Player ratings for the Penrith Panthers team in their Telstra Premiership grand final clash with the South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium.
1. Dylan Edwards: Hardly trained all week due to a foot injury that required a moon boot but the fullback dug deep and let no one down. Energetically brought the ball back and gained 224 metres. 8/10
2. Stephen Crichton: Pinched a try and the title when he intercepted a Cody Walker pass deep in the second half. Chalked up more than 200 metres. Even on the wing, he brings immense X-factor. 7.5
3. Paul Momirovski: Reliably went about his work and had a few strong surges. Made 20 tackles with only two misses. Knows what success looks like having now been part of three premiership-winning squads. 7
Crichton picks off a Walker pass and gets the Panthers into the lead
4. Matt Burton: Ran a beautiful line to open the scoring and was a handful all evening. Produced a big play to bundle Jaxson Paulo into touch after he fielded a bomb. Has become such a classy centre. 7.5
5. Brian To'o: Capped off a tremendous season with a trademark powerhouse performance. Ended the night with 238 metres from 29 runs. And he did it with a lingering ankle problem. 8.5
6. Jarome Luai: Claimed an early victory with a successful captain's challenge of a knock-on. Played with confidence and threw the pass to put Burton over. Threatened when he took on the line and placed some effective kicks. 8
Nathan Cleary awarded Clive Churchill Medal
7. Nathan Cleary: Kicked the Panthers to victory. If he wasn't forcing drop-outs, he was pinning the Rabbitohs in their own half with pinpoint bombs. Aside from a missed tackle that led to a try, it was a performance to savour from the Clive Churchill Medalist. 9
8. Moses Leota: Bent the line with some damaging carries including one where he trampled Cameron Murray. Overcame a calf injury to take the field and helped nullify the opposing middles. 7.5
9. Api Koroisau: A workhorse in defence, making 50 tackles (though he was marked down for 15 misses). Gave slick service that benefitted his playmakers. 7
10. James Fisher-Harris: Built up a head of steam when he carried the ball, often hurtling into the opposition. Made 117 metres from 13 runs as well as 21 tackles in a powerful display. 7.5
17. Liam Martin: Only knows one way: hard and straight. Began on the edge before moving into the middle and contributing solidly. Did everything at speed and with total commitment. 8
12. Kurt Capewell: What a way to finish his time at the Panthers. Quiet in attack - only six runs for 38 metres - but gave his all defensively with 41 tackles. 7
13. Isaah Yeo: Did as he always does, working to a standstill in the middle. Again an important link between the forwards and the halves, often digging into the defence before passing the ball. 8
Burton slices through for the first try of the grand final
Interchange
11. Viliame Kikau: A man possessed. Explosively exorcised the demons from last year's grand final. At his destructive best with the ball and came up with a couple of massive defensive plays. 8.5
14. Tyrone May: Only given 14 minutes, doing a solid job as a ball-playing lock. Came up with an untimely error when his team was on the attack but wasn't made to pay. 5.5
15. Scott Sorensen: Very busy when brought into the fray. Punched out 85 metres from eight carries. Fantastic impact from the bench all season. 7.5
16. Spencer Leniu: Only had a few touches but showed an impressive mix of footwork and power. Earned a result for his team with kick pressure on Adam Reynolds. 7
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.
