Crichton the hero as Panthers beat Souths in wondrous NRL grand final

An inspired intercept from Stephen Crichton proved the difference as Penrith celebrated their third premiership after a 14-12 grand final victory against South Sydney that deserves a place in the pantheon of great deciders.

After losing to Melbourne last season, the Panthers would not be denied. South Sydney were beyond brave as they weathered raid after raid but were on the back foot for most of the night. Penrith were supposed to be tired after three hard finals slogs but found reserves of energy beyond reason.

Crichton’s 66th-minute brilliance was the moment. Cruelly, it was Souths playmaker Cody Walker who threw the pass in question as the Panthers winger bolted clear to set up a 14-8 lead with less than 15 minutes to play.

Souths went to their dynamite left edge to chase points and a late try to Alex Johnston gave the departing Adam Reynolds a chance to curl it in from the sideline and level the scores. It scraped past the wrong side of the right-hand upright and the Rabbitohs’ heartbreak was complete.

This was the moment Penrith’s new golden generation had dreamed of since they picked up a football. They overcame injury and a shock first-week loss to Souths to claim the biggest prize of them all. Matt Burton, bound for the Bulldogs, was excellent, while Nathan Cleary’s kicking game kept Souths pinned on their line all night.

Souths had a massive scare in the very first tackle as Cameron Murray looked rattled after a massive contact with James Fisher-Harris. It was shades of Sam Burgess in 2014 as the Souths key middle was able to recover. He was needed; Murray made 30 tackles in the first half alone, 52 in total and would have won the Clive Churchill if his side had triumphed.

Intercept hero Stephen Crichton celebrates Penrith’s memorable grand final win with teammate Paul Momirovski.Credit: Getty Images

There were desperate times for the Rabbitohs from the start as Penrith made a mockery of suggestions Souths would be the fresher of the two outfits given their easier road through the finals. Repeat sets created pressure which created points as Burton sliced through for the opener and a 6-0 lead.

Jai Arrow was on the field for one minute, then dropped the ball in his first carry. He left for a HIA and Viliame Kikau was on report. Given the momentum of the match, Souths needed something positive and Walker gave them something brilliant.

As Penrith rushed up to cut off his passing lanes, he brushed off the tackles of Kurt Capewell and Cleary to score a wonderful solo try and level the scores. It was a momentary reprieve as Penrith, lead through the middle by a relentless James Fisher-Harris and driving kick returns from Brian To’o and Dylan Edwards, regained control of proceedings.

A Cleary penalty gave Penrith an 8-6 lead at half-time and the buzzer was the best sound Souths could have heard. With 58 per cent of the ball, the Panthers were looking ominous, while Souths were yet to be tackled once in Penrith’s 20m zone.

Penrith players celebrate their first premiership in 18 years.Credit: Getty

The Bunnies had no choice but to bounce out of the blocks in the second half. They did just that and Reynolds helped himself to a penalty but the worm turned quickly. Arrow, having passed the earlier HIA, was ruled out after delayed symptoms at the very moment Jayden Su’A dropped it cold to gift Penrith the ball.

Kikau crossed but the ball from Cleary was ruled to be forward, although the Panthers had the benefit of a technical ruling when Spencer Leniu knocked the ball into touch as he clattered into the kicking Adam Reynolds. It’s a maddening rule but Souths clung to life, just, and were relieved by an error from Dylan Edwards.

The pressure was building like a Queensland storm. Something had to crack and it was Souths. Walker, their magic man, went wide but only created for the Panthers as Crichton pounced to race under the posts.

Souths could have folded. They kicked. Walker was back in the thick of things and Johnston was over in the corner, setting up Reynolds for the sideline conversion to level the scores with five to play. It sailed just to the right but the Rabbitohs were still alive in the final moments.

Murray was tireless and found space down the middle but no support. Reynolds had one final chance, a two-point field goal, but with its failure so went Souths’ season. The premiership was heading west.

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