History beckons for Panthers, but so must discipline

Penrith's dynasty will rage into a historic fifth consecutive NRL grand final but may not survive another performance like their preliminary final win over Cronulla.

On the run to four - and now five - deciders, the Panthers have made their trademark suffocating opponents with a highly disciplined, highly polished brand of defence-focused football.

That kind of play gives superstar halfback Nathan Cleary a platform to marshal his side into position to score and, more often than not, win grinding games.

Against the Sharks at Accor Stadium on Saturday night, Cleary's brilliance was there for all to see, and was the difference between the two sides.

The halfback sent centre Paul Alamoti over for the first try on the back of his pinpoint 40-20 kick, then found a kick to Brian To'o on the right edge as Penrith finally kicked on after halftime.

Cleary left the game in the final 10 minutes to rest his troublesome left shoulder injury on the sidelines.

But unlike in their signature performances, Cleary worked his magic despite - and not because of - the platform laid in the Panthers' 26-6 win.

The Panthers conceded seven penalties to the Sharks' three and made 11 errors, many of those coming out of territory in slippery conditions.

That kind of platform won't hold up against Melbourne, who have clearly been the best team in 2024 and beat the Panthers in both prior meetings this season.

But the Panthers' saving grace was that Cronulla could not capitalise on errors, and made too many of their own to maintain pressure.

Craig Bellamy's metronomic Storm are unlikely to have those problems.

After Sione Katoa pulled the Sharks back to 10-6 with a try in the corner after 59 minutes, Cronulla were eyeing an upset that had seemed fantastical before kick-off.

But prop forward Oregon Kaufusi spilt the ball as the Sharks rolled upfield following the try, inviting the Panthers upfield to score through To'o.

The Panthers made plenty of errors of their own, but the Sharks could not make them pay.

Liam Martin spilt the ball in the second half when a Mitch Kenny pass hit the deck, but instead of rolling into Penrith territory, the Sharks dropped the ball from the ensuing scrum play.

It came after Martin had spilt the ball coming out of trouble earlier in the field, only a set before Luke Garner did the same. Neither error helped a clunky Cronulla score.

Penrith were shaky coming into the red zone early in the game, Sunia Turuva and Mitch Kenny both rushed into fifth-tackle kicks that the Sharks easily defused.

But up the other end, the Sharks were just as sloppy, with five-eighth Braydon Trindall struggling for the same kind of impact he had in the semi-final win over North Queensland.

The Panthers have a date with history in their fifth straight grand final, the first team to string together a streak that long since 1972.

A win will also make them the first side side the great St George of the 1950s and 1960s, who won 11 straight, to win at least four in a row.

But in the Storm, Penrith have a date with their most formidable foes yet, who are likely to be less forgiving than the Sharks.