Penrith claimed their third premiership on Sunday night, defeating a gallant South Sydney outfit in a nail-biting NRL grand final.
Matt Burton struck first for the Panthers, before five-eighth Cody Walker hit back for the Bunnies just minutes later with an incredible solo try.
Walker went from hero to villain however, throwing an intercept pass for Stephen Crichton that proved costly in the 14-12 defeat at Suncorp Stadium.
There was plenty to love about the game between two heayweight clubs, but there were also some things that weren't great.
Here's what we liked and disliked from this year's NRL grand final between Penrith and South Sydney.
WHAT WE LIKED
Cody Walker's individual try
They might not have got the result on Sunday night - but in terms of solo grand final tries, this effort from the South Sydney five-eighth was up there with Stacey Jones in 2002, as Phil Gould mentioned on commentary.
Walker was handed the ball on a sweep play, brushed past Kurt Capewell, palmed off Nathan Cleary and was too quick for Dylan Edwards, crossing next to the posts to level the scores.
The Rabbitohs needed to punch back, and Cody Walker stepped up. This guy is unstoppable. 🐰
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) October 3, 2021
📺 #NRLGF | Live and EXCLUSIVE on Channel 9 and 9Now.#9WWOS #NRL #NRLFinals pic.twitter.com/QQL1HZI5ab
It was a fantastic moment for Walker and South Sydney, after Penrith crossed first through Matt Burton just a few minutes earlier.
Penrith's kicking game
On a night where the Panthers won their first title since 2003, it was no surprise to see Nathan Cleary awarded the Clive Churchill Medal - and it was his kicking game that made the biggest impact.
The 23-year-old terrorised the likes of Blake Taaffe and Jaxson Paulo, continually putting up his trademark towering bombs and trapping the Rabbitohs deep inside their own half.
Cleary forced five dropouts during the game, picking apart South Sydney's back three and took control of the game like only he can.
Jarome Luai didn't do as much of the kicking on Sunday night, but still played his role with the boot when called upon and had a fine game himself.
There was plenty of talk about Cleary, his kicking game and the kick-pressure on him from Souths over the past month - but the NSW Blues playmaker got the last laugh in this year's decider.
Cameron Murray's effort in a beaten side
This bloke is just phenomenal.
Unlike when Daly Cherry-Evans and Jack Wighton were awarded the Clive Churchill Medal in a losing side, not many people would have complained if Murray was given the award on Sunday night.
Despite the loss to Penrith, the 23-year-old was arguably the best player on the field, playing 75 minutes in the middle and performing well for every second of them.
Murray made 52 tackles without a single miss during the game, ran for just under 100 metres and provided the link between the forwards and the halves in attack as he has done all year long.
There were even some who thought Murray may have copped a head knock on the very first play of the game, but still battled on and produced an all-time great grand final display.
“He was outstanding," Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett said.
"He was exhausted on that many occasions, but he has such a great ticker on him."
His opposing number Isaah Yeo was fantastic as well, but it's hard to argue with Murray being the best lock in the competition right now.
Amazing game of footy
There were so many great moments and awesome performances - but what a game of footy this was as a whole!
Penrith were so dominant in regards to field position and possession, but somehow a brave South Sydney outfit held on and stayed within reach for the entire contest.
The match had everything you'd expect from a grand final - intensity in defence, moments of individual brilliance and plenty of drama.
Adam Reynolds missing the conversion from the sideline to win the game will haunt Souths fans for years - as will the Cody Walker intercept pass for Stephen Crichton.
But they can hold their heads high, because they were beaten by an outstanding outfit and were involved in a classic grand final that fans will be talking about for years to come.
WHAT WE DISLIKED
Cody Walker's intercept pass
Oh man, this moment was just heartbreaking for Walker.
After he scored a fantastic individual try in the first-half and could have been the hero for Souths, the 30-year-old threw a cut-out pass in the second-half that went horribly wrong.
Intended for his tryscoring freak on the wing in Alex Johnston, Walker lofted the ball towards him and would have seen AJ run away for a potential try.
Unfortunately, the opposition winger in Stephen Crichton had different ideas, reaching up to grab the ball in mid-air and run away to score untouched for Penrith.
HOLYYYYY SNATCH 🤯
— NRL (@NRL) October 3, 2021
That's a nasty intercept from Critta!#NRLGF pic.twitter.com/jSM8Oq5vAm
In the end, the moment proved costly as the Rabbitohs went down by just two points and that moment will be replaying in Walker's head for the entire off-season.
South Sydney's back three
We touched on the kicking game of the Panthers and how Cleary was able to apply pressure for the entire 80 minutes, which is proof of the elite playmaker he is.
But there is no hiding from the fact that South Sydney's back three struggled throughout the game, both under the high-ball and making metres out of their own end.
Blake Taaffe was solid enough but looked shaky for the majority of the 80 minutes, failing to defuse a kick the whole game and making two errors. The rookie ran for 116 metres from 13 carries, including a linebreak, but did look dangerous with ball in hand.
Jaxson Paulo struggled on the wing, coming up with three errors and finishing with 103 metres. The experienced Alex Johnston looked far more comfortable under the high-ball, but ultimately wasn't tested as much as his younger teammates.
Compare the performances of the Rabbitohs' back three to the Penrith back three, who all ran for over 200 metres and made just one error between them all.
Brian To'o was at his damaging best all night long, while Stephen Crichton scored the try that won Penrith the game.
It's so important, especially in the modern game, for your back three to lay a platform early in the sets and unfortunately Souths were unable to do that and were stuck in their own end for a large chunk of the game.
Paulo and Taaffe are good young players, but Sunday night showed they still have plenty of room to improve.
Channel Nine commentary
A major gripe for many fans on Sunday night during the game, with many calling out Phil Gould in particular for his commentary on Channel Nine.
Gould was slammed last year for being biased during Penrith's loss to Melbourne, and was seemingly at it again in the Panthers' win over South Sydney.
The former Panthers boss was labelled as being 'unbearable' and the commentary team also made two major blunders during the game with players' names.
Dylan Edwards was called Dylan Walker, who plays for Manly and has a bald head with a beard. Origin forward Kurt Capewell was referred to as Luke Capewell, who hasn't played in the NRL since 2012.
With many fans opting to watch Fox League during the season, they were forced to switch over to the free-to-air network for the decider and weren't impressed with the outcome.
