Parramatta player ratings for the NRL GF

Alex Mitchell | October 2, 2022

PARRAMATTA PLAYER RATINGS FROM THE NRL GRAND FINAL

1 Clint Gutherson – 6

Put a dropout into touch on the full at a vital moment and was nowhere to be found defensively when Nathan Cleary put Scott Sorensen through, adding a second-half drop from a high ball before he grabbed a late consolation try.

2 Maika Sivo – 6.5

Did what he could with some nice defensive moments and trademark runs while always looking comfortable under the Cleary bomb, but poor grounding at the try-line cost his team their best chance of points.

3 Will Penisini – 6.5

One of the victims of the Eels’ quiet offensive night with only 66m, although a fine kick did earn him a late try assist.

4 Bailey Simonsson – 6

Found some open space with Parramatta’s first line break just before the hour, but a brutal Dylan Edwards tackle put him into touch and ended his night with an apparent shoulder injury.

5 Waqa Blake – 3

Ball security continued to haunt him as he received a lucky call to let him off his first dropped high ball before promptly losing it on a loose carry minutes later. Also missed three tackles.

6 Dylan Brown – 5

Tried to make an impact with a second-tackle kick that didn’t work out, and couldn’t find the creative moments needed to crack the stubborn Penrith line, a late forward pass for Sivo being the best example of that.

7 Mitch Moses – 5

Rarely exerted his influence and was a liability defensively, missing four early tackles as the Panthers raced away with the game.

8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard – 5.5

His team didn’t have much ball but they definitely needed more than 27m from him in his opening 30-minute stint that ultimately decided the contest, although his offload game offered something positive.

9 Reed Mahoney – 8

Probably the one Eel who can’t be questioned, having completed a mountain of defensive work including 36 tackles and no misses in the first half, while a cheeky kick had looked to put Simonsson through for a try before late Penrith intervention.

10 Junior Paulo – 5

The Eels could have done with plenty more from Paulo, with the Parramatta powerhouse lacking his usual punch with just 75m.

11 Shaun Lane – 6.5

Trucked over Cleary to give away a penalty deep in attack, although his defensive work was stellar with 34 tackles and no misses to go with 103m.

12 Isaiah Papali’i – 6.5

Improved in the second half when his side needed a lift and finished with 102m, although seven missed tackles certainly hurt his side.

17 Marata Niukore – 3.5

Made just four runs for the night after gaining a start at lock in a particularly quiet night.

13 Ryan Matterson – 7

Three offloads and 95m off the bench helped steady the ship somewhat but it wasn’t nearly enough to peg back the Panthers.

14 Nathan Brown – 4.5

Entered on the half-hour when his side needed someone to shake things up but couldn’t change things, with his six runs making 49m.

15 Jake Arthur – N/A

Only got five minutes off the bench but did score a try in his limited action.

16 Oregon Kaufusi – 4.5

Six runs for 45m was all Kaufusi could offer after coming off the interchange.