The Panthers will be looking to snap a poor record of teams winning the Grand Final after qualifying for three straight deciders.
Meanwhile, the Eels will be looking to become the fourth team in the last decade to snap a 20-plus year premiership drought.
Read on for all the stats that matter in NRL Grand Final Stat Attack.
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How the Eels plan to slow down Cleary | 04:02
THIRD TIME UNLUCKY?
The Panthers are the fourth team in the NRL Era to qualify for three or more consecutive Grand Finals, with Storm doing so twice (2006-09 and 2016-18) and the Roosters once (2002-04). Getting there in three straight seasons is difficult enough but winning the third game of the sequence has proven almost impossible.
Looking at those two teams, and then further back beyond the NRL Era the count is six straight times a side making at least three consecutive Grand Finals have lost the third game in the sequence. Storm lost in 2018 and 2008, Roosters 2004, Manly 1997, Canberra 1991 and the Bulldogs 1986.
Just two teams in the compulsory Grand Final era (Since 1954) have won the third grand final in a sequence, Parramatta in 1983 and St George in 1958 – not bad company to be in should the Panthers get the win on Sunday.
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DROUGHT BREAKERS?
The Eels have the longest current Premiership winning drought, not having tasted success since 1986, but much like the recent east coast weather – the past 10 seasons of NRL has seen many droughts broken.
Should the Eels win, they would be the fourth side in 10 years to break a 20 plus year drought, with Souths (42 years in 2014), North Queensland (20 years in 2015) and Cronulla (49 years in 2016) all snapping long droughts in the past decade.
The only team on a 20+ season stretch of no success to lose a decider in that period was Canberra in 2019 (last title in 1994), and many would consider them very unlucky to do so!
One fan base is certainly entitled to take exception to the classification of a 20-year drought as long; North Sydney won the competition in 1921 and 1922 – but never won it again.
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WINNING WHEN IT COUNTS
The Panthers lost both regular season matches to the Eels but bounced back with a convincing win in week one of the finals, setting up a second straight season with a week one finals rematch in the decider.
Of the five times since 1999 this has occurred, the week one winning side has won just twice (Tigers v Cowboys 2005, Roosters v Sea Eagles 2013) while the losing side has reversed the result three times (Storm v Dragons 1999, Cowboys v Broncos 2015, Panthers v Souths 2021).
Should the Panthers manage the double this time around they would be the first team since Parramatta against Canterbury in 1983 to lose twice to an opponent in the regular season but bounce back to beat them twice in the finals.
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Major INS and OUTS on Grand Final day | 06:36
THREEPHEN CRICHTON
Stephen Crichton has scored in each of the previous two Grand Finals and could be the first player since Brett Kenny to score in three consecutive calendar year deciders. Kenny scored doubles in all three of the Eels wins in 1981-83.
His only problem is he has failed to score against just one opponent in his career – having no tries from seven attempts against the Eels.
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