The Penrith Panthers became the first team in four decades to win three straight National Rugby League titles after a remarkable comeback over the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday.
Trailing 24-8 midway through the second half, the Panthers stormed home with three tries to prevail 26-24 in front of 82,000 fans at Stadium Australia on a warm Sydney evening.
The Parramatta Eels were the last team to win a hat-trick of titles, from 1981-83.
"This doesn't feel real, feels like a dream," said star Nathan Cleary, who scored the match-winning try in the 76th minute.
"We were down but never out, that is our mentality."
The Broncos have not won a title since 2006, the longest drought in the club's history.
The underdogs looked set for a boilover when 20-year-old Ezra Mam scored three tries in a dynamic 10-minute burst early in the second half.
But the Broncos were held scoreless for the last 26 minutes to be left stunned.
"We let that one slip," Broncos captain Adam Reynolds said.
"Can't fault the effort, just lapses of concentration. It's a hard one to take."
The temperature hovered around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) when the match started, with the early exchanges dominated by dogged defence from both teams.
Penrith's Mitch Kenny broke the stalemate when he scored a try in the 17th minute.
The Broncos were saved from a scoreless first half when Thomas Flegler crossed just before the interval.
The fleet-footed Mam took over when play resumed and burst through the Panthers' defence to score a brilliant try.
Mam quickly added two more tries to cap the Broncos' run of 24 unanswered points.
But a try to Moses Leota ignited the Panthers, who fought back superbly to clinch their fifth title.
Earlier, the Newcastle Knights successfully defended their NRL Women's title with a 24-18 victory over the Gold Coast Titans in searing heat.
The Knights overran a tiring Titans and continued their remarkable domination of the competition since finishing last in 2021.
tl/pbt
