2022 NRL Grand Final
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rugby league |
| Founded | October 2, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand (broadcast) |
Key people | Penrith Panthers, Parramatta Eels, Dylan Edwards (Clive Churchill Medalist) |
| Products | Rugby league match |
The 2022 NRL Grand Final served as the conclusive game of the 2022 NRL season in Australia, taking place on 2 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. This decisive match was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels. As both defending premiers and minor premiers, Penrith triumphed with a 28–12 scoreline, securing their fourth premiership and achieving back-to-back championships for the first time in the club’s 56-year existence. Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his outstanding performance as man of the match.
Alongside the main event, the 2022 NRL State Championship and the 2022 NRL Women's Grand Final were also held, attracting a crowd of 82,415 spectators and broadcast live on the Nine Network.
Background
This grand final marked the inaugural championship clash between the Panthers and Eels, extending their well-known rivalry dubbed the Western Sydney Derby. Penrith pursued their fourth title following previous victories in 1991, 2003, and 2021, becoming the first side since 2018 to reach three consecutive grand finals. Coach Ivan Cleary appeared in his fourth grand final after earlier defeats in 2011 and 2020.
The Eels aimed to claim their fifth premiership, having last won in 1986. Their most recent grand final appearance ended in defeat in 2009. For coach Brad Arthur, this was his debut grand final.
During the regular season, Penrith finished atop the ladder with twenty wins against four losses (including two defeats by Parramatta), while Parramatta secured fourth place with sixteen wins and eight losses.
Penrith Panthers
The 2022 Penrith Panthers season represented the club’s 56th year of competition, guided by coach Ivan Cleary alongside co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo. They participated in the National Rugby League’s 2022 Telstra Premiership.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| QF | Parramatta Eels (H) | 27–8 |
| SF | Bye | |
| PF | South Sydney Rabbitohs (H) | 32–12 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue | ||
Parramatta Eels
The 2022 Parramatta Eels season marked the club’s 76th year, with coach Brad Arthur leading alongside co-captains Clinton Gutherson and Junior Paulo. The season witnessed a club record membership tally of 34,264.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| QF | Penrith Panthers (A) | 8–27 |
| SF | Canberra Raiders (H) | 40–4 |
| PF | North Queensland Cowboys (A) | 24–20 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue | ||
Team selection
For Penrith, Dylan Edwards, Stephen Crichton, Brian To'o, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Apisai Koroisau, James Fisher-Harris, Viliame Kikau, Liam Martin, Moses Leota, and Isaah Yeo each made their third straight grand final appearance. Koroisau additionally featured in the 2014 premiership decider representing the South Sydney Rabbitohs. On the Parramatta side, only Ryan Matterson and Bailey Simonsson had previously played in a grand final; Matterson secured a victory with the Sydney Roosters in 2018, while Simonsson took part with the Canberra Raiders in 2019.
Broadcasting
The encounter was aired live across Australia on the Nine Network and shown later on Fox League. In New Zealand, coverage was provided by Sky Sport. Radio listeners could tune in via ABC, Triple M, 2GB, SEN, and Koori Radio.
Entertainment
On 23 September 2022, the lineup for pre-game entertainment was revealed, including performances by Jimmy Barnes, Mahalia Barnes, A.Girl, Diesel, Josh Teskey, Emma Donovan, Sheldon Riley, and Bliss n Eso. The Australian national anthem was delivered by Alinta Chidzey.
Officiating
The match referee was Ashley Klein officiating his second NRL grand final, assisted by senior review official Grant Atkins, touch judges Phil Henderson and Drew Oultram, standby referee Gerard Sutton, and standby touch judge David Munro.
Attendance
This Grand Final was the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to permit full spectator capacity, with tickets selling out on 27 September 2022.
Curtain-raiser matches
Preceding matches featured the NRL State Championship clash between the Norths Devils and the Penrith Panthers, as well as the NRLW Grand Final contested by the Newcastle Knights and the Parramatta Eels. Both events were broadcast live on the Nine Network.
Match
<section begin=scoreboard/> <section end=scoreboard/>
"CS" ||18|| Sean O'Sullivan
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| Parramatta Eels | ||
|---|---|---|
| FB | 1 | Clinton Gutherson |
| WG | 2 | Maika Sivo |
| CE | 3 | Will Penisini |
| CE | 4 | Bailey Simonsson |
| WG | 5 | Waqa Blake |
| FE | 6 | Dylan Brown |
| HB | 7 | Mitchell Moses |
| PR | 8 | Reagan Campbell-Gillard |
| HK | 9 | Reed Mahoney |
| PR | 10 | Junior Paulo |
| SR | 11 | Shaun Lane |
| SR | 12 | Isaiah Papali'i |
| LF | '17 ' | Marata Niukore |
| Interchange: | ||
| IN | '13 ' | Ryan Matterson |
| IN | '14 ' | Nathan Brown |
| IN | '15 ' | Jake Arthur |
| IN | '16 ' | Oregon Kaufusi |
|}
Statistics
| Statistic | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels |
|---|---|---|
| Tries | 5 | 2 |
| Conversions | 3 | 2 |
| Penalty goals (attempts) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Field goals (attempts) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Possession | ||
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Total sets | 44 | 36 |
| Completed sets | 38 | 25 |
| Completion rate | 86% | 69% |
| Attacking | ||
| All runs | 212 | 200 |
| All run metres | 2109 | 1581 |
| Line breaks | 7 | 3 |
| Offloads | 6 | 19 |
| Defending | ||
| Kick metres | 674 | 736 |
| 40/20 | 0 | 0 |
| Tackles | 154 | 227 |
| Missed tackles | 6 | 26 |
| Goal line dropouts | 0 | 3 |
| Discipline | ||
| Penalties conceded | 5 | 5 |
| Errors | 7 | 12 |
Penrith Panthers:
- Highest run count: 28 – Dylan Edwards
- Leading run metres: 299 – Brian To'o
- Most line breaks: 3 – Brian To'o
- Most tackles made: 45 – Liam Martin
- Highest number of missed tackles: 5 – Liam Martin
- Most errors committed: 3 – Stephen Crichton
Parramatta Eels:
- Top runners with 20 runs each:
- Greatest running distance: 167 metres – Clinton Gutherson
- Line breaks achieved by:
- Clinton Gutherson
- Maika Sivo
- Dylan Brown (each with 1)
- Most tackles completed: 56 – Reed Mahoney
- Highest missed tackles: 11 – Isaiah Papali'i
- Players with most errors (3):
Post-match
Following the game, Parramatta forward Ryan Matterson was cited for a grade one crusher tackle on Dylan Edwards. Opting for a three-match suspension instead of paying a $4,000 fine sparked debate, despite Matterson defending his choice.
Penrith players encountered criticism over their celebrations after the win, with particular attention on Jarome Luai's activity on social media. Both former captain Greg Alexander and coach Ivan Cleary publicly supported the team amid the scrutiny.
Each grand final side made substantial contributions to their national teams for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, with Penrith supplying ten players—five of whom represented the Samoa national rugby league team—and Parramatta also providing ten players, including three selected for the New Zealand national rugby league team.
As reigning NRL champions, Penrith earned qualification to compete in the World Club Challenge against Super League titleholders St Helens R.F.C., which took place on 18 February 2023 at BlueBet Stadium.
Opening Matches
Prior to the grand final, two opening matches were held: the NRL State Championship and the NRL Women's Grand Final. Both events were broadcast live nationwide via the Nine Network.