Cleary's brutal admission ahead of grand final

Panthers manager Ivan Cleary has admitted that South Sydney were the "hungrier" broadside erstwhile the 2 sides met to unfastened each other's finals campaigns past month.

After losing conscionable 3 games during the regular season, Penrith was expected to steamroll South Sydney successful the opening week of the finals, but Cleary's men were stunned successful a 16-10 loss.

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However, the premiership favourites person knuckled down since that loss, with 2 consecutive gritty wins implicit Parramatta and Melbourne mounting up a rematch with the Rabbitohs successful the NRL expansive final.

Speaking up of the grudge match, Cleary paid recognition to the underdogs for their astonishment triumph past month.

Cleary and Rabbitohs manager Wayne Bennett shingle hands up of Sunday's expansive last clash (Getty)

"We were astir apt conscionable a spot off. In a large game, successful a large finals game, that tin beryllium the difference. They were astir apt conscionable a spot hungrier than america that night," helium admitted.

"They looked similar they enactment a batch into that game, which of people we did arsenic well, but successful the extremity we near Townsville that nighttime feeling similar we didn't rather enactment our champion ft forward.

"We've corrected a fewer things, we've improved gradually since then.

"We privation to get determination time nighttime and springiness the champion imaginable show that we tin and we consciousness similar that tin surely beryllium a spot amended than that crippled successful Townsville."

Cleary said the likes of winger Brian To'o volition enactment up contempt being nether wounded clouds (NRL Imagery)

A gruelling finals run has near Penrith bruised and battered heading into the decider, but Cleary was adamant that the quartet of Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards, James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota would each instrumentality the tract connected Sunday night.

"I conscionable marvel astatine the resilience of these boys and the courageousness they amusement each week," Cleary said.

"They conscionable garbage not to play. They conscionable support turning up and doing their thing."

Despite a COVID-19 scare successful Queensland this week, the NRL expansive last volition stay astatine Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. AEST.

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