Following the grand final, a unique piece of memorabilia took center stage in the Panthers’ rooms.
In the midst of the Panthers’ triumphant grand final and record three-peat NRL title, a unique piece of memorabilia occupied center stage in the changing room.
The Panthers wanted to flaunt their accomplishment, and a WWE-style championship belt with the term “undisputed” in the center and coated in gold plaques was the ideal solution.
The Panthers’ season was fueled by the “undisputed” concept, which was introduced by Penrith coach Ivan Cleary to inspire his all-conquering team during the finals series.
The belt already had gold plaques from victories against the Warriors and Storm in the finals; Cleary gave his son Nathan the last one, which bore the inscription “undisputed.”
The Panthers co-captain then finished their dynasty as one of the greatest teams in rugby league history by placing the gold plaque in the center of the belt at the front.
After winning the grand final, Ivan Cleary said, “First and foremost, I want to thank everyone in this room and anyone who has ever supported us.”
“The voyage has been lengthy. I am aware that the team this year has been outstanding, but this is part of a three-year streak as well.
Players, coaches, and staff members are among those in attendance who have contributed greatly to this team and club; they are all a part of this three-peat success.
“I adore this group so much, man. I really do.” It was amazing what happened tonight. We played in a manner that would have defeated the majority of teams. However, the Broncos persisted.
“I thought we accelerated when we were down 24-8 and in all kinds of situations.” We must complete our belt.
The Clive Churchill Medal winner, Nathan Cleary, who had an outstanding game against the Broncos, claimed the belt motivated the Panthers to victory in the NFC Championship.
“Every year, we have a theme, and the theme for this year is ‘Undisputed,'” said Cleary.
believe Dad may have thought of it. Although it may seem a little cheesy to others on the outside, it gives us meaning.
He doesn’t watch wrestling, so I’m not sure how he thought of it. I believe he was only observing various players and groups from a wide range of sports—champions, winning teams, that kind of thing.
“We’ve had the same belt throughout the playoff series, and we’ve added a plaque to it with every victory.”
Liam Martin of the Panthers concurred.
Martin remarked, “It (the belt) just added a bit of enjoyment during the finals.”
We would just sew a small emblem with the score and other details onto the belt after every game we won. It was quite awesome.