‘We got taught a lesson’: How pain of 2020 grand final galvanised Penrith hard men

James Fisher-Harris doesn’t speak often and when he does it’s in a voice so soft that it’s almost inaudible.

But there it is, in a hushed tone that barely registers on the dictaphone, a sentence that says it all: “If that didn’t happen, we wouldn’t be here today.”

We know where the Panthers are today, on the cusp of a premiership three-peat that hasn’t been achieved since the great Parramatta side of the 1980s. However, Fisher-Harris takes you back to a more recent grand final, a losing decider that proved the catalyst for Penrith’s current success.

The club’s 2020 loss to Melbourne was heartbreaking. It was also instructive.

Coach Ivan Cleary described it during the week as the result they needed, lending credence to the adage that you need to lose a grand final before you can win one.

It’s a lesson that could also have been avoided. The game was won and lost well before the final siren, with the final scoreline of 26-20 flattering the vanquished. In reality, Penrith’s fate was sealed in the early exchanges in the middle of the field.

A Storm forward pack containing Christian Welch, Jesse Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Felise Kaufusi, Kenny Bromwich and Dale Finucane manhandled their counterparts – literally.

Having lost the traditional softening-up period, the Panthers didn’t have enough time to recover. They romped home, but it was all too late.

“That’s when we learnt quite a bit, just about grand finals,” says Fisher-Harris, a leading contender to take over as captain of the New Zealand national side.

“We just made crucial mistakes at the wrong time. When I look back at it, we had them under the pump, but we weren’t ready for it. We learnt from that.”

Fisher-Harris’ front-row partner, Moses Leota, adds: “That 2020 grand final, we got taught a lesson from Melbourne. We don’t want that to happen again.”

That was the last time the Panthers’ big men have been outplayed in a big game. Middle forwards Fisher-Harris, Leota, Isaiah Yeo and Spencer Lenui have laid the foundations for an era of success that is unprecedented in the salary-cap era. Add the grunt of fellow forwards Liam Martin, Scott Sorenson and Luke Garner, and this is a pack for the ages.

It must first emerge from the most rigorous test of its storied run. The Brisbane team they face in Sunday’s decider contains a starting trio of middles many consider Penrith’s equal. Some pundits are already making a case for Payne Haas, if he continues on his current trajectory, to be considered the greatest front-rower of them all. It is an extraordinary assessment for a 23-year-old, given that props often don’t hit their peak until their late 20s and early 30s.

Haas’ fellow middle starting forwards, Patrick Carrigan and Tom Flegler, are the reason why the X-factors in the Brisbane back line, including star fullback Reece Walsh, have the time and space required to pierce a bruised defence. Round out the pack with Kurt Capewell, Jordan Riki, Keenan Palasia, Brendan Piakura and Kobe Hetherington, and there’s little wonder the Broncos have won just as many games this year as their opponents.

“It’s obviously extremely important, particularly in big games,” Yeo says of the clash up front. “If you look at the Broncos, they have done a wonderful job all season with the platform they’ve laid for the X-factor and class off the back of that. It’s been outstanding.

“I thought they were outstanding against the Warriors, they really set the tone there and that really helped them. We’ll definitely have our work cut out for us. They will be a big part of the game, that battle there.”

Peter Sterling was once given the invidious task of helping to name Parramatta’s greatest 17 players of all time. Most of the stars from that glorious blue-and-golden era select themselves: Brett Kenny, Eric Grothe, Steve Ella, Mick Cronin, Sterling, of course. Of the forwards, Ray Price is another certainty.

“I know our back line gets plenty of plaudits and Pricey is in there as well, but we had a forward pack that could get a job done against any opposition,” Sterling says. “They might not have been fancy, but they were as tough as nails. Defensively they were superb.”

Sterling was too young to have watched the likes of Ken Thornett play, making the task of assembling his best side a tricky one. Yet no matter which criteria is used, an under-rated prop always makes his cut.

“Ron Hilditch would be in the best Parramatta 17 every day of the week, yet you don’t hear his name in dispatches at all,” Sterling says.

Sterling was conductor of perhaps the greatest club back line ever assembled, but appreciates the magic was only possible due to the platform laid for him. On nights like Sunday, there is an opportunity for other unheralded forwards to be recognised.

You only have to think back to the corresponding game last year. In one of the most brutally effective first stints in a decider, Leota tore apart the Parramatta pack.

Up against the fearsome Eels pairing of Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo, Leota left his imprint on the first quarter of the game.

“We knew that Parra had a big pack and we needed to start fast,” Leota says humbly. “I just went out there and done my best. That was it.”

Addin Fonua-Blake walked into the Dally M awards wearing the sort of get-up usually reserved for lairy wingers. After rocking the red carpet, the Warriors prop was asked if there was a Tongan influence behind his stupendous black and gold shirt.

“Tongan?” Fonua-Blake replied with an arched eyebrow. “It’s Versace.”

If there was a category for sharpest-dressed man, Fonua-Blake would have walked away with the statuette. Instead, he and Haas had to be content with places in the NRL’s team of the year.

No prop in history has ever won the Dally M Medal. The spine players stole the show again this year, Kalyn Ponga pipping Shaun Johnson. They are a worthy pair, but the judges have again overlooked the muscle men who give them the time and space to shine.

As he was leaving the Randwick Racecourse event, Fonua-Blake was asked to compare the grand final middle forwards.

“They’re two different types of players: ‘Fish’ and Leota are very good at grinding away and setting the platform from the start,” Fonua-Blake offers.

“Then you have Payne, Carrigan and Flegler who just keep offloading. Tackling Payne is not a fun job. I feel like the Broncos were a bit harder [to contain] because they kept throwing the ball around. You’d turn your back and think the tackle is done, and the next thing you know is Reece Walsh is under the sticks.”

For all the talk of Cleary and Luai, and Reynolds and Walsh, Sunday’s grand final will again likely be won and lost in the opening exchanges. As they collide with each other with the G-forces of a car crash, one side will be administered a particularly painful lesson.

Watch the NRL grand final exclusive, live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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