NRL grand final 2022: Utterly dominant Penrith take out their second straight premiership with 28-12 victory over a hopelessly outgunned Eels - as one shocking mistake sums up their night

Thanks for joining me for the Daily Mail Australia's live blog of the 2022 NRL grand final.

I'm an Eels fan, so I'll be off to cry in the toilets while the Penrith boys celebrate on Accor Stadium.

We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the match, and you can stay in touch with all the biggest news right here on our sport page as the celebrations and commiserations continue.

And what a team it is.

Nathan and Ivan Cleary have lifted the Provan-Summons trophy after Penrith's incredible performance saw them cruise passed a hapless Eels side. 

Dylan Edwards has won the time-honoured Clive Churchill Medal for his exemplary performance at fullback for Penrith.

The tireless fullback made 281m, a line break, had three line break assists and put on two tries - but he is far more than the sum of his stats.

He was everywhere in defence and organised the line brilliantly in both attack and defence - something his Eels counterpart Clint Gutherson wasn't able to do. 

Gutted Eels skipper Clint Gutherson fronted up to the cameras after the defeat, and was surprisingly circumspect.

'Disappointing. We worked so hard,' when asked by Danika Mason what he was feeling after the horrid defeat.

'Look, they were outstanding. We gave them way too much ball there in the first half and I think we made 110-120 more tackles than them in the first half. You can't do that to a quality team. 

'Look, we stayed in it until the end. It is disappointing. It is a hard feeling to explain. But that's footy. Someone has to lose and unfortunately it was us ... Nathan was just putting the ball wherever he wanted,' said Gutherson.

But the Parramatta skipper was still very proud of his boys for making it as far as they did, despite the disappointing result.

'Yes, extremely proud,' he said of the side making the grand final.

'It was a rollercoaster this year for us. It is everyone's goal to get here. Unfortunately we couldn't get the result we wanted.

'But credit to them. They were outstanding. We have got to watch them get their rewards now,' said Gutherson.

Jubilant Panthers players and officials are hugging on the Accor Stadium turf after their dominant performance over the Eels.

Channel 9 commentators couldn't help but sing their praises after the exceptional display.

'They have lost four games all year. And they have completely dominated in one of the great grand final performances,' said caller Matt Thompson. 

'An emotional Ivan Cleary, who is normally poker-faced. Well, why wouldn't he shed a tear on a night like this?

'This club has achieved what very few have. (It's) a very special group of footballers. A team filled with superstars; the backbone of which has all been developed in the Penrith area. 

'That academy has developed some extraordinary talent and on the flip side of that the sheer heartbreak being felt by all the Parramatta fans. The team has been so brave,' said Thompson on the commentary. 

The Panthers have won the 2022 NRL grand final, with a 28-12 victory over a hapless Eels side.

Back-to-back!

Tipping there will be some wild scenes out at Panthers HQ right now.

It's raining tries for the Eels! 

A clever kick by Will Penisini puts substitute Jakob Arthur over, with the Eels scoring two tries in less than a minute.

It was a great chase by Arthur, whose fresh legs took advantage of a tiring Panthers defence.

Finally!

After a brilliant offload by Isaiah Papali'i, Clint Gutherson has burned through three defenders to score under the post - his 15th for the season but Parra's first for the match.

Too little too late, unfortunately and fortunately for Manly players they will hold on to their 40-nil record as the biggest ever grand final margin.

The NRL has released the official crowd attendance for the game, with 82,415 people packing into Accor Stadium.

Good luck to all those people somehow having to make their way out of the Homebush swampland.

The tireless Dylan Edwards burst away for 40m through a broken Parramatta defensive line after cleaning up a Waqa Blake drop near the Parra try line.

Edwards, who was named as Penrith's best player for the year at their recent presentation evening, was lauded by Ch9 commentator Matt Thompson, who gushed about the irrepressible fullback.

'Edwards trying to race away up the field. Well, that is an exclamation mark on his greatest ever season, Dylan Edwards,' he said on the broadcast.

'This has been a remarkable 2022 campaign for the Penrith fullback. He just runs, and runs and runs.'

The Forbes Ferrari, Charlie Staines, has scored for Penrith, and I think it's safe to say the fat lady has officially sung.

They'll be partying hard down at the Vandenburg Hotel, with Staines a former Premiership winner with the Forbes Magpies - who also happened to win this season.

With Eels centre Bailey Simonssen streaking down the left-hand touchline, leaving a trail of defenders in his wake, Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards has evoked memories of the famous Scott Sattler tackle in Penrith's 2003 grand final victory.

As the old adage goes, they can't run without legs - and Edwards perfectly wrapped his arms around Simonsson - who looks to have done serious damage to his shoulder as he was bundled over the try line.

Maika Sivo must have had butter put on his hands, because he has just dropped the ball when a try was absolutely certain.

Like it was harder for him not to score it that put the footy down and score Parra's first try.

Things are going from bad to worse here, and these Panthers players are PUMPED.

The head-scratching decision to allow To'o's try, despite similar incidents all being disallowed during the regular season, has left many fans - not just Eels ones - raging.

And Waqa Blake's drop leads to a Brian To'o try, giving Penrith the first points of the second half. 

Mitch Moses tried to claim he was obstructed by a Viliame Kikau run, but the bunker dismissed the concerns, awarding To'o his second try to go along with 175m.

Is that the end for Parra?

Much-maligned Eels winger Waqa Blake has got the Eels off to the worst start possible, with a stone cold drop gifting Penrith possession just 10m out from their attacking line.

Given he's already been caught out of position in defence several times already, one would imagine a dropped bomb is only just around the corner, too.

Former Panthers footy boss Phil Gould has given his ex-club high praise, saying it was one of the best starts to a grand final he's ever seen.

'It was probably one of the more impressive and professional 40 minutes of big game football you could possibly imagine,' 'Gus' said on the Ch9 broadcast.

'They got on the front foot early, their kicking game was really good, their ball control was outstanding and then when the time came they could move the ball out wide and prise open this Parramatta defence.

'They kept Parramatta at their end of the field the whole half, gave them very little opportunity to get out of it.

'They kept the pressure on and the kicking game from Cleary and Luai has been outstanding, and when they've had their chances they've taken them and it's just been a relentless, relentless assault on this Parramatta side, who I must say haver been brave but totally outclassed by this Panthers team.

'It's just been the perfect 40 minutes of football,' said Gould.

Roosters James Tedesco and Raecene McGregor have been announced as the NRL and NRLW Players Champions - 

Bizarrely though, the two were forced to accept the awards at half time as what appeared as somewhat of an afterthought, instead of the Rugby League Players Association organising a presentation dinner.

Either way, congrats to the two Roosters superstars after their brilliant seasons for the Chooks. 

It's half time of the 2022 NRL grand final, and the Eels will need a drastic reversal of fortunes if there are to make an unlikely comeback in this match, down 18 points with just 39 per cent of the possession.

Penrith have made more than 1000 metres in attack, while the Eels haven't even made 500.

It is FAR too easy for the men in black right now, and Arthur will need every trick in the coaching playbook to rile his men up in the sheds.

The Eels are down by 18 points after 30 minutes, and the fans are already laying into them BIG TIME.

Scott Sorensen goes through under the goal posts untouched after a Nathan Cleary grubber in behind the defensive line.

Eels fullback Clint Gutherson was nowhere to be seen, when he should have been there to defend the kick.

Perhaps he is trying to dig himself a hole that will swallow him up after yet ANOTHER failed drop-out has cost Parra - this time it has cost them six points instead of two.

You can't win a grand final in the opening 30 minutes, but you sure can lose it - and it's fast getting away from the Eels.

Nathan Cleary pockets an easy two points after earning a penalty for Clint Gutherson's failed short drop-out going well out on the full.

Not sure what Gutho was thinking there - not the best way to try and shift momentum when you are 10 points behind and your defence needs a rest.

After a 30m linebreak from Nathan Cleary, Penrith easily forced a drop-out with a clever grubber by Api Koroisau from dummy half.

Clint Gutherson, in a head-scratching decision, then went for a short drop-out that went out on the full, gifting Penrith two points and leading Channel 9 caller Matt Thompson to de-cry the Panthers attacking juggernaut 'is relentless'.

Brian To'o goes over in the corner for Penrith, with Cleary and Luai combining brilliantly to send the star winger over for the easiest of tries.

Eels look to be on the heels after the frantic start, and are being opened up far too easily at the moment.

Panthers centre Stephen Crichton has scored the first try of the grand final, cutting through a gap like a hot knife through butter. 

Brilliant ball-playing by Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary sent Crichton through the gap with superbly timed and weighted passes, with a valiant defensive effort to hold him up by Reed Mahoney not enough. 

Brad Fittler said the crowd definitely appears to be more in favour of the Eels - with the NSW coach commentating on the boundary for Channel 9.

Can they help their side break the premiership drought?

There have been some HUGE hits in defence from both sides to start this game. No one is giving an inch, but Clint Gutherson has come up with the first error of the match to gift the Panthers good field position.

Eels skipper Clint Gutherson has kicked the ball off, and we are underway in the 2022 NRL Grand Final!

Uncle Allen Madden, a Gadigal elder, welcomed the crowd and players onto country, with fans cheering loudly all through his speech.

The Parramatta and Penrith players have run out onto Accor Stadium to a deafening roar, with the boys now preparing for the national anthem and Welcome to Country.

Footy legends Peter Sterling and Greg Alexander have brought the iconic Provan-Summons Trophy onto the ground on behalf of the Eels and Panthers respectively, alongside two lucky junior players.

Hopefully Parra can play better than Sterlo can handshake.

Cult Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes has taken to the stage - but even he can't save this steaming mess.

One fan surmised on Twitter that poor old 'Barnesy's vocal cords are just a couple of pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other', while many are saying the entire thing is just 'unbearable.'

To be fair Barnsey singing all his golden oldies was still better than Sheldon Riley, whose rendition of 'Everybody wants to rule the world' was more akin to a drunk partyier busting out the moves at karaoke.

Many are suggesting this pre-match entertainment is so bad, it's even worse than Meatloaf's infamous butchering ahead of the 2011 AFL grand final.

Perhaps the Twitter fan to nail it most was the one who hoped: 'they (the broadcasters) don’t interrupt this marvellous advertising festival with some stupid footy.'

Kick-off can't come soon enough.

South Sydney half Cody Walker and Eels NRLW star Kennedy Cherrington have won the men's and women's Ken Stephens Medal, respectively.

The medal is given to one male and female each year based on the work they do in the community.

Well done to the two superstars for all they do off the field!

Both coaches have shuffled their starting side, as expected. 

As he has done all through the finals, Ivan Cleary has opted to start with his more defensive hooker, Mitch Kenny, with Api Koroisau reverting to the bench.

Despite calls by many top pundits, Brad Arthur has resisted bringing surprise addition Nathan Brown to the starting side - leaving the fiery second rower to attack at the end of either half and target Nathan Cleary.

He has, however, promoted Marata Niukore, with the Kiwi starting at lock in place of Ryan Matterson.

The concussion substitutes are Sean O'Sullivan for Penrith and Bryce Cartwright for Parramatta. 

Fans have taken aim at the NRL for the pre-match entertainment, with a move to cut to a gambling break instead of continue to show Bliss 'N' Eso performing particularly baffling.

'Did they really just leave the entertainment for a betting ad?' one fan asked on social media, while another said the league got their choices wrong for pre-match entertainment 'wrong every year'.

It's yet another loss for the NRL against the AFL, after footy fans were sent into raptures watching Robbie Williams and Delta Goodrem absolutely nailing it performing at the AFL grand final last weekend.

And then there's the fact the AFL will get more than $100million extra a year than the NRL from broadcasting rights.

V'landys continues to sink deeper into the hole he dug for himself. 

Cowboys legend Jonathan Thurston has suffered an epic fail trying to relive his sideline conversion attempt from the 2015 grand final against the Brisbane Broncos.

The former NRL star's missed conversion forced the game into extra time - which he famously made the most of by slotting a match-winning field goal to create a fairytale finish.

At halftime of the state championship game between Norths Devils and the Penrith Panthers on Sunday, Thurston tried to correct history - lining up from the same spot he did for the fateful 2015 conversion.

The 39-year-old wasn't helped by the full suit and dress shoes, and the attempt wobbled through the air and landed nowhere near the target - and boy didn't he cop it on social media!

Read all about it below.

A huge crowd of 42,921 people were in Accor Stadium to watch the Knights beat the Eels 32-12 in the 2022 NRLW grand final.

It's a superb result for the NRL and NRLW - and thank goodness Peter V'landys didn't take the game to Queensland out of spite; because four Sydney teams playing in the male and female grand finals have led to epic scenes both in and outside the stadium today.

Fans were full of praise for the spectacle - with much of that coming for the Knights after their incredible performance.

As Knights skipper Millie Boyle gave her thank you speech before lifting the premiership trophy, her long-term partner Adam Elliott was seen wiping away tears in the stands.

They're the ultimate NRL/W power couple.

Star second rower Elliott, who played for the Raiders this season, and Boyle moved to the Knights so they could finally live together, after going long distance over the past year.

Boyle and Elliott found themselves in hot water after being thrown out of a pub after being found in a toilet cubicle together - but romance has since blossomed for the long-time childhood friends.

It was touching to see how much watching Boyle lift the trophy meant to Elliott, and it is a scary proposition to imagine they are only going to get better next season with their home life more settled. 

Knights skipper Millie Boyle has lifted the NRLW premiership trophy, and, like Upton, is ready for the post-match festivities to begin: 'There's going to be a party in Newy tonight!'

Knights fullback Tamika Upton has been announced as the Karyn Murphy Medal winner, which goes to the best player in the NRLW grand final.

It's the former Bronco's third NRLW premiership, and the wily customer scored a try and made a mountain of metres from the back in the side's dominant performance.

Upton was keen to praise her teammates for coming so far since their winless 2021 season - and is ready for the post-match celebrations to begin.

'We earned this girls, we worked hard all season, so let's party hard tonight,' Upton said as she accepted her medal.

Newcastle have taken out the 2022 NRLW premiership, after a 32-12 win over the Eels.

17-year-old halfback Jesse Southwell marshalled the troops superbly, with her pinpoint kicking game continually making life hard for Parramatta. 

It was Millie Boyle though, who shone brightest. The star prop, who is in a long-term relationship with Knights star Adam Elliott, made an incredible 271m in 58 minutes, and truly led from the front for her side, often carrying multiple Parra defenders as she pushed passed the advantage line.

It's just Newcastle's second year in the competition, with the team winless last season - a remarkable turnaround. 

Parramatta took until the final round of the season to record their first win, but can be enormously proud of making the grand final, and being absolutely competitive for patches of the match.

There's 13 minutes remaining in the NRLW grand final, and just a converted try separates the two sides with the Knights leading 18-12.

Eels have had a mountain of possession in their attacking 20m area, scoring one try and having another disallowed, after Gayle Broughton was found to have pushed Yasmin Clydsdale in the back before planting the ball.

Kirra Dibb's boot (1/4 conversions) unfortunately continues to keep Parra in the contest - and they are finishing with a wet sail in front of thousands of raucous Eels fans.

Penrith are in their third consecutive grand final today off the back of not only phenomenal play on the field, but their 'unique bond' and incredible culture off the field. 

Top footy pundit Michelle Bishop, who grew up right in the heart of Eels territory, was Penrith's media manager: headhunted to the role by Phil Gould in between radio and television gigs - and she has given Daily Mail Australia a valuable insight into what makes the club tick.

'To me what I see now is these kids that were playing in the park, in Mount Druitt, in Whalan Reserve and Hebersham ... it's just that now it's in front of people. They aren't fazed by anything,' said Bishop.

'This time last year, I felt like I was almost defending them a little bit because people are saying they're bratty and they're cocky, they're not at all. I'm with them all the time, and their behaviour doesn't change.

A passionate Eels fan almost turned herself into shark bait, diving from a boat into the Parramatta River with a skeleton dressed in an Eels kit while live on TV.

Chief league reporter for Channel 7, Michelle Bishop, was live on Sunrise earlier today, and to her shock the Eels fan jumped straight into the Bull Shark-infested waters near Homebush clutching a skeleton in bizarre scenes.

Putting rivalry aside, Penrith fans pulled her back into the boat.

Imagine what she'll do if they win?!

It has been a rollercoaster first half in the NRL grand final, with the Knights fighting back after a slow start to lead by eight points at half time.

Despite two handling errors early in the half, Knights skipper Millie Boyle has led by example, doing a power of work through the middle and proving herself a knightmare (see what I did there) for the Eels defence. She's made 109m, 39 of which have come after contact. 

Second rower Romy Teitzel is also causing headaches for the Parra defenders, with four tackle breaks, one line break, line break assist and try assist to go with her try and 15 tackles.

The Eels are getting opened up far too easily at the moment, and coach Dean Widders will have to send a rocket up his charges in the break.

Electric fullback Gayle Broughton and powerful prop Kennedy Cherrington are doing their best to keep their side in the contest, but the side will need a huge momentum shift after half time.  

After a very slow start to the match where they could barely get their hands on the footy and came up with a few simple errors, the Knights have fought back hard - piling on three tries in 15 minutes.

Kiana Takairangi, Emmanita Paki and Romy Teitzel have scored for Newcastle, with only Kirra Dibb's wayward boot (1/3 conversions) keeping the score closer at 14-6.

Rugby league great Ray Price has revealed he is battling dementia so severe it once left him walking bloodied and barefoot down a road at 3am before being rescued by a passing motorist - as he blames inaction over illegal tackles for his mental health struggle.

The 69-year-old is regarded as one of the toughest players of all time after excelling in rugby union before switching codes and helping the Parramatta Eels win four premierships in the 1980s.

But Price's incredible ability to play through punishment - which saw him nicknamed 'Mr Perpetual Motion' - has come at a horrifying cost, with the ex-forward revealing he has been diagnosed with dementia.

At one stage the deadly condition left him wandering down a road in his pyjamas at 3am, his bare feet bloody from 10km of walking before he was rescued by a motorist who recognised him and called triple 0, he told the Daily Telegraph.

Despite going into the match as rank outsiders, the Eels are all over the Knights at the moment, with 73 per cent of the possession.

Hooker Brooke Anderson finally scored the first try in the 13th minute, diving over from dummy half, before Tayla Preston converted the try.

Mahalia Barnes, A. Girl and Emma Donovan took to the Accor Stadium turf to entertain fans prior to the NRLW grand final.

Barnes, who is the daughter of Aussie rock royalty Jimmy Barnes, performed hit song 'The Real Thing', originally by Russell Morris alongside Donovan and A. Girl.

Fans were gushing over the performance, calling Barnes 'a chip off the old man's block ... she's amazing.' 

The NRLW grand final between the Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels is now underway.

Both clubs are expansion teams and were huge outsiders to even make the match, with the Eels paying an astonishing $151 to win the flag just weeks ago.

Look for the Knights star props Millie Boyle and Caitlin Johnson to lead the way for Newcastle, while electric Kiwi fullback Gayle Broughton will be one to watch for the Eels.

Jubilant Eels fans have marched from Parramatta Stadium down Church Street to the train station as they make their way to Accor Stadium in Homebush for the club's NRLW and NRL grand finals.

Radio journalist Spiro Christopoulos said there were 'absolute scenes' as he watched the blue and gold army march in waves down Parramatta's main street.

Given it's been a 36-year wait since the last Premiership, it's safe the say the march back will be slightly more rabid if the Eels can get up.   

Welcome to the Daily Mail Australia's live blog of the 2022 NRL Grand Final between the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels!

I'm Kristy Williams from the Daily Mail Australia team, and I'll be on this journey with you until after the final siren as we get set to find out who will be crowned the best team of the 2022 season.

A partly cloudy day with a maximum of 18 degrees is expected out at Homebush, with a small chance of scattered showers and light winds expected.

Kick-off is due at 7.30pm, but in the meantime, kick back and stay updated with our live blog of all the updates and moments you need to know - with the NRLW grand final set to get underway shortly.