Two dynastic forces in Australian rugby league will face off in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final with the Melbourne Storm taking on the Penrith Panthers.
Both sides have a ridiculous amount of success on their resume and those involved with either club will make the claim that they have had the better run, even if it is just marginally.
The boys on the Neds NRL Unpopular Opinions Podcast tackled that very question on his week’s episode and this is what they had to say.
Would you rather play for the Storm and be part of ten grand finals under Craig Bellamy or be part of the current crop of Penrith Panthers and play in five straight GFs?
LiSTNR – https://t.co/v0pEdVLe2b
SPOTIFY – https://t.co/qnXHqfAnxc pic.twitter.com/weT5X8fddY— Neds (@NedsAus) October 3, 2024
Have a listen to the full episode here.
For those of you playing at home, here is a brief tale of the tape for both of these clubs.
Melbourne Storm
The Dynasty Began: 2003
Regular Season Record: 369 Wins, 2 Draws & 143 Losses
Times on Top of the Ladder: 9 (Officially 6 Minor Premierships)
Finals Record: 33 Wins & 19 Losses
Grand Final Wins: 5 (Officially 3 Premierships)
Look, we all know the Storm have been the most consistent team over the last two decades so the case for them is kind of obvious.
With Craig Bellamy at the helm they have posted a ridiculously good 71% winning percentage and have made the finals in every year bar 2010 where… you know.
Admittedly that salary cap controversy does hang over the era and has to be mentioned whenever these discussions take place.
But it does also warrant a mention that the club had nothing to play for in 2010 and still posted the same record as the fifth placed Warriors and sixth placed Roosters.
Since the start of the 2011 season with the cap punishments behind them, the Storm have won 262 games and finished with six Minor Premierships and a trio of Grand Final wins that could become four this Sunday night.
All while continually turning over a playing squad that was headlined for so long by some of the greats of the modern game and the machine just kept going and going.
Oh and in the one head to head meeting since the Panthers rose to prominence, the Storm won the 2020 Grand Final.
Penrith Panthers
The Dynasty Began: 2020
Regular Season Record: 94 Wins, 1 Draw & 21 Losses
Minor Premierships: 3
Finals Record: 13 Wins & 2 Losses
Grand Final Wins: 3
While the Panthers can’t claim the longevity of the Storm’s run, it is fair to say that their almost five season period of dominance from the start of 2020 through to this weekend is just as good, if not better than any five season span from their opponents.
If you want to measure it in terms of silverware, Penrith has won six trophies with the Storm’s best streak only producing five trophies between 2016 and 2020.
Penrith boasts an 81% winning percentage since 2020 across the regular season and finals thanks in large part to the father-son duo of Ivan and Nathan Cleary.
However Nathan has missed large portions of this most recent season and the club was still able to rally and finish in second spot on the ladder before recording a pair of comfortable wins to reach a historic fifth straight Grand Final.
So that begs the question, who did it better, the club with a sustained record of winning over two decades, or the one that has made five straight Grand Finals?