Nathan Cleary has etched his name in the pantheon of great NRL halfbacks, drawing inspiration from Penrith’s 2020 heartbreak to mastermind the biggest comeback in grand final history.

Cleary set two tries up and scored another to help his side claw back from 24-8 down to Brisbane after 62 minutes on Sunday evening.

On the back of his effort, Penrith’s 26-24 win rendered it the first team since Parramatta, between 1981 and 1983, to win three straight titles, and the only one to do so in the NRL-era.

But the 25-year-old said if not for learning some harsh lessons on grand final day three years ago, he may never have been able to rouse the Panthers back into the contest.

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The 2020 Panthers lost only one game on the road to the club’s first grand final appearance in 17 years but were outplayed on the big stage by a clinical Melbourne outfit.

The Storm led 22-0 at the break that day and while Cleary and the Panthers fought back after halftime, they left their run too late and fell 26-20.

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“I think my experience from the past, particularly that 2020 Storm grand final, helped me to be in the game at the end of this one,” Cleary said.

“Sometimes things feel s*** at the time, like they did in that 2020 game, but I think it’s made me who I am today.

Cleary’s masterly showing was made all the more impressive by the fact Penrith lost his co-pilot Jarome Luai to a shoulder injury while they were down 24-8.

Around the same time, co-captain Isaah Yeo and second-rower Scott Sorensen left the field for head injury assessments as well.

The adversity played into the hands of Cleary and back-up playmaker Jack Cogger.

“It kind of felt like a free shot, to be honest. We had nothing to lose. We were in a grand final, we may as well play,” Cleary said.

“I give credit to ‘Cogs’, he came on with that mentality.”

Cleary has now won more grand finals than either Andrew Johns or Jonathan Thurston and is the first halfback since Peter Sterling to win three premierships before the age of 26.

Having won the Clive Churchill Medal after the first of Penrith’s three consecutive title wins, Cleary is only the third man to have won the Clive Churchill Medal more than once.

He joins Bradley Clyde and Billy Slater in an elite club.

“I just feel like what he’s done in this space of time, there’s been no other halfback that has done it,” said Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo.

“I reckon if you put his statistics up against any other halfback at this point, he’s 25, no-one’s done what he’s done.

“That 20-minute period he put the team on his back and he won us our third grand final in a row. I’m very happy he’s our leader and he’s our seven. It’s a privilege to play with him.”

Already eyeing more history

Cleary warned on stage as he collected his Clive Churchill Medal that Penrith were “still just getting started”, before making clear afterwards there need be no end in sight to the club’s dynasty.

Only the great St George side that won 11 straight premierships between 1956 and 1966 has won more than three in a row.

And none have done so in rugby league as it is today, since the introduction of limited tackles in 1966.

Penrith’s win also allowed Ivan Cleary to join Jack Gibson and Norm Provan in winning three straight premierships, five seasons after his return to Penrith from Wests Tigers.

“We wanted to become a team that was consistent, reliable, something that our fans can be proud of,” Ivan Cleary said.

“We definitely made a decision that we had to win. That sounds obvious, but we tried to create that type of environment where anything else was not acceptable.

Broncos will win comps if they learn GF lesson — Walters

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Devastated Brisbane coach Kevin Walters is confident his team will win premierships in the future if they learn a vital lesson from their loss to Penrith.

“There’s no emotion. It’s very quiet. I feel for all the players that gave so much, but it wasn’t enough in the end,” Walters said.

“That second period for 20 minutes at the start of the second half is the Broncos I know. We need to do that for 80.

“We are not there yet, but when we do we will win premierships. That is what it is about.

“We are not far off but we are getting there. We are a lot closer now than we were 12 months ago. Would everyone agree? I think so.”

The Broncos came last in 2020. Walters took over as head coach and got them to a grand final in three years. It took former coach Wayne Bennett five years, but the Broncos won the 1992 decider.

“Once the dust settles, everyone in that room can be proud of where the club is now compared to where it was … it is just remarkable,” Walters said.

“But we wanted to win the premiership this year, and that pisses us off.”

Both sides had 38 sets in possession. Penrith completed 37 of them, the Broncos just 27.

Penrith player ratings

1 Dylan Edwards – 8.5
The game’s best yardage player was at it again, running for a monumental 271m to pace his side throughout the contest.

2 Sunia Turuva – 6
Didn’t imprint the game as he usually does, 145m of yardage work about the bare minimum you expect from the Fijian flyer.

3 Izack Tago – 5.5
Missed the crucial tackle on Ezra Mam’s game-changing try, although 100m running in the first half was vital for his team.

4 Stephen Crichton – 9
Scored for an incredible fourth consecutive grand final, decking Kotoni Staggs on his way to the line and a vital try. His extraordinary display included a number of huge defensive plays, leaving for Canterbury with a third straight premiership ring.

5 Brian To’o – 6.5
Did the stack of yardage work he’s known for, but also landed a number of critical defensive blows to stifle Reece Walsh’s influence.

6 Jarome Luai – 4
Played through his shoulder injury for 50 minutes before the pain got too much. Took on the line with his twinkling toes but really struggled to impact proceedings.

7 Nathan Cleary – 10
An all-time display from a halfback destined to go down with the greats. Down 16 points, Cleary delivered a sublime try assist, landed a 40/20, produced another assist then scored a brilliant try in an unthinkable flurry. Grabs his second Clive Churchill Medal and could easily win more.

8 Moses Leota – 9
His side looked gone, but the hulking prop wouldn’t let them die without turning in an enormous second shift. 157m running plus the try that started their historical comeback.

9 Mitch Kenny – 3
Was in the right place at the right time for the game’s opening try, but missed six tackles and wasn’t much noticed in attack.

10 James Fisher Harris – 8.5
Led the Penrith forward pack as they took control of the game in the first half with 107m in the first half. Impossible to miss his bustling runs and strong contact in defence.

11 Scott Sorensen – 5
Wasn’t his night, only taking eight runs in 67 minutes.

12 Liam Martin – 5.5
Relished the extreme intensity and landed some defensive hits, including a huge shot that forced an error early. Missed five tackles in the first half and wasn’t as involved offensively as usual.

13 Isaah Yeo – 8
Big stint from the skipper. Combined his linking play with the tough carries his side needed before an HIA, although he returned to steer them home.

14 Jack Cogger – 5
Entered on 50 minutes for the injured Luai and promptly gave away a penalty with a silly strip, but had a line-break assist in his half-hour cameo.

15 Lindsay Smith – 5.5
Ran for 74m in 47 minutes probably wasn’t the most prolific outing, and he missed a tackle with Tago on Mam’s vital try.

16 Spencer Leniu – 5
Only got 22 minutes in his final outing before shifting to the Sydney Roosters, but he packed in the violent runs you’ve come to expect from him.

17 Luke Garner – 6
Ran 61m in his 22 minutes off the bench, and was on the field as his side pulled off a spectacular comeback.

Brisbane player ratings

1 Reece Walsh – 6
Complete mixed bag for the starlet No.1. Made two poor kicking errors that cost his team momentum and returned a kick sideways before getting dragged back in goal. But then he dazzled his way through the line to create Ezra Mam’s third try and broke the line again soon after.

2 Jesse Arthars – 8
One of the best games of his young career. Looked likely to snap the Panthers’ defence with many of his charging efforts and finished with a team-high 167m.

3 Kotoni Staggs – 8
Showed his appetite for contact throughout a brutal performance. Had a huge defensive play late as the Panthers charged, although it wasn’t quite enough.

4 Herbie Farnworth – 7.5
Like Staggs, the Broncos centre just loved the contact. Made defensive play after defensive play and found 152m, although his decision to tap a dropout back towards his goal line rather than catch it on the opening try was odd.

5 Selwyn Cobbo – 5
Very quiet outing from the flyer and had a very sloppy knock-on early. Some of his aerial takes were impressive, with a reflex catch late in the piece particularly memorable.

6 Ezra Mam – 9.5
Looked to have made himself a Broncos legend with an extraordinary 11-minute, grand final hat-trick that featured his trademark pace and tackle-busting ability. Two flashes of brilliance completely changed the game, before Walsh put him through to complete the treble. Was a lock for the Clive Churchill Medal if his side held on.

7 Adam Reynolds – 7
Things looked bleak when he tweaked his groin on 25 minutes, but he played through the pain and found a way to influence proceedings with his cool head. Slotted all four of his conversions.

8 Thomas Flegler – 9
All the pre-game talk was about his front-row partner but Flegler’s energy was what let the Broncos surge early in the second half. Scored with a brutal run to deliver the try they needed on the stroke of halftime, finishing with 91m and 31 tackles without a miss.

9 Billy Walters – 6
Had an early 40/20 and did the hard stuff in defence in a sturdy 31-tackle outing.

10 Payne Haas – 8.5
Went 66 minutes in the front row in a grand final, churning out 156m and three offloads in the monstrous display you’d expect from him.

11 Kurt Capewell – 6
Poked his nose through the line a couple of times and delivered 34 tackles but lacked signature moments.

12 Jordan Riki – 7
Loved the contact and diffused some kicks in a big defensive game.

13 Patrick Carrigan – 8.5
Another herculean outing from Brisbane’s emerging beast. Punched out 153m and a team-high 39 tackles to help his side take over, before their late fade.

14 Tyson Smoothy – 5.5
Came on after half an hour and laid on the try for Flegler, making 19 tackles in his 37-minute stint.

15 Brendan Piakura – 3
Only made two runs in his 22 minutes off the bench.

16 Kobe Hetherington – 3
Like Piakura, didn’t really make a difference when he got a limited opportunity off the pine.

17 Keenan Palasia – 8
Monster outing off the bench, grinding his way 131m in 37 minutes.

—with AAP