2023 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 1 October 2023 · Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW
2023 NRL Grand Final result: Penrith Panthers def. Brisbane Broncos, 26-24, at Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW on Sunday, 1 October 2023.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Penrith Panthers | 26 |
| Runner-up | Brisbane Broncos | 24 |
Attendance: 81,947
NRL 2023 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 645 | 312 | +333 | 42 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 639 | 425 | +214 | 42 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 627 | 459 | +168 | 38 |
| 4 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 572 | 448 | +124 | 38 |
| 5 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 626 | 451 | +175 | 35 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 619 | 497 | +122 | 34 |
| 7 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 472 | 496 | -24 | 32 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 486 | 623 | -137 | 32 |
| 9 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 564 | 505 | +59 | 30 |
| 10 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 587 | 574 | +13 | 30 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 546 | 542 | +4 | 30 |
| 12 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 545 | 539 | +6 | 29 |
| 13 | Dolphins | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 520 | 631 | -111 | 24 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 527 | 653 | -126 | 24 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 438 | 769 | -331 | 20 |
| 16 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 474 | 673 | -199 | 16 |
| 17 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 385 | 675 | -290 | 14 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 2023 | Brisbane Broncos 26–0 Melbourne Storm | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 50,197 |
| 9 Sep 2023 | Penrith Panthers 32–6 New Zealand Warriors | BlueBet Stadium, Penrith, NSW | 21,525 |
Elimination Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2023 | Sydney Roosters 13–12 Cronulla-Sutherland | PointsBet Stadium, Cronulla, NSW | 12,570 |
| 10 Sep 2023 | Newcastle Knights 30–28 Canberra Raiders | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, NSW | 29,548 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2023 | Melbourne Storm 18–13 Sydney Roosters | AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC | 19,534 |
| 16 Sep 2023 | New Zealand Warriors 40–10 Newcastle Knights | Go Media Stadium, Auckland (NZ) | 26,083 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2023 | Penrith Panthers 38–4 Melbourne Storm | Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 35,578 |
| 23 Sep 2023 | Brisbane Broncos 42–12 New Zealand Warriors | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 52,273 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2023 | Penrith Panthers 26–24 Brisbane Broncos | Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 81,947 |
Match officials
| Referee | Adam Gee |
Scorers
| Penrith Panthers | Tries: Kenny 18'; Leota 63'; Crichton 67'; Cleary 77' Goals: Crichton (4/4); Cleary (1/1 penalty goal) |
| Brisbane Broncos | Tries: Flegler 39'; Mam 45'; Mam 52'; Mam 54' Goals: Reynolds (4/4) |
Teams
| Penrith Panthers | Brisbane Broncos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Edwards | Fullback | Reece Walsh | 1 |
| 2 | Sunia Turuva | Wing | Jesse Arthars | 2 |
| 3 | Izack Tago | Centre | Kotoni Staggs | 3 |
| 4 | Stephen Crichton | Centre | Herbie Farnworth | 4 |
| 5 | Brian To'o | Wing | Selwyn Cobbo | 5 |
| 6 | Jarome Luai | Five-eighth | Ezra Mam | 6 |
| 7 | Nathan Cleary | Halfback | Adam Reynolds | 7 |
| 8 | Moses Leota | Prop | Thomas Flegler | 8 |
| 9 | Mitch Kenny | Hooker | Billy Walters | 9 |
| 10 | James Fisher-Harris | Prop | Payne Haas | 10 |
| 11 | Scott Sorensen | Second row | Kurt Capewell | 11 |
| 12 | Liam Martin | Second row | Jordan Riki | 12 |
| 13 | Isaah Yeo | Lock | Patrick Carrigan | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Jack Cogger | Tyson Smoothy | 14 | |
| 15 | Lindsay Smith | Brendan Piakura | 15 | |
| 16 | Spencer Leniu | Kobe Hetherington | 16 | |
| 17 | Luke Garner | Keenan Palasia | 17 | |
| Ivan Cleary | Coach | Kevin Walters | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Nathan Cleary (Penrith Panthers). His second Clive Churchill Medal, joining Brad Clyde and Billy Slater as multiple winners.
Match context
The 2023 NRL Grand Final produced arguably the greatest comeback in premiership decider history, as Penrith Panthers overturned a 16-point deficit to stun Brisbane Broncos 26-24 and complete a historic three-peat. Brisbane, under Kevin Walters, took control after halftime through a stunning hat-trick from young half Ezra Mam inside the first ten minutes of the second period, building on Thomas Flegler's earlier try to surge ahead by the 56th minute. With Nathan Cleary playing through a serious knee injury suffered in just the tenth minute, Penrith looked beaten, but the champions produced a remarkable fightback. Moses Leota crashed over in the 62nd minute, Stephen Crichton finished a length-of-field raid in the 67th, and then, with the scores locked, Cleary himself sealed an astonishing victory with a match-winning try in the 78th minute, kicking the vital conversion himself. The comeback surpassed Melbourne's previous grand final record set in 1999 and instantly entered NRL folklore. Cleary, despite his injury, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for what commentators labelled one of the greatest solo grand final performances ever seen, orchestrating Penrith's attack while also slotting five goals. The victory delivered Penrith's third consecutive premiership and fifth overall, firmly establishing Ivan Cleary's men, led by captain Isaah Yeo, as a genuine modern dynasty. For Brisbane, it was a heartbreaking near-miss after a rapid rebuild, having led by 16 points with less than a quarter of the match remaining.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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