‘Nearly unheard of in the modern era’: Only 12 players remain from 2020 grand final showdown

Plenty has been made about the constant player turnover at the Panthers over the years, but not enough credit has been given to the Storm who will field just four men from the team that beat Penrith in the 2020 grand final.

Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Christian Welch are the last four standing from that night, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona unavailable after he copped a five-match ban.

Some have retired and others have moved to other clubs, with the Storm losing an Immortal-in-waiting and a future Dally M winner from the team that beat Penrith 26-20.

Their team was so good that night that Nicho Hynes didn’t even get on the field, with fellow bench players Brandon Smith, Dale Finucane and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui combining to form one of the most destructive rotations of all time.

It’s a credit to the Storm system that they’ve been able to lose so many stars but still be so competitive, with coach Craig Bellamy the mastermind behind it all.

“That’s probably a stat that we didn’t know until today,” Bellamy said, with 13 Storm players set to play their first grand final.

“We haven’t had a whole heap of guys play in a grand final before in this present team, but that’s the way the game works these days.

“Penrith have done such a great job to get to five grand finals in a row. That’s nearly unheard of in the modern era.

“The more success you have, the more players you seem to turn over. You’ve just got to try to find that formula of the balance when you do lose good players that you get good consistent players from other clubs that you think will fit into your system.

“That’s what we try to do. Picking the right people to be in your club sometimes will be difficult, but you’ve always got to back yourself and go from there.”

It’s hard enough winning three premierships in a row, but the Panthers have done it while shedding stars like Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau, Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton over the years, with Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris set to leave this year.

They’ll have eight players from the 2020 decider, with Luai, Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards and Isaah Yeo forming a core four who will lead their attack.

It’s an incredible achievement for the Penrith nursery, which has been able to produce quality players each year to replace the stars who have been forced out due to salary cap pressures.

“We’ve tried to form a system that’s not so much about the individual players but how they connect together,” coach Ivan Cleary said.

“It’s also important that the eight guys that have been through this five-year period are great leaders and they can pass on the standards and what we stand for at this club to the younger players.

“We’re also a development club so we pride ourselves on bringing young players through. That goes down through the ranks where they understand what it takes to play for the Panthers.

“Apart from that, it’s probably good luck.”