NRL grand final live: Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers after Roosters win dramatic NRLW decider against Sharks

From 2:40 in this video, you can see the Jack Howarth “No try” call that has “Rigged” trending on Twitter.

At the ground, we don’t have the best angles on it, but rewatching it, I think the bunker got it right.

If you look at the slow motion, it looks like Howarth’s own arm is under the ball. From another angle, it looks like there could be some Steeden on the turf, but there’s enough doubt there for me to warrant sticking with Ashley Klein’s on-field call.

If you’ll excuse my crude MS Paint work…

This felt like a great chance for a fit and firing Storm side to take down a generational team, but they were just never given a chance.

I keep coming back to Ryan Papenhuyzen’s comments to ABC Sport: “They suffocated us.”

That was the feeling as you watched. Melbourne weren’t necessarily bad, but the Panthers just didn’t let them be good.

Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary raise the Provan-Summons trophy for the fourth time in four years.

“I can’t see it being done again,” Yeo says.

You and me both.

If it sounds like I’m praising the Panthers, it’s probably because I am.

They just won their FOURTH STRAIGHT premiership by beating the minor premiers full of generational talent all of their own.

Am I supposed to act like they’re trash?

Ryan Papenhuyzen’s description of being “suffocated” by them is right.

The Penrith Panthers hardman is so much more than just an enforcer.

Don’t get me wrong, he does all that – protecting his halfback the way a back rower should – but his line running earned him a try tonight, he constantly got over the advantage line, and his athleticism and skill saw him beat Xavier Coates of all people in an aerial contest to set up the game-breaking try.

He was certainly my pick for the best on ground, but there were more than a few Panthers who would’ve been worthy winners.

“Boys, I love you so much,” an emotional Martin says to his team.

Penrith captain and legendary halfback Nathan Cleary is reflecting on wild journey from the misery against this same team five grand finals ago to this moment of pure bliss atop the mountaintop.

“It’s honestly mind-blowing. Five years ago we were standing here crying, now we’ve won four in a row. It’s actually unbelievable,” Cleary tells ABC Sport.

“I honestly don’t think we would’ve won these four in a row if we hadn’t lost that one.

“I think that was the hardest game I’ve ever played. It just went end to end went on and on.”

Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen has been through a lot since winning the Clive Churchill Medal in Melbourne’s 2020 grand final win over Penrith.

And he’s distraught at missing this opportunity, struggling to speak through the tears to ABC Sport’s John Gibbs.

“They just suffocated us,” Papenhuyzen says.

“It hurts a lot.

“We tried, just wasn’t good enough.”

Dylan Edwards says the Panthers did it for their teammates who are leaving – James Fisher-Harris, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva.

“They’re all special but we worked hard for that one. We had to hold on there, defend our line in the last 10 minutes. THat was special. We just had to band together, come together, and we did.

“We did it for them. They’ve been a part of this whole journey and we did it for those guys.”

This Panthers side’s name on the tablet of history is engraved a little bit deeper with an unbelievable fourth consecutive premiership and celebrate like they’ve never done it before.

“It really is unbelievable – four in a row,” Isaah Yeo tells ABC Sport.

“Just a special group. A real pleasure to be a part of.”

They were supposed to be vulnerable this time around and they weren’t their most impressive throughout the year, but come grand final day, they emerged like the champions they are.

Their athleticism, their power, but it’s their execution all over the park that boggles the mind. In every aspect of the game, they’re just perfect.

The man brought into this team mid-season flies above the pack to rein in one last play-saving catch,

Alec MacDonald runs into Nathan Cleary as he bombs deep and Ashley Klein blows the penalty downfield. That’s a rough call.

Kicking them when they’re down.

Paul Alamoti is alleging Cameron Munster bit him in the tackle. The vision is very like the Jack Wighton moment from last season where Alamoti has Munster in something of a headlock and Munster is arguing he didn’t bite down.

Munster: “Nah, I didn’t I swear.”

Grant: “He grabbed his head there’s a natural reaction.”

The Panthers want a sin-bin.

Munster is on report but there’s no penalty.

Penrith tries to take a quick 20m tap as Munster’s kick goes dead, but Harry Grant challenges.

It’s unsuccessful, but it is successful in stopping the Panthers going 80 metres off the tap.

The Storm finally get into some sort of shape and run it out to the left, but it’s too slow, too deep and too sideways, and Jack Howarth just gets launched into touch.

Another rough moment for him.

Harry Grant scoots through the middle and earns a repeat set as Liam Martin hangs on too long.

And Munster earns another as Cleary deflects his gruber into touch.

The Storm five-eighth gets a bad pass from dummy half (but not so bad as to be uncatchable) and drops it cold 40 metres out.

Penrith will look to lander the killer blow now.

In game number seven, Lazarus Vaalepu comes on for the biggest 17 minutes of his very young career.

The Storm need to win some contests through the middle and he could do that if he rises to the occasion.

Shades of Lindsay Collins over James Tedesco in Origin, but more impressive as Liam Martin wins the aerial contest against Xavier Coates, turns Moses Leota under and the big prop throws a cut-out offload over the top to Alamoti for a game-changing try in the corner.

Alamoti is only out there because Brian To’o has left the field and the former Bulldog didn’t disappoint with his one-handed putdown.

Third tackle and three Storm forwards are still yet to get back behind the ball.

Tui Kamikamica and Lazarus Vaalepu surely have to get back on and on respectively.

Cameron Munster and Tyran Wishart get them rolling forward and Xavier Coates opts not to contest the bomb. They’re keen to pin Penrith in its half.