Storm v Panthers: NAS fronts judiciary; Sorensen eyes return

History beckons at Accor Stadium on Sunday when the two best teams of the modern era square off in a grand final for the ages.

Defending premiers Penrith will become the first team since the mighty South Sydney Rabbitohs in 1967-71 to appear in five straight grand finals, while minor premiers Melbourne are into their fifth decider in the past nine seasons.

Of the last eight grand finals, dating back to 2016, the Panthers or Storm have appeared in seven of them, a dominance broken only by the Roosters and Raiders in 2019.

Both grand finalists chalked up impressive preliminary final wins but not before the Roosters and Sharks mounted second-half comebacks to give Storm and Panthers fans a few heart flutters.

In the end it was the class of Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster that saw the Storm kick right away from the Roosters, while Nathan Cleary stood tall on Saturday night to sink the Sharks.

Among many mouth-watering match-ups in the decider, the clash of Cleary and Luai against Hughes and Munster will be worth the price of admission alone, while fullbacks Dylan Edwards and Ryan Papenhuyzen are sure to have a huge say.

Both No.1s are past winners of the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the grand final, and both have the class to break the decider open in a heartbeat.

The Panthers had a scare when Cleary clutched his shoulder after making a tackle in the dying stages against the Sharks but he was adamant post-match that he'd be right to play while back-rower Scott Sorensen will look to return from the hamstring injury that has kept him out of the past two games.

Melbourne's drama centres around the judiciary rather than injury, with big man Nelson Asofa-Solomona fronting the judiciary on Monday night seeking a downgrade from Grade 3 to Grade 1 on a dangerous contact charge to allow him to play on Sunday.

The Storm won both meetings between the sides in 2024, shutting the Panthers out in an 8-0 triumph in Round 1 and sneaking home 24-22 at BlueBet Stadium in Round 24 on the back of a late Nick Meaney penalty goal.

Craig Bellamy's men also took the honours in the only grand final played between the sides in 2020, but the Panthers have taken all before them since that night and stand on the verge of history as they look to become the first team since the mighty Dragons (1956-66) to win four premierships on the trot.