NRL grand final TV ratings: Panthers-Eels fizzer fails to hit the mark
Sydney’s battle of the west was a fizzer on the field, but did it fare any better off it? The TV ratings are in for Sunday night’s NRL grand final.
It may have been the battle of western Sydney at the NRL grand final but it proved a national affair with nearly 2.4 million Australians tuning in.
Overnight figures taking in the five city metro and regional markets show 2.367 million Australians watched the Penrith Panthers smash the Parramatta Eels at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
That broke down to 1.671 million in the five city metro markets and 696,000 regionally.
Further streaming numbers will be released over the coming days to provide total viewing figures.
It is dramatically down on 2021’s grand final TV ratings although it is unfair to compare given much of Australia was in lockdown due to the pandemic at this time last year.
Then, the game drew a national audience of more than 3.2 million people.
The 2022 grand final marks the first time the overall audience is below 2.5 million viewers in the history of OzTam ratings data.
Breaking down the figures for Sunday’s game, some 837,000 people tuned in, and a further 282,000 in northern NSW and 155,000 in southern NSW.
It was in Melbourne and Brisbane that the ratings suffered. For Melbourne, 252,000 people watched the game on Channel 9, which represents the lowest recorded ratings for the city in more than two decades. Brisbane saw 391,000 viewers tune in, again the lowest figure in 20 plus years.
“There will be a flood of speculative reasons why this is happening but the result remains strong for the code and its broadcast partners,” Mediaweek editor-in-chief James Manning said.
“Having no Brisbane or Melbourne representation was always going to mean this figure would not reach the highs of previous years and Parramatta’s failure to turn up in the first half would have seen many viewers leave the game by half time.”
Ahead of the NRL grand final, a host of big-names hit the field to lead the pre-game entertainment.
Rocker Jimmy Barnes led the pack, with Sheldon Riley and Bliss N Eso also performing.
BUZZ: KEY EDGE PANTHERS HOLD OVER GREAT TEAMS
The Penrith Panthers can now proudly sit alongside any of the greatest rugby league teams of the modern era.
The Roosters won back-to-back titles (2018-19), the Broncos (1992-93), the Raiders (1989-90), the Bulldogs (1984-85). Before that Parramatta won three straight (1981-83).
The difference is this Penrith side is still a football team on the way up.
They could easily dominate for another five years and win another couple of titles.
When the Roosters won two in a row they had Cooper Cronk, Mitch Aubusson, Jake Friend, Brett Morris and Boyd Cordner at the back end of their careers.
Look at Penrith’s roster.
The champion halfback Nathan Cleary is 24 for goodness sake.
Jarome Luai is 25 and Dylan Edwards at 26 is the oldest in the backline. He is an insane footballer who should now be rated alongside Teddy, Turbo or any of the great fullbacks.
His cover tackle on Bailey Simonsson was as magnificent as Scott Sattler’s in 2003 and up there with the greats Johnny Raper and Ron Coote at their best.
Their centres are 20 and 22 – Izack Tago and Stephen Crichton.
Their most experienced forwards, Isaah Yeo and James Fisher-Harris, could play for another five years.
Sure they are losing Billy Kikau and Api Koroisau but the bookies have already got them as $4 favourites for next year.
It’s their junior pathways and the production line from where superkids emerge every year.
The best rugby league nursery on the planet by the length of a footy field.
That they won SG Ball, Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup shows an extraordinary depth of strength.
The man who deserves most of the credit is their head coach Ivan Cleary.
He was sacked by Phil Gould in 2015, told that he looked tired.
Against Gould’s wishes Cleary was brought back in 2019 via a 12-month job at the NRL and two average years at Wests Tigers.
He had to dismantle Gould’s roster and then build his own.
Mind you he’s had some great help from the likes of Cameron Ciraldo, Peter Wallace, Andrew Webster on the coaching staff.
The Panthers got on top early in the game and the result was never in doubt.
They had 65 per cent of possession in first 30 minutes.
Front-rower Moses Leota was hitting like a sledgehammer.
He took out Latrell Mitchell last week and this time it was the Parramatta Eels’ ball carriers feeling the pain.
Crichton, To’o and Scott Sorensen all scored.
Parramatta had no ball and no answer to the early onslaught.
Still it’s been a great season for Brad Arthur and the Eels.
The grand final build-up and nerves might have got the better of them.
They’ll be better for the run and back in contention next year, no doubt about that.
However, like all the 16 clubs, they’ll be flat out stopping this wonderful Penrith outfit.
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