2020 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 25 October 2020 · ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
2020 NRL Grand Final result: Melbourne Storm def. Penrith Panthers, 26-20, at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW on Sunday, 25 October 2020.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Melbourne Storm | 26 |
| Runner-up | Penrith Panthers | 20 |
Attendance: 37,303
NRL 2020 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 537 | 238 | +299 | 37 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 534 | 276 | +258 | 32 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 392 | 288 | +104 | 30 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 552 | 322 | +230 | 28 |
| 5 | Canberra Raiders | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 445 | 317 | +128 | 28 |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 521 | 352 | +169 | 24 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 421 | 374 | +47 | 23 |
| 8 | Cronulla Sharks | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 480 | 480 | 0 | 20 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 346 | 463 | -117 | 18 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 343 | 458 | -115 | 16 |
| 11 | Wests Tigers | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 440 | 505 | -65 | 14 |
| 12 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 378 | 452 | -74 | 14 |
| 13 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 375 | 509 | -134 | 14 |
| 14 | North Queensland Cowboys | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 368 | 520 | -152 | 10 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 282 | 504 | -222 | 6 |
| 16 | Brisbane Broncos | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 268 | 624 | -356 | 6 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2020 | Penrith Panthers 29–28 Sydney Roosters | Panthers Stadium, Penrith, NSW | 7,209 |
| 3 Oct 2020 | Melbourne Storm 36–24 Parramatta Eels | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 16,238 |
Elimination Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 2020 | Canberra Raiders 32–20 Cronulla-Sutherland | GIO Stadium, Canberra, ACT | 9,602 |
| 4 Oct 2020 | South Sydney Rabbitohs 46–20 Newcastle Knights | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 17,212 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Oct 2020 | Canberra Raiders 22–18 Sydney Roosters | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 18,110 |
| 10 Oct 2020 | South Sydney Rabbitohs 38–24 Parramatta Eels | Bankwest Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 14,510 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 2020 | Melbourne Storm 30–10 Canberra Raiders | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 37,112 |
| 17 Oct 2020 | Penrith Panthers 20–16 South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 30,116 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2020 | Melbourne Storm 26–20 Penrith Panthers | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 37,303 |
Match officials
| Referee | Gerard Sutton |
Scorers
| Melbourne Storm | Tries: Olam 3' (penalty try); Vunivalu 27'; Smith 39'; Papenhuyzen 41' Goals: Cameron Smith (5/6) |
| Penrith Panthers | Tries: To'o 54'; Crichton 66'; Mansour 72'; Cleary 79' (conversion attempt declined, time expired) Goals: Nathan Cleary (2/4) Sin bin: Jahrome Hughes — yellow card 71'; Brandon Smith — yellow card 79' |
Teams
| Melbourne Storm | Penrith Panthers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Papenhuyzen | Fullback | Dylan Edwards | 1 |
| 2 | Suliasi Vunivalu | Wing | Josh Mansour | 2 |
| 3 | Brenko Lee | Centre | Brent Naden | 3 |
| 4 | Justin Olam | Centre | Stephen Crichton | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Addo-Carr | Wing | Brian To'o | 5 |
| 6 | Cameron Munster | Five-eighth | Jarome Luai | 6 |
| 7 | Jahrome Hughes | Halfback | Nathan Cleary | 7 |
| 8 | Jesse Bromwich | Prop | James Tamou (c) | 8 |
| 9 | Cameron Smith (c) | Hooker | Apisai Koroisau | 9 |
| 10 | Christian Welch | Prop | James Fisher-Harris | 10 |
| 11 | Felise Kaufusi | Second row | Viliame Kikau | 11 |
| 12 | Kenny Bromwich | Second row | Liam Martin | 12 |
| 13 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona | Lock | Isaah Yeo | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Brandon Smith | Tyrone May | 14 | |
| 15 | Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | Kurt Capewell | 15 | |
| 16 | Dale Finucane | Moses Leota | 16 | |
| 17 | Nicho Hynes (did not play) | Zane Tetevano | 17 | |
| Craig Bellamy | Coach | Ivan Cleary | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm).
Match context
The Melbourne Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers 26-20 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney to claim a fourth premiership, capping an extraordinary season in which the club's regular-season home games had been relocated out of Victoria for months because of COVID-19 restrictions, though the grand final itself remained in Sydney. Melbourne raced to a commanding halftime lead, built on a Justin Olam penalty try, an 80-metre Suliasi Vunivalu intercept try, and further scores either side of the break, with skipper Cameron Smith among the try scorers and metronomic with the boot. Fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was outstanding throughout, capping a brilliant individual campaign with a try and a string of dangerous runs from the back that repeatedly cut the Panthers' line to shreds, earning him the Clive Churchill Medal. Penrith, minor premiers and grand final debutants under coach Ivan Cleary, refused to fold: tries to Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton, Josh Mansour and finally halfback Nathan Cleary in the closing minutes turned a laugher into a genuine grandstand finish, with the Panthers denied by the clock rather than a lack of effort. The 37,303 attendance was heavily restricted by New South Wales government COVID protocols, a low figure by grand final standards. For 37-year-old Smith and coach Craig Bellamy, both departing key roles at the club soon after, it was a fitting send-off, sealing Melbourne's status as the era's most successful club despite the disruption of the COVID year.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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