‘Greatest the game has seen’: Cleary-Luai GOAT call as pundits ‘in awe’ of ‘best ever’ Panthers

Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai have been labelled the greatest halves pairing of all-time as legends lauded the Penrith Panthers as one of history’s greatest ever teams.

Johns believes Cleary and Luai solidified their legacy as the best halves partnership to ever do it after their fourth straight title.

“We spoke about it before the game. Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, the greatest halves combination the game has seen. Look at the record,” Johns said on Channel 9.

Andrew Voss believes the Storm were the best team of 2024, but the Panthers cemented their legacy as one of the best teams ever.

“The best team in the competition in 2024 did not win the grand final, but clearly the best team on the night won,” Voss said on SEN radio. Matt Russell praised Ivan Cleary for his brilliant game plan that undid the best attacking team in the NRL in 2024.

“Penrith with in the big game with their experience over the last three years, they just controlled it,” Russell said. “And it was pointed out by many people Ivan Cleary take a bow. Just turning your forwards back inside straight down the middle against a team that had lost Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

“If there was a question mark over the Storm it was their forward pack, so let’s gas them through the middle and then this brilliant spine won’t have the platform to perform. Very simple, very effective and it worked.”

Voss was in awe of the Panthers and believes they are now the best team he has ever seen. “They weren’t perfect Penrith, but they had a game plan that they stuck at,” Voss said. “I think it proves that if you speak to the inner sanctum at Penrith they never look at the scoreboard.

“We play this way whether we are 12-0 down or 12-0 up. And they kept doing it. “I was in awe of the Panthers last night. Are they the best side I have ever seen? Maybe they are. Like seriously, they are sensational.”

The Panthers were lauded as one of the greatest teams of all time after claiming their fourth straight NRL premiership.

Not since the great 11-in-a-row Dragons team has a team won four titles in a row with Immortal Andrew Johns declaring “we’ll never see this again.”

Liam Martin ended the night with the Clive Churchill Medal around his neck but there were plenty of standout Panthers right across the night.

Isaah Yeo was his typically brilliant self, running for 174 metres and making 33 tackles, while Paul Alamoti saved the greatest game of his young career for the biggest stage.

Yet it was the Penrith halves that stole the show, with Johns also declaring the partnership of Cleary and Tigers-bound Jarome Luai to be the greatest we’ve ever seen in the post-game coverage.

As a duo at club land Luai and Cleary have reached five grand finals, winning four, a simply remarkable feat for the duo who are still in their mid-20s.

Speaking post-game, Phil Gould – who masterminded the current Panthers dynasty over a decade ago – explained what made this current Penrith side special.

“To consider a team winning four premierships in a row the way they have in a salary cap era, I mean that’s unheard of,” Gould said.

“They’ve lost a lot of players over the last few years but they keep developing kids through. They have recruited strategically.

“The thing about the team is the resilience is the toughness of the team, the mental toughness of the team, the mental toughness of the team and this brilliant defensive system that they’ve got.”

Storm legend Cameron Smith, whose final NRL appearance came during Penrith’s last grand final defeat, labelled Ivan Cleary’s side as “one of the best sides that have ever played our game.”

Smith noted that after that defeat he knew there was something brilliant brewing at the foot of the mountains.

“Watching them go about their business that season I felt that way. I felt they were a special line-up, had something special line-up, had something special particularly with a group of young men starting out together,” Smith said.

“Seeing the disappointment in their faces after the 2020 defeat, I knew they were hungry and they’ve shown they were hungry.”

Gould, meanwhile, paid tribute to the Storm, believing that any other side would’ve suffered a heavier defeat at the hands of this Penrith side.

“To keep the Melbourne Storm to six points, I mean a measly try out of dummy-half over the course of 80 minutes, where every other team in the competition doesn’t even get close to containing the Melbourne Storm attack,” he said.

“They virtually blotted the Melbourne Storm out of the contest. They kept at their own end of the field, gave them very little opportunities. They applied so much pressure.

“Full credit to the Melbourne Storm. I think if the Panthers play any other team tonight they win by 40 or 50 but the Melbourne Storm were gritty themselves.

“This is a very, very special group of players.” Cleary, who ran for 118 metres, broke six tackles and created two tries, while making 25 tackles despite having a busted shoulder, was singled out for praise from Johns following the full time whistler after he was questioned by Maroons coach Billy Slater.

“Andrew, he is not even 30 yet. Where does this man sit among the great playmakers of the game?” Slater asked.

“He is right up there. We will judge him when he finishes,” Johns said.

“Fingers crossed, let’s hope that injury doesn’t stop him. We all know his greatness now. Judging at the end of his career, you know where he is going.”