panthers’ unthinkable 58-year rugby league first is ‘beyond belief’

As the dust settles on yet even more Panthers history, the rugby league world is waking up to the fact we’ve been sold a false bill of goods.

COMMENT

This isn’t supposed to be possible.

The Penrith Panthers claimed an unprecedented fourth-straight premiership in a 14-6 win over the Melbourne Storm on Sunday to become inarguably the greatest team of the NRL era.

Watch every game of every round this NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

The NRL era — which began in 1998 — had been one of the most even eras in the history of rugby league in Australia, with only the 2018-19 Roosters able to go back-to-back.

But the Panthers have blown that out of the water, putting the side in rare air as one of just three teams to have ever claimed four or more premierships in a row.

The other two teams are the 1956-1966 St George Dragons side that claimed 11 straight, and the 1925-1929 South Sydney Rabbitohs, who had five in a row.

However, both of those historic runs — and even the Eels’ three-straight between 1981-1983— were all before the salary cap era.

The salary cap was introduced to rugby league in 1990 and was adopted into when it was formed in 1998.

Brought in to even the playing field, it has worked remarkably well ... and then along came these Panthers.

How did they do it? Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Storm had proven to be one of the few outliers in the salary cap era, having been to 10 grand finals under head coach Craig Bellamy — although four were also tarnished by the salary cap scandal.

The only season Melbourne has missed the finals since Bellamy took over in 2003 was in 2010 when they were stripped of all their points over their infamous salary cap breach.

Had their points counted, the Storm would have also played finals in that season.

But even they haven’t achieved what the Panthers have managed.

Five straight grand finals — the first team since Souths in 1967-71 — and four straight premierships — 58 years after the final four of the Dragons’ 11-straight run — the Panthers have done the unthinkable.

And they’ve done it losing the likes of Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau, Stephen Crichton, Kurt Capewell and Matt Burton over the years, with Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva and James Fisher-Harris all joining that list for 2025.

The enormity of what the Panthers were about to achieve began to sink in after the side went up by more than a converted try.

“To think they are within 15 and a half minutes of four in a row in the salary cap era is really beyond belief,” Channel 9 commentator Mat Thompson said.

Insanity. Photo by Izhar KHAN / AFP

Soon after, Andrew Johns added: “No one will ever do what the St George team in the ‘50s and ‘60s did.

“But I don’t think we will ever see this again in the modern NRL era with a salary cap and how hard it is to keep a squad together with success. Four in a row!”

Thompson replied: “58 years since the Dragons went on that incredible run. This is the closest any team has got to it — it really is hard to believe.”

But while the NRL world was trying to wrap its head around what had been achieved, the Panthers were well aware the game is living through a historic dynasty.

With Luai departing for the Wests Tigers next year, the fourth title had been described as the side’s “last ride”.

“No one is going to do this again,” Luai said after the siren.

“I can’t put it into words. History doesn’t matter. We are soaking up this moment.

“Just to win one grand final is so special. This group of guys, no-one works harder than these boys and we got what we deserved.”

Jarome Luai goes to the Tigers with plenty of jewellery. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

In the Panthers press conference, head coach Ivan Cleary, who at 370 matches also holds the record for most premiership matches coached before winning the 2021 title (no coach had previously win a grand final after coaching more than 250 games), was floored by the achievement.

“No it hasn’t (sunk in yet),” Cleary said. “Just looking at a few of the boys with four rings on their hands and I’m just like ‘how did this happen?’”

Nathan Cleary agreed that the feat was “unbelievable”, adding later that it was “mind-blowing we’ve been able to do it”.

Asked if the side were the best side of the NRL era, Nathan said: “I think in the NRL era, definitely. I don’t think there’s much more that we could do.

“Obviously that Dragons team back then was an outstanding team and achieved an amazing feat, but in terms of the NRL era, it’s pretty crazy.

“We have lost great players along this journey and we’re just going to lose more next year but just keep finding a way, people just step up.

“It’s special to have that culture and just bring people in and just do their job and even exceed it to be honest.”

While no one is ever going to touch the Dragons’ incredible streak, there’s an argument the Panthers achievement could be even more iconic, having pulled off the four-peat in the professional era.

Like I said — this isn’t supposed to be possible.

Originally published as Penrith Panthers’ unthinkable 58-year rugby league first is ‘beyond belief’