NRL Grand Final: What time does the game start, how can I watch the Storm and Panthers go head-to-head
They have been the two standout teams all year and fans are set to witness what promises to be an epic showdown between minor premiers the Melbourne Storm, and three-time reigning premiers the Penrith Panthers chasing their fourth consecutive NRL grand final win.
The Storm were clinical in dispatching one of the league’s powerhouse clubs, the Sydney Roosters, at home on Melbourne’s AAMI Park on Friday night, before the Panthers eventually wore down a brave Cronulla Sharks outfit with the aid of some Nathan Cleary brilliance.
Both sides booked their spots in the big dance but at some cost, with Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona ruled out of the match after being found guilty of a high shot on Roosters enforcer Lindsay Collins.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Asofa-Solomona has been stood down by the NRL judiciary and will miss the grand final, plus the first four weeks of the 2025 competition after contesting the charge on Monday night.
Panthers playmaker Nathan Cleary is the talk of the build up after he left the field on Saturday night with an apparent shoulder injury.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said on Friday after the win that he did not believe the Asofa-Solomona tackle warranted a suspension.
“I didn’t think it was a sin bin. Penalty, I thought it was fair enough, but that’s just me.
“I’ve seen it live and seen one replay, and that was my impression … I didn’t think there was a whole lot in it.”
Cleary put on a brave face after the match on Saturday night saying his shoulder injury would not hold him back leading into the grand final.
“It’s all good [shoulder injury], just a little knock at the end but I ended up playing out the next two sets and it felt fine. It was always gonna be one of those things, it probably wasn’t amazing or 100 per cent, but I felt confident.”
“Tonight was fine, I wasn’t even thinking about it. Even after that little incident, I played the next two sets and was sweet.” Cleary added.
NRL grand final teams
Melbourne Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Lazarus Vaalepu 17. Alec MacDonald 18. Grant Anderson 19. Joe Chan 20. Kane Bradley 21. Tepai Moeroa 22. Sualauvi Faalogo.
Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Brad Schneider 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Matt Eisenhuth 18. Casey McLean 19. Scott Sorensen 20. Trent Toelau 21. Daine Laurie 22. Luke Sommerton
The NRL grand final day schedule
- 1pm (AEDT): Gates open at ACCOR Stadium, Sydney
- 1:20pm: NRL State Championship grand final kickoff
- 3:20pm: NRLW grand final pre-game show
- 3:55pm: NRLW Telstra Women’s Premiership grand final kickoff
- 6:30pm: NRL grand final pre-game show
- 7:30pm: NRL Telstra Premiership grand final kickoff - Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers
Where and when can I watch the NRL grand final day coverage?
The 2024 NRL and NRLW Telstra Premiership grand finals will be broadcast exclusively live on Channel 9 and 9Now throughout Australia and internationally.
The NRL grand final kicks off at 7.30pm (AEDT) in New South Wales, 6:30pm (AEDT) in Queensland, 6pm (ACDT) in South Australia and 4.30pm (AWDT) in Western Australia.
The commentary team for the NRL grand final coverage
Nine’s NRL coverage for the grand final features host James Bracey with an expert panel of NRL premiership winners.
Mat Thompson will commentate the main event while NRL legends Andrew Johns and Billy Slater will provide special comments. Brad Fittler and Danika Mason will provide additional commentary from the sidelines.
Greats of the game Cameron Smith, Paul Gallen, Jonathon Thurston, Darren Lockyer, Paul Vautin and Sonny Bill Williams are also set to join the coverage, too.
Veteran commentator Phil Gould — a stalwart of Grand Final coverage — was set to be on the broadcast line-up but was omitted at the 11th hour after allegations of bias were levelled against him.
Gould is of course a former Panthers player and premiership coach and was general manager of the club.
He will instead call the 12.20pm game between the NSW and Queensland reserve grade clubs, the Newtown Jets and Norths Devils.
Other voices in the broadcast teams throughout the day will include international rugby league representatives Ruan Sims and Allana Ferguson, reporter Emma Lawrence on the sidelines, plus commentators, Brenton Speed and Peter Psaltis.
What is the entertainment at ACCOR Stadium on NRL grand final day?
Australian star and enthusiastic rugby league supporter The Kid LAROI will perform as the headline act at this year’s NRL grand final.
“The biggest day in Australian sport just got bigger with the announcement that Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum chart-topping global superstar The Kid LAROI will headline the 2024 NRL and NRLW Telstra Premiership grand final entertainment,” an NRL statement said.
“A proud Kamilaroi man and die-hard South Sydney Rabbitohs fan (The Kid LAROI) grew up in Sydney’s southern suburbs.
“Bursting onto the scene in 2021, The Kid LAROI’s ‘Stay’ and ‘Without You’ combined boast over four billion streams on Spotify and peaked at No.1 in multiple countries including the US.”
Who is the favourite to win the NRL Grand Final and Clive Churchill Medal?
Such is the form of these two great sides that the weight of money can’t split the two teams about starting prices with the bookmakers.
TAB’s odds guru Gerard Daffy says they can’t split the two teams, and in turn, have offered up opening prices of $1.90 for both.
“The Panthers were favourites for most of the year, only wavering slightly when Nathan Cleary was out injured for a while,” Daffy said.
“They are always going to be favourite or equal favourite in the big games because of the Nathan Cleary factor.
“He could come onto the field for the grand final on crutches and the punters would still want to back Penrith, purely because of the aura around him,” Daffy added.
Injuries and suspensions will play a role in the team’s preparations and wily punters will be watching how the week progresses, but at full strength, it appears the two teams cannot be separated.
“You could ask 100 people and I reckon it would be 50/50 at this stage,” Daffy said.
The Clive Churchill Medal for Man of the Match in the NRL grand final is always a hotly contested affair with halfbacks and pivots usually featuring in the favourite markets.
“Cleary is favourite and we expect him to have a stack of support for him to win that medal this week,” Daffy added.
“The interesting thing is, the next three players in the market are all from the Storm - Hughes, Munster and Grant.”
Who are the referees on NRL grand final day?
Milestone man Ashley Klein has been given the nod to referee the 2024 NRL grand final.
“Like players referees work hard all year with the aim of appearing on Grand Final Day,” said NRL Executive General Manager – Elite Competitions Graham Annesley.
General Manager Elite Officiating Jared Maxwell added: “Ashley has been excellent in the Finals Series and comes with enormous experience in big games.
“He refereed in all three State of Origins this year, and has shown the required consistency and aptitude throughout 2024.
“Only very recently, Ashley celebrated his 400th game as an NRL referee. He has also refereed in 28 Finals matches and 17 State of Origins. That experience will be invaluable in a Premiership decider.
“Ashley is the best referee for the job based on performances this year and throughout the Finals Series.”congratulated all match officials on their appointments.”
- The match officials for the NRL Telstra Premiership grand final are: Ashley Klein (Referee), Grant Atkins (Review Official), David Munro and Chris Sutton (Touch Judges), Gerard Sutton (Standby Referee), and Phil Henderson (Standby Touch Judge).
- The match officials for the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership Grand Final are: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski (Referee), Kaser Badger (Review Official), Karra-Lee Nolan and Rochelle Tamarua (Touch Judges:), Belinda Sharpe (Standby Official).
- The match officials for the NRL State Championship Grand Final are: Liam Kennedy (Referee), Peter Gough (Review Official), Jarrod Cole and Kieren Irons (Touch Judges), Dillan Wells (Standby Official).
NRL grand final day weather at ACCOR Stadium
The weather on NRL grand final day is set to be perfect for free-flowing rugby league.
Sydney is in for a sunny Sunday, with tops around 25 degrees, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Westerly winds (around 20 to 30km/h) can be expected throughout the day before becoming light in the evening.
