I think the fact that Penrith lead from the start and never got behind on top of these defensive efforts will have them very confident going into the gf.. like them or loathe them, that was a big effort to back up after the Parra game
Coming back to this game, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Storm were minor premiers, won their semi to go through to the prelim, yet they get the harder match up of the two prelims.. I understand you've got to beat the best to win the gf, but just seems strange to me that Souths got to play a relatively easy game to make the gf, despite not being top 2
I know Ivan cops a bit of sh*t but after watching the "Preparing The Panthers" series I do think he deserves a lot of credit for what the Panthers have done these past few years.. yes they are blessed with a wealth of talent, but that ruthless mentality they are displaying is a reflection on what they do in the pre season particularly.
There was talk of him being poached for the Wests coaching gig but obviously Madge is staying on.. I couldn't see it anyway.. He will coach an NRL team one day but why leave the Panthers right now when they are in a position to potentially win another couple of premierships