‘The best we’ve ever played’: Cleary full of praise for Panthers’ grand final demolition

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Parramatta fullback and captain Clint Gutherson, who scored the Eels’ first try, said they struggled to break through from early on in the game.

“Penrith was outstanding,” Gutherson said. “We gave them way too much ball there in the first half and we were finding it hard to get out of our own zone. Nathan Cleary was putting the ball wherever he wanted. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the result we wanted but credit to Penrith.”

Cleary said the atmosphere at the game was amazing. “Just the noise and the energy. It was pretty incredible,” he said. “It’s something I’m very blessed to be a part of.”

Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards, who smothered Eels’ winger Bailey Simonsson’s sprint down the wing towards the try-line, said hitting the history books was on the team’s mind.

“[Going down as one of the greats] is something we were striving for and we were lucky enough to achieve that,” Edwards said.

Nine commentator Andrew Johns said the Panthers’ performance was a testament to their prowess beyond this game.

“It is a reflection of not only tonight’s game and this season, but the last two years,” Johns said. “What they do so well is every player knows their role in this team. Every player knows their role in the system, and they get their role done.”

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