A year after falling agonisingly short, Penrith returned to the Sydney Football Stadium to face Canberra again, chasing a maiden premiership after 24 years without a title since entering the competition in 1967. The Raiders started the stronger side, building a 12-6 halftime lead through two tries to Matthew Wood and the reliable goal-kicking of Mal Meninga, and looked poised to claim a third grand final win in a row. Penrith, however, transformed their approach after the break, with halfback Greg Alexander directing his forwards to take full six-tackle sets deep into Canberra territory before pinning the Raiders in their own half with pinpoint kicks for the corners. That territorial dominance paid off as tries to Brad Izzard and, most memorably, veteran hooker Royce Simmons, who scored twice in what proved to be the final match of his celebrated career, swung the contest decisively in Penrith's favour. Alexander was influential throughout, adding a field goal to his conversions and providing the calm, controlling hand that felt overdue reward for a Panthers spine nurtured through the 1980s. Canberra's response fell short despite Meninga and Wood each landing a goal, and Penrith closed out a 19-12 victory to deliver the club's first premiership. Prime Minister Bob Hawke presented captain Greg Alexander with the premiership trophy, a landmark moment for the western Sydney club and its long-suffering supporters. In a rare and notable outcome, the Clive Churchill Medal for best afield was awarded to Canberra's young lock forward Bradley Clyde despite his side's defeat, recognition of a tireless, dominant performance in a losing cause that underlined his emergence as one of the competition's finest forwards. The result also ended Canberra's run of grand final wins after successive triumphs in 1989 and 1990, denying the Raiders what would have been three consecutive titles, while for Penrith it broke a long and painful premiership drought and launched a period of renewed success for the club built on the Alexander-Fittler attacking axis.
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