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We’re just minutes away from kick-off with both sides having headed back into the sheds after their warm-up. They’ll be given one last rev-up from their coaches, Ivan Cleary of Penrith and the Storm’s Craig Bellamy with the winner of this evening’s match to play South Sydney in the final next weekend. The Rabbitohs made light work of Manly in the preliminary last night, winning 36-16 in Brisbane. Heres a look at how that went down.
Cody Walker celebrates scoring in the preliminary final.Credit:Getty
The further they go on, the more these NRL finals are starting to feel like an Olympic basketball tournament. There is no shortage of good teams and star players but when it comes to the outcome, it’s hard to shake the feeling that everyone, bar Melbourne, is playing for the silver medal.
In the hours after Penrith’s nail-biting win over Parramatta, a gruelling contest that had both sides searching for the oxygen tent, the forecasting began for their preliminary final against the Storm on Saturday night at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Justin Olam celebrates a Storm try with teammate Christian Welch.Credit:Getty
For most of the season, all roads seemed like they would lead to this moment, except most had the date set a week later. Now it’s arrived, it is the Storm, rested from the week off and at full fitness, who hold a fistful of aces, while the Panthers have run the gauntlet during an unexpected detour.
One luminary of the game confided in the hours after Penrith’s tough victory over the Eels that he expected Melbourne to not only beat the Panthers but potentially put a score on them. Then do the same thing against whomever they meet in the grand final. They are the modern masters of finals football. Read more.
Isaah Yeo is the old soul of the youthful Panthers squad.
Yeo is just 26 but already a father-like figure for most of his teammates, who love their boomboxes, Instagram stories and funky haircuts.
Old soul ... Isaah Yeo with his parents Justin and Amy back in 2014.
Yeo’s musical tastes aren’t those of his teammates. The co-captain nominated Cat Stevens song Peace Train to be played whenever he scored a try at BlueBet Stadium. It was released 23 years before he was born. He hates nightclubs, loves reading and is often known as “the box-ticker” because of his obsession to work through a check-list of things to do each week at training and on game day Read more.
The Storm are unchanged from Tuesday’s teams announcement and are 1 to 17.
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen
2. George Jennings
3. Reimis Smith
4. Justin Olam
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Brandon Smith
10. Christian Welch
11. Felise Kaufusi
12. Kenneath Bromwich
13. Dale Finucane
Bench:
14. Harry Grant
15. Tui Kamikamica
16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
17. Nicholas Hynes
Reserve: 19. Tom Eisenhuth
Big news for Penrith with the return of their star winger Brian To’o. He missed last week’s match against Parramatta with a minor ankle injury and wasn’t named in the 17 on Tuesday but has passed a fitness test during the week to make his way into the side. Brent Naden drops out as a reserve.
To’o is back for Penrith Credit:Getty
Penrith Panthers:
1. Dylan EDWARDS
2. Stephen CRICHTON
3. Paul MOMIROVSKI
4. Matt BURTON
21. Brian TO’O
6. Jarome LUAI
7. Nathan CLEARY (c)
16. Tevita PANGAI JUNIOR
9. Apisai KOROISAU
10. James FISHER-HARRIS
17. Liam MARTIN
12. Kurt CAPEWELL
13. Isaah YEO (c)
Bench:
11. Viliame KIKAU
14. Tyrone MAY
15. Scott SORENSEN
19. Spencer LENIU
Reserve:
5. Brent NADEN
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of this afternoon's preliminary final between Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers. It's a rematch of last year's grand final and the Storm enter this as red-hot favourites, winning the minor primiership and taking that form into the first week of the finals with a resounding win over Manly.
Penrith had a close shave last week against Parramatta, hanging-on on for a narrow win to keep their season alive.