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A number of Panthers players came into the finals under injury clouds, none more so than Edwards and winger Brian To’o, who was nursing an ankle issue.

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Courageous victories against the Eels and the Storm appeared to have taken their toll on Edwards, after he was snapped in the lead-up to the Grand Final walking on crutches and with a boot on his right foot.

But a valiant effort from the 25-year-old helped the Panthers ending their 18-year wait for a premiership, and Cleary couldn’t speak highly enough of the bravery on display from his wounded soldiers.

“I just can’t rap the boys enough,” Cleary said. “The courage that these boys have shown, we really couldn’t train the last three weeks as a team, so many guys not training … I think it’s purely on courage that these boys have won this.

“I reckon there was at least five that probably shouldn’t have been playing today. I don’t say that lightly. It was a calculated risk on a lot of boys.

“I actually woke up at 2am this morning and I couldn’t get back to sleep because I was thinking, ‘My god, honestly three or four of them could be gone by 10 minutes into the game)’.

“But it was calculated and they just refused not to play. Fish (James Fisher-Harris), Moses (Leota), Dyl Edwards.

“Dyl Edwards, oh my god, he’s had a broken foot for like a month.

“He has not trained, walked around on crutches every week and then goes out and plays.

“I don’t understand how that can happen but it just sums up the bond.

“We’ve had a lot of guys play injured throughout the season, Bizza (Brian To’o) in particular played twice with a syndesmosis injury and never came off. I remember Tyrone May doing his MCL badly twice and kept playing.

“They just created this culture of unfortunately no one wanted to be the one to put their hand up and say they can’t play.

“It’s hard for me to explain, it’s incredible.”

What makes Edwards’ feat of playing the full 80 minutes with a broken foot even crazier is that he chalked up 217 running metres in the Panthers’ 14-12 victory over the Rabbitohs.

The Panthers escaped with the chocolates when departing Bunnies star Adam Reynolds missed a sideline conversion after Alex Johnston crossed over for a try in the left corner. A failed attempt at a two-point field goal just before the buzzer sealed the result.

A Nathan Cleary penalty goal was all that separated the two sides, as the Panthers halfback also went on to earn the honour of winning the Clive Churchill Medal for the best on ground in the decider.

The Eels’ season, meanwhile, is over in the cruellest of fashions after a controversial blockbuster that had everything.

It was the best game of the season, despite just two tries being scored in the Panthers’ 8-6 victory.

The anguish of losing in such tough, dramatic circumstances was clearly still fresh in Eels coach Brad Arthur’s mind as he showed up to his post-match press conference ready to explode.

He said Penrith coach Ivan Cleary’s “whingeng” to the referees this month was a factor in the moments the Panthers were allowed to get away with causing breaks in play on suspect grounds. Those breaks in play were potentially decisive in the thrilling final moments.

Arthur’s biggest complaint surrounded a point of high drama when Panthers forward Mitch Kenny hobbled off the field right at the moment the Eels were running with momentum looking for the match-winning try in the 76th minute.

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Kenny stayed down and video replays showed he had his ankle stepped on.

The play was stopped while Kenny was helped off the field and was eventually replaced by Tevita Pangai. The stoppage allowed the Panthers’ defence to rest and re-set.

It also allowed the Panthers an opportunity to use a free interchange they still had up their sleeves as a result of Marata Niukore being placed on report for a high tackle earlier.

There was a suggestion on Channel 9 Penrith had already exceeded their number of interchanges, but the truth about the free interchanges was uncovered in the minutes after the game.

The incident had Eels legend Peter Sterling unhappy in the commentary box for Channel 9, but Arthur was entirely seething.

“There’s a lot of disappointed players in the sheds, they’re shattered,” Arthur said.

“You could see they really wanted that.”

When asked if the Kenny stoppage was fair, Arthur responded: “There’s been a bit of complaining over the last couple of weeks and they got what they were after from the back of the whingeing.

“How many stoppages were there tonight? How many when we were starting to get on top? There was a lot. Bunker gets involved. It was a seven-two penalty count. Bunker gets involved for what reasons?

Speaking to reporters after the match, Arthur didn’t mince his words when asked if Ivan Cleary’s complaining about the referees helped Penrith’s causes.

“It might have helped them tonight,” he said.

“That’s alright, I’m proud of the boys, we’ll just get on with it and we’ll go again next year. It is what is. We’ve got to move on, we had out chances.”

Arthur’s comments sparked a war of words to errupt between him and Cleary, who defended his team against accusations of bending the rules with players staying down.

“I don’t understand that. I made a comment (about) what I believe in last week. I don’t know how that helped anyone, I didn’t talk to anyone this week,” he said of the pressure he and Wayne Bennett put on referees last week.

Sterling and Panthers great Brad Fittler were also critical of the decision and the rules that allow medical staff behind play to call an instant halt to play.

Fittler said the rules “encourage” players to stay down.

“The fact is, he was behind the play, it wasn’t a safety issue, it was an ankle injury. You wonder why the game had to be stopped,” he said.

Sterling said the stoppage was “the worst thing that can happen to you” when about to score.

The NRL confirmed after the match that the Panthers will play the Storm at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night for a spot in the grand final.

For 80 minutes, it was complete madness.

For much of those 80 minutes, the Eels could have been thinking they were about to set up a date with the Storm.

Both Parramatta and Penrith deserve to be there, but finals football can be the cruellest of all.

The Eels had no right to still be in the contest in the final 10 minutes after repeatedly denying the Panthers a knockout punch.

Their defence was stubborn and brave to the point of insanity.

It took an other-worldly effort to deny the red-hot Panthers, who threw everything at them.

The Eels even had a chance to win it in the final four minutes when an Api Koroisau knock-on gave them possession camped in their opposition’s red zone.

Just like their own defence had done earlier, the Panthers’ defence was stretched, bashed and bent – but the Eels couldn’t break it down.

The victory is the first time Penrith has ever beaten its biggest rival in a finals match.

Second half: ‘Bad look’ as star takes a dive

Blake Ferguson has come under fire for a shameless attempt to milk a penalty in a moment that had players from both teams running in from everywhere during a messy melee.

The star winger stayed on the ground after a tackle clutching his head before some words from a Panthers star saw him spring to his feet and charge at his opponent.

The moment Ferguson went from his death bed to a raging bull in the space of one second had legends Peter Sterling and Cameron Smith shaking their heads.

“The crusher tackle was not as serious as he was making it out to be. That’s a bad look,” Sterling said on Channel 9.

“That is ridiculous.”

Smith said Ferguson had “milked it beautifully”.

When the dust settled Penrith began to get on top in the arm wrestle, but were being desperately denied by the determined defence from Parramatta.

First half: Panthers star’s ‘nightmare’

Waqa Blake put Parramatta ahead 6-0 after 10 minutes when he made Dylan Edwards pay for a moment that left the Panthers fullback red-faced.

It wasn’t the last time the Penrith star had his pants pulled down in the first half as a result of terrifying high kicks from Mitchell Moses.

A soaring bomb from Moses swirled menacingly in the air and Edwards paid the ultimate price for letting the Steeden bounce.

The ball bounced into the path of Blake, who scooped it up and charged to the try-line untouched.

The Eels’ defence had repeatedly denied the Panthers when camped inside their red zone, but they were finally blown over by a touch of class from Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary.

Cleary tied the game up at 6-6 when his perfect grubber sat up nicely for Kurt Capewell.

It was just the start of the drama as both the Eels and Panthers squandered opportunities to score.

Edwards was lucky not to cough up another try when he spilled another Moses bomb that was picked up by the Eels and ended up with Blake diving over the try line in the corner.

Edwards was saved by a forward pass by Clinton Gutherson before it ended up in Blake’s hands.

“Dylan Edwards is having a nightmare tonight,” Eels legend Peter Sterling said on Channel 9.

In the end it was only a penalty goal from Cleary in the 40th minute that separated the two teams.

Pressure is mounting on Maguire as the club ponders another wasted season, which saw the Tigers finish 13th on the ladder with only eight wins to their name.

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The club has missed out on finals action for a 10th straight year, continuing the longest finals drought of any team in the NRL.

It had been thought Maguire might have done enough to save his job, but last weekend’s 38-0 thrashing at the hands of wooden-spooners Canterbury placed the coach firmly on the chopping block.

The Tigers have now launched a much-criticised post-season review, with Maguire’s position under heavy scrutiny.

The experienced coach has won titles with Wigan in the Super League (2010) and with South Sydney in the NRL (2014), but he has struggled to produce results during his three years in charge at the Tigers.

Reynolds, who now plays for Hull FC in the Super League after spending three years at the Tigers, argues Maguire has struggled to find a system that best suits his playing group.

“They’re (Tigers) at a bit off a crossroads,” Reynolds told Sky Sports Radio’s The Big Sports Breakfast.

“They either stick with Madge, but then they haven’t really bought too many different players … they brought Jackson Hastings in and I think he will add a bit to the squad, but not sure where he’s going to play.

“Me and Madge had a very honest relationship. He was honest with me … but I don’t think sometimes the way he wants to play suits the Tigers team.

“I had this conversation with one of the boys over here today about Madge when he was with the Wigan side.

“He said, when you had (Sam) Tomkins out the back of the play, that the Tigers are playing — he was unstoppable when they won the competition (in 2010). It obviously suited that Wigan side, but I don’t think it suits the Tigers.”

Reynolds defended the players including halfback Luke Brooks and said the constant criticism of the side’s lack of spark in attack should not fall squarely on the playing group.

The 32-year-old also believes the Tigers may decide to cut ties with Maguire and look for another coach.

“It’s a confidence thing, all they (Tigers) hear about is not making the semis,” Reynolds said.

“I think personally they still have got a fairly good squad. Whether Madge is the man there or if they go in another direction.

“Even the players, the players probably want some to change. You’ve got guys like (Luke) Brooks there — he gets the blame a lot of the time for a lot of their woes, but I watch him play and he puts his body on the line body puts his heart on the line. He cops a lot of the brunt.

“You’ve got to put players around him, I think his best footy is ahead of him.”

Mitchell will miss the rest of the season while serving a six-game ban for the high tackle that caused multiple fractures in Manu’s face and Rothfield believes Mitchell needs to address the way he plays the game.

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“It was such a horrible moment and a really sinister addition to this Rabbitohs and Roosters rivalry that has been in action since day one when rugby league began in this country,” Yvonne Sampson said on NRL 360.

“Phil Rothfield you have called Latrell Mitchell out of control. How serious is the fallout from what we saw on Friday?”

Phil Rothfield: “My initial reaction and I’ve been watching footy a long time and there has probably been half a dozen instances in that time that have made me sick in my stomach,” Rothfield said.

“I know Joey Manu and I know what a beautiful bloke he is. Very gentle and almost too nice to play rugby league. But when I saw that I felt sick I really did.

“To see his cheekbone and then the photos on the front of The Sunday Telegraph the next day.

“The tackle was careless, reckless and was intentional. My view is there was intent there to hurt.

“I have got no doubt that he launched himself in a manner with intent to hurt.”

James Hooper: “I disagree with that Phil, it was reckless.”

“It was absolutely reckless for a brief millisecond, but intent is a very strong word and a tough thing to prove.”

PR: “There was intent to hurt in that tackle.”

Paul Kent: “I’m with Buzz for what it’s worth.

“I think he went in to hurt him. I don’t think he went in to hit him in the face, but he certainly went in with a shoulder charge action and brought the arm around late and I don’t think there was a lot of care there at all.

“He got hit with a reckless tackle. A reckless grade two. He could have got reckless grade three I would have been more than comfortable with.

“The silliness of the judicial system is you almost never get an intentional charge these days because it is hard to prove, but certainly there is a high degree of recklessness in that tackle and there was little care.”

YS: “I think there was a deliberate move to drive, I honestly don’t think he wanted to hurt Joey Manu.”

PK: “No one is suggesting he wanted to smash his face.

JH: “Hang on you guys just said it was intentional, which one is it?”

PK: “Every time you put a shot on someone you are going in to hurt them.

“That’s what you do. You go in to hurt them. You go in to drive your shoulder and hit them as hard as you can.”

JH: “But you are not going in to deliberately break someone’s cheekbone.”

PK: “No, but he went in with intention to hurt and that intent brought recklessness to his actions.”

“That’s why his action was reckless because the degree of accountability and care to his opponent was supposed to be taken into account. It didn’t happen.

“There was no duty of care whatsoever. That’s why he went in to hurt him and when he had a choice to make whether to lessen the tackle as part of a duty of care or to keep going he kept going.”

Rothfield believes you only have to look at Mitchell’s past indiscretions to know that he has to drastically change his fiery approach to contact, sparking another debate among the NRL 360 panel.

PR: “When you look at intent you look at priors.

“You look at how he lashed out at Nofoaluma earlier in the year with an elbow.”

JH: “That was pretty light.”

PR: “He got four weeks for it.”

PK: “It wasn’t light hang on.

PR: “He lashed out with his boot at Luke Garner.

JH: “That was worse than the karate chop.”

PR: “You wrote about how he lashed out and broke AJ Brimson’s jaw kicking out in a tackle and I’m convinced that wasn’t deliberate.”

PK: “When he hits Nofoaluma he hits him with the bony part of his forearm and Nofoaluma to his credit did not make a big song and dance about it, but privately told people after it had all settled down that he thought his jaw was broken.”

JH: “I thought when he kicked out at Garner was worse.

“If he collects Garner there guaranteed some sort of facial fracture.”

PK: “But there is an if in that statement Hoops.

“There is no if in whether he hit Nofoaluma. He hit him with the bone of his forearm. You hit anyone across the jaw with that it is going to sting you.”

JH: “There is very light contact there.

PK: “Oh come on, you would have a fortnight off if that was you.”

Rothfield believes Mitchell needs to work on his anger management issues or risk letting his team down in the future and tarnishing his legacy in the game.

YS: “To your point Buzz about Latrell being an egomaniac, Latrell is now the most heavily suspended player that we have this season.

“He has been out now for 10 weeks. Nearest to him is Radley and Ravalawa and they have got eight. The rap sheet is really long now for Latrell. Does he have to take stock and work out what kind of player he wants to be?”

PR: “He is the biggest turnstile clicker in the game and you turn the television on as much as Tom Trbojevic or anyone to watch Latrell play.

“But I think he has anger management problems. I think he is playing angry. What convinced me is when he wasn’t sent off and when he scored that try the manner in which he slammed the ball into the ground and he could have hit somebody. He was saying up yours after what he did to Joey Manu.

“He was so unapologetic. There was so much lack of remorse in it. I just think the way he has carried himself, despite having great mentors in Freddy Fittler, Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson the year before. I think he is an angry man and I can’t recognise what it is.”

Originally published as Journos clash over Latrell Mitchell hit that ‘made me sick to my stomach’

Chasing the 1975 Eastern Suburbs record of 19 wins on the trot, the Storm were error riddled and complacent in the first half before big guns Cameron Munster and Harry Grant turned it on after a halftime rev-up by coach Craig Bellamy to secure a 34-20 win.

Melbourne lost winger George Jennings who reaggravated the PCL in his left knee, but the Storm got a huge lift from starting fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, who had his best game since returning from a lengthy concussion layoff.

Bellamy fired the first pre-finals warning shot to rivals by resting powerhouses Justin Olam and Brandon Smith for the Titans clash, along with giving Dale Finucane and Jahrome Hughes an extra week’s rest after both suffered concussions the previous week against Canberra.

It was a sign the premiership and not the record was paramount.

There are remarkable parallels with the Roosters team of 1975 with Melbourne winning the opening game of the season, losing the next two and then winning 19 in a row just as Eastern Suburbs did.

The only symmetry that will matter for Bellamy now though is if his team can go back-to-back as the Roosters of 1974/75 did.

Munster magic

Munster said during the week that the Storm probably needed to have a loss before the finals to reignite their premiership tilt, and he almost got his way as the Titans led 16-12 at halftime thanks to a double by rookie fullback Jayden Campbell.

It was the mercurial Storm five-eighth, who in reality hates losing, that got them going in the second half. He burrowed over to score early and was heavily involved in tries to Josh Addo-Carr and Nicho Hynes to stamp his class on the match. When Munster cut through to set Addo-Carr up for his 23rd try of the year, it was game over.

Paps power

Playing his first starting game at fullback since Magic Round, last year’s Clive Churchill Medal winner showed glimpses of his best. Papenhuyzen ran with confidence for 130m, but it was his two line break assists and try assist that showed he had his timing in attack back. Bellamy now has the great headache of whether to start Papenhuyzen or Hynes, who played halfback, in the custodian’s role.

Titans tightrope

The Titans, who lost co-captain Kevin Proctor to a shoulder injury, have not beaten a current top six side this year but are still provisionally inside the top eight with their finals hopes hanging in the balance. Remarkably, if all the favourites win this round they will still be in the eight at the end of round 23, but next Thursday’s clash with Newcastle on the Sunshine Coast is now a do or die showdown.

The Tigers have struggled this season but remain in the hunt for finals, needing to win at least three out of the last four games of the season to have any chance of securing a spot in the top eight.

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A new documentary series produced by Fox Sports and Kayo — Wild Wests: Tales from Tiger Town — has shed new light on the Tigers tumultuous season with fly-on-the-wall footage in the Tigers’ dressing room and coach’s box.

And after the second episode aired on Monday night, featuring a string of mid-season losses and a sole win over St George Illawarra, experts have noticed a glaring issue with the Tigers.

Coach Michael ‘Madge’ Maguire is constantly seen trying to rev up his players with motivational speeches in the sheds before the game and at halftime.

More often than not, each match ends with him tearing shreds off his troops for their lacklustre performances and for showing a lack of intent and determination on the field.

But Elias, who was part of the legendary Balmain Tigers side in the 1980s and early 1990s, believes more leadership should be coming from the players instead of the coach.

“On game day, I’m a little bit surprised at how much the coach needs to speak because I think you do all your speaking and hard work Monday to Friday and on match day, you turn up and you really don’t need any more,” he told Fox League’s NRL 360.

“To see him go down and use the microphone so often has really surprised me because as a player, all I need is my mate Blocker (Roach) or Junior (Wayne Pearce) or Siro (Paul Sironen) or my teammates whisper: ‘BE I’m going to be on your left or right hand side, my shoulder’s no good, please protect me’ and that was it.

“The speeches at halftime or before the game — if you’re not prepared and you need to be motivated, you’re in trouble.

“The way Madge the coach talks, is the way the players should be feeling and believing and acting.

“He’s the one that has the passion. He’s the one that’s ready to go out on the paddock and rip shreds off the opposition.

“That is the impact of the coach, but it should really be the player having that attitude.

“I was fortunate to be coached by some great coaches — Gus Gould, Warren Ryan, Bob Fulton, Jack Gibson — they never screamed.”

NRL 360 host Paul Kent agreed the Tigers are desperate for a player to take responsibility and take some of the burden off Maguire’s shoulders.

“Michael Maguire is the lone voice in that dressing room because they’re crying out for leaders, for blokes to stand up and be men and commit themselves,” he said.

Roach said in his playing days, he received feedback best when it came from a teammate, but the Tigers are lacking a leader within the playing group.

“When I was playing … honestly, I didn’t hear anything the coach said at halftime,” he said.

“Yelling and screaming, I’m telling you, it doesn’t work.

“You need leaders. James Tamou — at the back end of his career, I hear him in the media saying, ‘I’m going to get in there and tell them what to do’, but the poor bloke didn’t get to do it (in the win against the Bulldogs).

“He didn’t play in the first half, he played five or six minutes in the second half.

“So if that’s your leader and that’s the person leading the way — trying to tell you what we should be doing next, the next job, all that sort of stuff — you’re in trouble, because he’s not on the field.”

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Maguire’s expletive-filled speeches in the documentary after losses to the Cowboys and Titans didn’t go unnoticed by Newcastle Knights legend Matty Johns either.

“What struck me — and it’s a huge problem for Madge and the Wests Tigers — it’s the lack of a really strong standout leader in their playing ranks,” he told The Matty Johns podcast.

“Because when you have at least one strong leader in the playing ranks, the coach has to do less talking.

“What you see in the sheds at halftime and before the games is just Madge talking.

“Madge has got to fill the void. No one standing up in the playing ranks laying down the law.

“If there isn’t a strong leader among the players then the coach has to do 90 per cent of the talking and that’s what burns players out.”

Queensland-based band Sheppard filled the pregame entertainment honours in Brisbane, playing their omnipresent 2014 track ‘Geronimo’ to Suncorp Stadium.

Their debut album Bombs Away hit No. 2 on the ARIAs album charts, with the lead single spending three weeks at No. 1.

Considering the near-impossible logistics of providing stellar live audio to viewers at home, the band didn’t sound half bad. But, as always, the official #Origin Twitter handle lit up once the six-piece took the stage with punters sharing a piece of their mind about the NRL’s pre-game entertainment choice.

Again, it really depends who you talk to. For some, ‘Geronimo’ is a beautifully carefree tune reminiscent of days in the sun as a teenager. For others, it’s just another shamelessly clean-cut example of where pop music went horribly wrong.

As mentioned after Game I, it’s fair play to Sheppard. With gigs scarce post-Covid, booking a 5-minute slot warming up Origin in Queensland is a goose egg Aussie musicians can’t pass up, even with the expected social media baggage that follows.

The general consensus appeared to be against the pop mainstays performing at yet another Australian sporting event, after recently having played at halftime for the 2020 AFL Grand Final.

“It’s really a dream come true, we’ve been watching Origin since I moved to Brisbane for boarding school,” lead singer and keyboardist George Sheppard told 4bc radio on Saturday.

“We used to get together in the boarding house, it was a huge event. Now I’m apart of it, it’s a real pinch yourself type moment.

“(The AFL Grand Final) was next-level. We got to pretend to be Coldplay for a moment,” he said.

“When the industry fell off a cliff in 2020, we just felt so lucky to be able to do something like that.”

When asked where the inspiration for the title track of their upcoming LP Kaleidoscope Eyes came from, Sheppard referenced his own lyrics and not the recurring line in Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds made famous by The Beatles.

“How do you come up with all of those titles?!” Sheppard was asked.

“Well, Kaleidoscope Eyes is actually a lyric in the first track of the album,” he replied. “I just thought it summed up the entire album and summed up what we were trying to say, and the thematic tone of the thing.”

Sgt. Pepper has entered the chat.

WWOS reported the story with the 27-year-old Penrith Panthers star reportedly verbally agreeing to the deal from the 2022 season.

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It’s a massive signing for the Broncos who are at “rock bottom” having claimed the club’s first wooden spoon last year and currently sitting in 16th in 2021.

Capewell, who will line up in the centres in Sunday’s second State of Origin match, has become one of the NRL’s most impressive back rowers despite an injury hit 2020.

He debuted for Queensland in last seasons’ shock series win.

Capewell previously played 65 games over four seasons for the Cronulla Sharks before linking with the Panthers and going to the Grand Final.

It comes just under 24 hours since incoming head of football Ben Ikin told Fox League’s NRL 360 in his final episode as host that Capewell was top of his wishlist when he linked with the club.

“Jeez it’d be good to get him,” Ikin said.

“I just think as a Queenslander and a guy who lives the standards you want coming out of a good system, he’d be a magnificent pick-up.”

It’s interesting timing for a signing however with coach Kevin Walters under pressure, reports of a player revolt within the team and eight more players reportedly set to be moved on from the team.

On Tuesday, The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast that Alex Glenn, John Asiata, Dale Copley, Ben Te’o, Jamayne Isaako, Brodie Croft, Corey Oates and Richie Kennar are all on the outer.

This comes after reports that Tevita Pangai Jr., Anthony Milford and Matt Lodge have all been told they can look elsewhere.

Lodge hit back at the club saying if they don’t want him, seeing he’s contracted until 2024, they have to sort out a transfer, according to The Courier Mail.

It comes as criticism continues on the Broncos and coach Walters allowing Reece Walsh to walk, as he now prepares for his State of Origin debut after just seven first grade games with the New Zealand Warriors.

Walters has also faced criticism from within after reports of a player revolt.

Players reportedly told the newspaper Walters was “awkward” with his communication, “vague and inconsistent in his messaging” as well as failing to deliver feedback.

The Broncos have also been linked to the likes of Josh Hodgson, Dale Finucane and Jaydn Su’A, having already secured the services of unwanted Souths half Adam Reynolds and Storm centre Brenko Lee, while Broncos gun Kotoni Staggs has also re-signed.

Trbojevic is in imperious form at club level and helped himself to three tries in New South Wales’ Game One win earlier this month.

Tate says the boys from north of the Tweed will be “shaking” at the prospect of another Tommy Turbo onslaught in the second game of the series this Sunday.

“We’ve got a huge task at hand,” Tate said on Monday night’s episode of NRL Tonight.

“The form of Tommy Turbo alone … I’d be shaking in my boots if I was the Queensland coach, Paul Green. His form is just unbelievable.”

As prolific as Trbojevic was in Game One, his partner in the centres, Latrell Mitchell, proved almost as deadly, crossing the stripe for two tries of his own.

Asked whether he had any advice for Maroons centres Dane Gagai and Kurt Capewell in playing opposite Mitchell and Trbojevic, Tate was almost lost for words.

“I would be afraid, very afraid. Those two guys are in unbelievable form,” he said with a laugh.

“One thing you have to do if you’re Gagai and Kurt Capewell, you’ve just got to be aggressive. You’ve got to get up on them and try and limit their time.

“Every time you go into a tackle with those two, you have to go in wanting to crease them and fold them in half because if you don’t, you, more often than not, end up on your backside.

“That’s the attitude they’re going to need to have come Sunday night.”

Tate’s candid admission comes after Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans conceded that the Maroons “don’t have the answers yet” to stopping the barnstorming centres in blue.

“How do you stop them? We don’t have the answers yet do we but I believe we will when we get into camp,” he said on Sunday night.

“They are playing ad lib and they are playing off the back of momentum.

“There are ways we can stop that momentum. There are things we didn’t do in the first game that I think will help us in the second game.”

Compounding the Maroons’ woes, Kalyn Ponga and Harry Grant have been ruled out through injury bringing seven-game rookie Reece Walsh and Dragons veteran Andrew McCullough into the line-up.

Despite the changes, Tate says he is confident the Maroons will turn up in Game Two with a point to prove and will use past contests to inspire them.

“It’s not the first time that Queensland are going to go into a match complete underdogs and not having a team that’s going to compete on paper with New South Wales,” he said.

“It’s going to be a huge task for Queensland but our history has been built on these sorts of things.”

The NRL club’s spiritual home ground in Sydney’s west is set to be transformed under the NSW government’s $850 million spending spree.

It was first reported Thursday night construction on a new stadium is scheduled to begin in December, 2022.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the Panthers would likely be forced to find a new home ground for two seasons before walking into their new home ground for the start of the 2025 NRL season.

The report indicates the project will cost the taxpayer at least $200 million and costs could blow out to as much as $300 million.

It is the first major announcement to be made after the NSW government last year backflipped on plans to demolish Stadium Australia at Sydney Olympic Park.

The $850 million is instead being turned towards boutique stadiums across Sydney, with Brookvale Oval and the Dragons’ home stadium at Kogarah among the sites competing for a slice of the pie.

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro at the time said the success of Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta showed why the government changed its position.

“The government has an appetite for the ground renewal program that the NRL has put forward,” Barilaro said.

“I think we’re going back to basics, back to the past where that tribalism is actually what the competition needs in a way. We’re seeing upgrades at Brookvale, you’ve got the Parramatta stadium. If we’ve got an opportunity to do three or four or five more Bankwests, well that’s got to be great for the game long term, great for the community and great for that competition.”