NRL grand final 2024 LIVE updates: Can the Storm deny the ...

Nathan Cleary could have the time of his life, “just the most enjoyable day” he says, without even thinking about leaving the house.

Trackies optional. No need to talk to another human soul. Maybe the dog. Maybe not a word. But probably picking up any one of several footballs that are left lying around the place, because Cleary “just feels normal being able to hold a footy”.

Nathan Cleary: Happiest with a footy in hand.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Which for anyone wired a similar way makes a whole lot of sense.

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Until you consider the other times of his life. That “most enjoyable day” that falls on the last day of the NRL season.

“I think it does help,” Cleary says of his natural introversion, the kind that has him happily roaming the house all day with a Steeden never too far away.

“I don’t like going out to seek the attention. I think it actually helps, just being able to be in my own little world … I do feel like sometimes, especially when you’re out on the field, it can feel like there’s not even a crowd there, to be honest.

“It just feels like it’s us versus them. I know, it’s pretty nice.”

Read the full story here.

Listen to Immortal halfback Andrew Johns detail the ‘shark’ call he would deploy for the Knights to target a playmaker in defence, and it bears more than a striking resemblance to how Melbourne have gone after Roosters veteran Luke Keary, among numerous other halves this season.

And how the Storm have successfully targeted Nathan Cleary previously, with Christian Welch especially enjoying success by harassing him.

‘Shark him’: One of Andrew Johns’ favourite calls.Credit: Getty

“Back in Newcastle we used to terrorise halves,” Johns says. “We’d split back-rowers on them, a back-rower and a lock at them, and have players in motion all around them to isolate them.

“Then we would get Ben Kennedy or Steve Simpson at them, and they would either go through with a break or get an offload or quick play-the-ball, then we’d play off that.

“We used to have a set called ‘shark’ set. We’d just sit on a half and just shark him. We’d do it for four or five sets in a row until they break. You’re putting pressure on them and also taking petrol out of their tank.”

Read the full story here.

It’s of course the last ride for Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary after they first came together in the halves back in SG Ball. Fun fact too, if you’re trying to find Luai’s name on those old team sheets, he was playing under ‘Jarome Broadbridge’ back then when he was living with his grandmother.

Now he and Cleary are wrapping up as one of the most successful halves pairings in rugby league history - with three grand finals and 77 wins from 88 games together for Penrith. With an 87.5% win percentage, they’re the most dominant pairing since 1980.

The teams are in and Penrith veteran Scott Sorensen is in as confirmed by Ivan Cleary, but he’s starting on the left edge, which might surprise after he overcame that hamstring issue. Luke Garner drops back to the bench and Matt Eisenhuth is the unlucky man that misses out, this is his third GF watched from the sideline since joining the Panthers.

For the Storm, they are per program. Lazarus Vaalepu comes in for Nelson Asofa-Solomona with just six games of NRL under his belt - that’s the least of any player in a grand final in the NRL era. Blake Taafe held the record previously with seven games when he played the 2021 decider. Steve Price played the 1994 grand final for Canterbury after only five games of first grade.

Almost time for the pre-match entertainment and the NRL seems to have made a great call this year.

Since Tina Turner’s sensational performance way back in 1993, plenty of overseas veterans have had a pay day at the grand final including Tom Jones, the ill-fated Billy Idol, Meat Loaf, Ricky Martin, Slash and Richie Sambora.

Billy Idol’s infamous grand final performance lives long in the memory.Credit: Reuters

But The Kid Laroi is not only a genuine international star at just 21, he’s a homegrown rugby league fan who grew up in public housing in Waterloo supporting the Rabbitohs. He’s told American friends “this is like my Super Bowl”.

Rabbitohs fan and global superstar Kid Laroi with Cody Walker and Jai Arrow.

If you’re a die-hard rugby league fan, you might not be surprised at all to have seen larger-than-life cutouts of your favourite players dotted among crowds of fans at games throughout the season.

It’s no different today, I’ve already seen more cut-outs of Nathan Cleary’s head than I can count.

I spoke to passionate Panthers fans, Kylie Koevoets and Wendy Stewart, who between the two of them own a whopping six cutouts of their favourite players.

The duo, who travelled from Mount Druitt to watch the decider today were vocal in their support for Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai as possible picks for the Clive Churchill medal.

“I might go Luai. Maybe Nathan, but I just love Luai, so I’m hoping we send him off with a win, player of the match,” Koevoets said.

You can read more about who’s behind these heads here.

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Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary couldn’t control his emotions in a heart-warming farewell jersey presentation to Jarome Luai on the eve of the grand final.

Inside their Parramatta hotel on the night before the decider, Cleary presented his players with their grand final jersey.

Cleary managed to keep his emotions in check until he got to Luai, who will depart the club after the premiership decider against the Melbourne Storm and head to the Wests Tigers.

Cleary has known Luai for more than a decade and watched him progress through the club’s juniors alongside son Nathan Cleary from when they were 14.

Cleary spoke about his pride in Luai’s journey from a boy to a man, including the satisfaction he has taken from watching him become the husband and father he has.

Read Michael Chammas’ full grand final column here, which includes Samoan stars withdrawing from international duty, a rising Rabbitoh tabled a new deal and Penrith’s bid to avoid controversial celebrations if they prevail tonight.

In many ways, the Roosters’ 32-28 victory against the Sharks in the NRLW grand final is poetic justice.

Now fullback Sam Bremner, who was spectacularly brought out of retirement after Corban Baxter tore her ACL, has finally claimed her first and only NRLW premiership victory.

Millie Elliott became the first women’s player to win three premierships with three different clubs. The only player to do it before her was Glenn Lazarus, who won five premierships across the 1980s and ’90s with Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne.

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And to top it all off, Dally M Medal winner Olivia Kernick scored a try double, and paved the way for the club’s first NRLW premiership since 2021.

That’s not even including the fact that skipper Isabelle Kelly miraculously returned from a dislocated elbow last week to help lead her team to victory. Or that centre Jess Sergis and halfback Tarryn Aiken also bounced back from injuries to return in time for the Roosters’ finals run.

But after two semi-final losses in 2022 and 2023, the Roosters finally have their fairytale ending, despite a courageous second-half fightback from Cronulla that had the game on a knife’s edge until the full-time siren.

Read the full report from Billie Eder here.