# 2024 NRL Grand Final

The 2024 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2024 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Melbourne Storm and the Penrith Panthers on Sunday 6 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. In front of 80,156 spectators, defending premiers Penrith defeated the minor premiers Melbourne 14–6 to extend their premiership streak to four titles in a row, and their sixth overall. The Clive Churchill Medal was awarded to second-row forward Liam Martin for being judged as man of the match.
The match was preceded by the 2024 NRL State Championship and the NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final. The match was broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network. Pre-match entertainment was performed by Australian rapper The Kid Laroi.

## Background

Melbourne Storm's route to the final :
| Round | Opposition | Score |
| QF | Cronulla Sharks (H) | 37–10 |
| PF | Sydney Roosters (H) | 48–18 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue |||
Penrith Panthers' route to the final :
| Round | Opposition | Score |
| QF | Sydney Roosters (H) | 30–10 |
| PF | Cronulla Sharks (N) | 26–6 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) = Neutral venue |||
The 2024 NRL season is the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight teams on the competition ladder.
The 2024 Melbourne Storm season was the 27th season in the club's history. Coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Harry Grant, the club played their home games at AAMI Park in Melbourne. The Storm finished in first place on the ladder with 44 points and a 19–5 win-loss record, taking out the J. J. Giltinan Shield for winning the competition's minor premiership, while setting a new club record for crowds with an average attendance of 21,067 at each home game. The 2024 Penrith Panthers season was the 58th season in the club's history. Coached by Ivan Cleary and co-captained by Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, the club played their home games at BlueBet Stadium in Penrith. The Panthers finished the regular season in second place on the ladder with 40 points and a 17–7 win–loss record.
It would be the second time the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers had faced each other in a grand final match, after featuring in the 2020 premiership decider, and the first time since 2014 in which the grand finalists had previously played each other in a decider. The 2020 grand final was the Storm's last grand final appearance as well as their most recent premiership victory. The 2020 match would also be the Penrith Panthers' first of now five-straight grand final appearances, which accomplishes a new record in the NRL competition era, and was last achieved by the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 1971.
The two clubs played each other twice in the 2024 season; in round 1 with the Storm beating the Panthers 8–0 at AAMI Park, and round 24 where the Storm won again 24–22 at BlueBet Stadium. Their last finals meeting was a 38–4 win for Penrith at the 2023 preliminary finals.

## Pre-match
### Team selection

Dylan Edwards, Brian To'o, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, James Fisher-Harris, Liam Martin, Moses Leota and Isaah Yeo all made their fifth-straight grand final appearance for Penrith.
Penrith second-row forward Scott Sorensen was a late addition into the side, having missed both previous finals games with a hamstring injury. His inclusion resulted in Luke Garner moving to the interchange bench and Matt Eisenhuth being dropped to reserve.
Melbourne Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona was handed a five-match suspension by the NRL Judiciary following the preliminary final, meaning the Storm brought in Lazarus Vaalepu for just his seventh NRL appearance. Vaalepu was the least experienced player to play in a grand final since 1994.
Melbourne made no changes from their team as first named. Four Storm players had previous grand final experience, with Cameron Munster appearing in his fifth decider.

### Broadcasting

The match was broadcast live on the Nine Network in Australia and on Sky Sport in New Zealand. Radio broadcasters included ABC, Triple M, 2GB and SEN.

### Entertainment

Game-day entertainment was headlined by Australian rapper The Kid Laroi.

### Officiating

Ashley Klein was appointed to his third NRL grand final, with touch judges Chris Sutton and David Munro. Grant Atkins was appointed as the bunker official.

### Attendance

The game was attended by 80,156 people.

## Match summary

* 6 October 2024 19:30 AEDT
| Melbourne Storm | 6–14 | Penrith Panthers |
| Tries: 1 Grant 22' Goals: 1 Meaney 1/1 23' | 1st: 6–10 2nd: 0–4 Report | Tries: 3 Turuva 26' Martin 38' Alamoti 60' Goals: 1 Cleary 1/3 39' |
* Accor Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 80,156 Referee: Ashley Klein Touch judges: David Munro, Chris Sutton Bunker: Grant Atkins Clive Churchill Medal: Liam Martin
Melbourne Storm :
| FB | 1 | Ryan Papenhuyzen |
| WG | 2 | William Warbrick |
| CE | 3 | Jack Howarth |
| CE | 4 | Nick Meaney |
| WG | 5 | Xavier Coates |
| FE | 6 | Cameron Munster |
| HB | 7 | Jahrome Hughes |
| PR | 8 | Tui Kamikamica |
| HK | 9 | Harry Grant |
| PR | 10 | Josh King |
| SR | 11 | Shawn Blore |
| SR | 12 | Eliesa Katoa |
| LF | 13 | Trent Loiero |
| Interchange: |||
| IN | 14 | Tyran Wishart |
| IN | 15 | Christian Welch |
| IN | 16 | Lazarus Vaalepu |
| IN | 17 | Alec MacDonald |
| CS | 18 | Grant Anderson |
| Coach: |||
| Craig Bellamy |||
Penrith Panthers :
| FB | 1 | Dylan Edwards |
| WG | 2 | Sunia Turuva |
| CE | 3 | Izack Tago |
| CE | 4 | Paul Alamoti |
| WG | 5 | Brian To'o |
| FE | 6 | Jarome Luai |
| HB | 7 | Nathan Cleary |
| PR | 8 | Moses Leota |
| HK | 9 | Mitch Kenny |
| PR | 10 | James Fisher-Harris |
| SR | 12 | Liam Martin |
| SR | 19 | Scott Sorensen |
| LF | 13 | Isaah Yeo |
| Interchange: |||
| IN | 11 | Luke Garner |
| IN | 14 | Brad Schneider |
| IN | 15 | Lindsay Smith |
| IN | 16 | Liam Henry |
| CS | 17 | Matt Eisenhuth |
| Coach: |||
| Ivan Cleary |||

## Post-match

By extending their premiership-streak to four consecutive titles, the Panthers became the first club since the St. George Dragons of 1959 to accomplish this record. Their sixth premiership win lifts Penrith to equal-seventh on the all-time Premiership tally, alongside the Brisbane Broncos. The Panthers' fifth title in the NRL era moves them ahead of both the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm to become the most successful club of the NRL competition era which began in 1998.

## Opening matches

Two opening matches were played on the ground prior to the grand final: the NRL State Championship and NRL Women's Grand Final. Both matches were broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network.

### NRL State Championship

* 6 October 2024 13:20 AEDT
| Newtown Jets | 18–20 | Norths Devils |
| Tries: 4 Stonestreet 16', 31', 45' Puru 23' Goals: 1 Puru 1/4 17' | 1st: 14–10 2nd: 4–10 Report | Tries: 4 Simbiken 4' Lipp 39' Keeley 55', 74' Goals: 2 Lipp 2/4 6', 56' |
* Accor Stadium, Sydney Referee: Liam Kennedy Touch judges: Jarrod Cole, Kieren Irons Bunker: Peter Gough

### NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final

* 6 October 2024 15:55 AEDT
| Sydney Roosters | 32–28 | Cronulla Sharks |
| Tries: 6 Kernick 15', 66' Fressard 18' Parker 21', 26' Sergis 34' Goals: 4 Kelleher 4/7 16', 35', 52 pen', 67' | 1st: 24–0 2nd: 8–28 Report | Tries: 5 Penitani 38', 68' Dodd 43' Hannaway 48' Johnston 61' Goals: 4 Preston 4/5 39', 44', 50', 62' |
* Accor Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 40,623 Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski Touch judges: Karra-Lee Nolan, Rochelle Tamarua Bunker: Kasey Badger