The greatest comeback in rugby league history took just 20 minutes
In short: In the final moments of the 2023 NRL Grand Final, the Penrith Panthers achieved what was previously thought impossible. Facing a massive 16-point deficit with only 20 minutes remaining, they orchestrated a historic turnaround to secure their fifth premiership title and a legendary three-peat.
The match, held on October 1, 2023, at Accor Stadium in Sydney, featured the two regular-season leaders: the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos. Both sides finished the season with identical records of 18 wins and 6 losses, but Penrith claimed the minor premiership due to a superior points differential. This was a landmark meeting, marking the first time these clubs faced off in a grand final and the first time since 2005 that a New South Wales side met a Queensland side in the decider.
The game began with Brisbane dominance. After an early try by Mitch Kenny, Ezra Mam scored a three-minute hat-trick to put the Broncos ahead 24–8. With star players like Jarome Luai and Isaah Yeo sidelined by injuries, the Panthers appeared defeated.
However, in the 62nd minute, Nathan Cleary sparked a comeback. He forced a line-break for a Moses Leota try, followed by his own scores in the final minutes. The Panthers eventually won 26–24, scoring 18 unanswered points to overcome the deficit. This performance set a new record for the largest comeback in grand final history, surpassing the Melbourne Storm's 1999 feat of overcoming a 14-point gap. Penrith reached a significant landmark, securing three straight first-grade premierships for the initial time since 1983, when the Parramatta Eels completed such a sequence over a three-year period starting in 1981. Nathan Cleary, who won his second Clive Churchill Medal for man of the match, secured this legacy despite suffering a knee injury just ten minutes into the contest.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2023 NRL Grand Final
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