NRL grand final scores, stats and news: Penrith Panthers defeat Brisbane Broncos to claim third-straight title after Nathan Cleary magic

Sport can be cruel and beautiful in equal measure and in these contests it always is.

Those Broncos didn't deserve this, but these Panthers absolutely deserved what they got.

There are no draws on the last day of the season, so someone is going home in tears.

If Penrith didn't lose this one, they may never lose again. For Brisbane, this will either be the making of them or their undoing.

Either way, we're lucky that we got to witness sporting history tonight.

Thanks for hanging out with me to watch. I'll see you next time!

One is hard, two is brutal, three in a row was supposed to be impossible.

It hasn't been done since the Parramatta Eels in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Some teams that couldn't do it:

• The great Brisbane teams of the 1990s and 2000s
• Canberra in the 1980s and 1990s
• The Bulldogs of the 80s
• The legal and illegal Melbourne Storm sides and their Manly rivals
• Trent Robinson's Roosters

Luke Lewis, who won a premiership with Penrith in 2003 and was the Clive Churchill medallist with Cronulla in 2016, says on ABC Sport he can see this team winning three more. And honestly, you wouldn't bet against them at this point.

They're young, athletic, talented and, as tonight proved yet again, as mentally tough as anyone.

They almost did this except harder in the 2020 grand final but tonight, with three more years of experience (and bruises) pulled it off this time.

Excuse me if any of this is gibberish. I know it's my job, but I'm still kind of in shock.

Of course he was all over the entire comeback, but this was

Strength, speed, footwork, skill and, most importantly the mental strength and resilience. He NEVER believes he's beaten and when he plays like this, he never is.

For the second time in their past two grand finals, the Brisbane Broncos are broken.

"It's still hard to comprehend from where we were, but that's rugby league," Broncos coach Kevin Walters tells ABC Sport.

"It can be a nasty game.

"It shouldn't finish like that sometimes."

In a heartbreaking contrast to the Cleary boys, Kevin Walters has to pick up his distraught son, Billy.

The Panthers coach says he "can't put into words" exactly how that happened.

"All the training all the sacrifices and the belief. I don't know how that happened. We were in all sorts," he tells ABC Sport.

"They looked every bit as athletic and dangerous as we hoped they wouldn't.

"It didn't look great. Every time they had the ball they looked 10 feet tall.

"Sometimes the closer you are to the end you can start worrying about the result and maybe that's what they did."

This mountain of a man, this legend of the sport at just 25 years of age has won the Clive Churchill Medal for the second time, adding to his 2021 honour.

Even, nay especially, with Jarome Luai sidelined and Isaah Yeo off for 15 minutes with an HIA, Nathan Cleary grabbed this team and said "come with me". And boy did they.

He finishes with a try (the match-winner), two try assists, 162 run metres, four goals, four tackle breaks, two line breaks and 660 kicking metres.

The finish to that game might be the greatest 25-minute stretch of individual rugby league football I've ever witnessed.

"Hardest game I've ever played," Cleary says on the podium, praising the Broncos and Ezra Mam in particular, as "a freak".

"They're easily the most dangerous team in the NRL," he tells ABC Sport.

"Ezra and Reece made me look stupid a couple of times."

Arguments about the title of "world champions" notwithstanding, you can't argue against Jarome Luai's proclamation.

"Best team in the world," Luai tells ABC Sport.

Certainly in the NRL right now, and maybe ever.

"No-one gave 'em a chance, but we believed on the sideline," Luai says.

"I still can't believe it."

What a truly phenomenal comeback by this unbelievable team.

It was 24-8 when Ezra Mam scored his third try in the 54th minute. And still it felt like the Broncos had given them too much time.

And so it proved.

Even, actually especially, with Jarome Luai sidelined by injury and Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary grabbed this time by the scruff of the neck and said "come with me" to triple premiership glory.

The Brisbane Broncos are on the wrong side of yet another heartbreaker in yet another one of the greatest grand finals ever that they absolutely will never want to hear about again.

They have to go short off the kick-off, which has been fraught with peril so far tonight.

Penrith regather! They'll truck it up and boot long.

There was nothing happening when the ball went to the short side, but he stood up his opposite number Adam Reynolds, then Billy Walters, then Reece Walsh to dot down under the posts.

Nathan Cleary will convert from right in front of the uprights.

Penrith are in front 26-24 with less than two minutes to play.

Brisbane finally land one in the field of play, but Penrith is surging from 30m out.

Reynolds tries the 40/20 on the fourth but Brian To'o is awake to it. Penrith attack from their own 30m line.

The Broncos are rushing Penrith with their defence, and it ends with Crichton trying to chip again under pressure, and this time Cobbo makes a superb reflex catch.

But the Broncos still have a mountain of work to get out of danger.

This time it's out on the full! Nathan Cleary with another clutch catch with his foot in touch.

Stephen Crichton pulls off a brilliant chip and he and Sunia Turuva (with some helpful knees) pin Reece Walsh in the in-goal for a forced dropout

They can't go short again can they?

He's scythed through them on halfway and gets the Broncos going forward.

But the fifth-tackle option falls apart.

The Storm led 26-0 in the 52nd minute in 2020 when the Panthers started their comeback in that one.

They ended up losing 26-20, but this time the equation is easier and they have more time.

Speed and power from the Penrith centre, getting outside Kotoni Staggs, holding him off and finishing through an admittedly poor cover tackle from Reece Walsh.

Nathan Cleary converts. The Broncos still lead, but it's squeaky bum time at 24-20.