NRL grand final 2022 as it happened: Penrith secure back-to-back premierships with dominant performance over Parramatta

And just like that, it’s all over.

The Penrith Panthers are premiers once more. Tonight, they showed they are one of the greatest teams of all-time. They were nearly faultless against the Parramatta Eels, whose years of heartache will stretch into a 37th at the very least.

So ends another season of rugby league, though the World Cup is around the corner. Keep your eyes locked on our pages for all the latest news and analysis out of tonight’s NRL decider at a sold-out Accor Stadium.

Whether you’re celebrating or commiserating tonight, do me one small favour: check in on someone, ask them how they’re going, open up on how you’re going. You never know what kind of difference it could make.

Caden Helmers, signing off.

The Panthers are premiers again.Credit: Getty

The grand final wasn’t even a quarter old when Brian To’o rose from the north-western corner and celebrated a try not with a postcode hand sign, or one of those exuberant leaps from teammates on top of each other, but a simple salute.

Cheeky? Cocky? Complacent? No. It was only the second try, but he, like the rest of us, knew what was about to come.

Here’s a match report from Adam Pengilly, recounting Penrith’s finest night.

Brian To’o celebrates a try during Penrith’s grand final rout of Parramatta.Credit: Getty

Ever wondered how heavy the Provan-Summons Trophy is? Bloody heavy, is the answer. Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton have carried it from one sideline to the other and they couldn’t wait to offload it to Nathan Cleary and Sean O’Sullivan.

To’o is now carrying a Samoan flag as the Panthers finally make their way up the tunnel, but the celebrations are just beginning for a side which is quickly carving out a legacy as one of the best we’ve seen.

Charlie Staines and Clive Churchill medallist Dylan Edwards.Credit: Getty

Ivan Cleary copped a Gatorade shower, but not before he took a moment with his son Nathan.

Sure, everyone knows the story by now. The father coaching his son to back-to-back premierships. But that doesn’t make it any less special. File it under things we love to see.

The Clearys embrace.Credit: Getty

In case you missed it: Ronnie Griffiths arrived at the helm of a winless Newcastle outfit wanting to recapture what it meant to be a Knight. So like Allan McMahon, Malcolm Reilly and those who went before him, he relied on three things: talent, toughness, and plenty of tomorrows.

They found talent in Karyn Murphy Medallist Tamika Upton, the fleet-footed fullback who may well be the best No.1 in the game. They found it in a 17-year-old halfback in Jesse Southwell who needed dispensation just to play in this competition. Southwell has been speaking with Newcastle’s greatest No. 7 in Andrew Johns for advice all season and did so again moments before the grand final. Now Griffiths thinks she would suit an Australian jersey at the World Cup.

They found toughness in Millie Boyle and Caitlan Johnston, who come charging off the back fence and take three defenders with them every time.

As for the tomorrows? On Monday, they’ll wake up as premiers.

Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris were men on a mission, men made of iron destroying anything in their path. Api Koroisau has lifted the lid on how important it was to set the tone in the middle against Parramatta tonight.

“I don’t think Parramatta were used to getting bashed like that. Everyone was out there trying to hurt somebody,” Koroisau said on Nine following his last game for Penrith before he joins the Wests Tigers.

In case you missed it, life after Api Koroisau is already looking bright for Penrith with Soni Luke scoring a try and setting up another couple in the Panthers’ thumping of Norths Devils in the State Championship.

Those who made it to Accor Stadium early on Sunday afternoon witnessed the Panthers triumph 44-10 against the Queensland Cup champions.

Luke made his NRL debut this year and went on to play another three first-grade games, but he can expect more game time at dummy-half with Koroisau’s departure to Wests Tigers for the 2023 season. The 26-year-old suffered a string of shocking injuries, including three shoulder reconstructions, which delayed his arrival on the big stage.

Mitch Kenny is expected to start in the Panthers’ No.9 jersey at NRL level next season, but Luke will enjoy plenty of game time alongside so many of his friends that he came through the grades with out west.

Jarome Luai gives Isaiah Papali’i a nudge with his right boot. Could he be in strife? Not a lot to it but it’s not a pretty look.

Jarome Luai gives Isaiah Papali’i a nudge with his right bootCredit: Twitter