{"id":293055,"date":"2023-09-30T10:49:26","date_gmt":"2023-09-30T10:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=293055"},"modified":"2023-09-30T10:49:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T10:49:26","slug":"we-got-taught-a-lesson-how-pain-of-2020-grand-final-galvanised-penrith-hard-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/rugby-league\/we-got-taught-a-lesson-how-pain-of-2020-grand-final-galvanised-penrith-hard-men\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We got taught a lesson\u2019: How pain of 2020 grand final galvanised Penrith hard men"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Adrian Proszenko<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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James Fisher-Harris doesn\u2019t speak often and when he does it\u2019s in a voice so soft that it\u2019s almost inaudible.<\/p>\n

But there it is, in a hushed tone that barely registers on the dictaphone, a sentence that says it all: \u201cIf that didn\u2019t happen, we wouldn\u2019t be here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

We know where the Panthers are today, on the cusp of a premiership three-peat that hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s current success.<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s 2020 loss to Melbourne was heartbreaking. It was also instructive.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019s fate was sealed in the early exchanges in the middle of the field.<\/p>\n

A Storm forward pack containing Christian Welch, Jesse Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tino Fa\u2019asuamaleaui, Felise Kaufusi, Kenny Bromwich and Dale Finucane manhandled their counterparts \u2013 literally.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Penrith\u2019s James Fisher-Harris runs into trouble during the 2020 grand final.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>NRL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n

Having lost the traditional softening-up period, the Panthers didn\u2019t have enough time to recover. They romped home, but it was all too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when we learnt quite a bit, just about grand finals,\u201d says Fisher-Harris, a leading contender to take over as captain of the New Zealand national side.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just made crucial mistakes at the wrong time. When I look back at it, we had them under the pump, but we weren\u2019t ready for it. We learnt from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fisher-Harris\u2019 front-row partner, Moses Leota, adds: \u201cThat 2020 grand final, we got taught a lesson from Melbourne. We don\u2019t want that to happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the last time the Panthers\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

It must first emerge from the most rigorous test of its storied run. The Brisbane team they face in Sunday\u2019s decider contains a starting trio of middles many consider Penrith\u2019s 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\u2019t hit their peak until their late 20s and early 30s.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Penrith\u2019s fearsome front-rowers Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris and Spencer Leniu.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Steven Siewert<\/cite><\/p>\n

Haas\u2019 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\u2019s little wonder the Broncos have won just as many games this year as their opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obviously extremely important, particularly in big games,\u201d Yeo says of the clash up front. \u201cIf you look at the Broncos, they have done a wonderful job all season with the platform they\u2019ve laid for the X-factor and class off the back of that. It\u2019s been outstanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought they were outstanding against the Warriors, they really set the tone there and that really helped them. We\u2019ll definitely have our work cut out for us. They will be a big part of the game, that battle there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

P<\/strong>eter Sterling was once given the invidious task of helping to name Parramatta\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Sterling says. \u201cThey might not have been fancy, but they were as tough as nails. Defensively they were superb.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon Hilditch would be in the best Parramatta 17 every day of the week, yet you don\u2019t hear his name in dispatches at all,\u201d Sterling says.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWe knew that Parra had a big pack and we needed to start fast,\u201d Leota says humbly. \u201cI just went out there and done my best. That was it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

A<\/strong>ddin 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTongan?\u201d Fonua-Blake replied with an arched eyebrow. \u201cIt\u2019s Versace.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s team of the year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Addin Fonua-Blake.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>NRL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As he was leaving the Randwick Racecourse event, Fonua-Blake was asked to compare the grand final middle forwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re two different types of players: \u2018Fish\u2019 and Leota are very good at grinding away and setting the platform from the start,\u201d Fonua-Blake offers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen 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\u2019d turn your back and think the tackle is done, and the next thing you know is Reece Walsh is under the sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all the talk of Cleary and Luai, and Reynolds and Walsh, Sunday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Watch the NRL grand final exclusive, live and free on Channel 9 and <\/i><\/b>9Now<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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