I reckon we’re in for a classic grand final on Sunday. It might not be the match-up everyone expected, but for mine that makes it even more intriguing...

Personally, I was delighted to see the Rabbitohs upset the Panthers in the first week of the finals. It added a twist to what was looking like a predictable 2020 grand final replay, and the Wayne Bennett element never ceases to entertain. That Penrith could come back from that unexpected stumble and get to the decider at the expense of the red-hot Melbourne Storm says a lot for their resilience. Can they now turn the tables on South Sydney and lift the trophy on their second attempt? The odds-makers are saying so, but I’m not so sure.

Last week’s preliminary final win over Manly showed that Wayne Bennett and his Bunnies have still got plenty up their sleeves, even without the suspended Latrell Mitchell. Going into that match, all the talk was about the scintillating form of Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic and how he would be the difference between the two teams. It is now history that Bennett sent his team out with a game plan and mindset to totally shut Turbo Tom out of the game.

To win on Sunday the Rabbitohs will have to do a similar job on the Panthers’ play-making maestro Nathan Cleary. Having been at Suncorp Stadium and seen first-hand how they disarmed Trbojevic, I have every faith that they can do it.

As for the loss of Mitchell, his young replacement Blake Taaffe has got better with every game. I can’t see the Panthers rattling him too easily, especially with experienced winger Alex Johnston dropping back to help him as he did against Manly.

Aside from Cleary, Penrith’s strength all season has been the size and aggression of their pack but the loss of Tevita Pangai Jnr and the injury cloud over Viliame Kikau may have weakened them just a tad. Both sides have game breakers all over the park but in the end it could come down to a dash from dummy half by Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook or a touch of brilliance from the Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai to set up his hard-to-stop winger Brian To’o.

An element that cannot be under-estimated is the psychological effect that having lost last year will have on the Panthers. If there are only a couple of points in it either way as the clock ticks down, the pressure on them will be enormous. The only thing for sure is that it’s going to be a nail-biter.

My tip? I reckon it is going to be premiership number eight to Wayne Bennett and yet another ‘so near but yet so far’ for Ivan Cleary.

What do YOU reckon?

Agree: The Bunnies did it easily against Manly, and the Panthers have had to fight every inch of the way against the Eels and Storm. Plus Wayne Bennett has forgotten more about getting a team up for a grand final than Ivan Cleary will ever know.

Disagree: Souths are just making up the numbers. The Panthers have been the best team in the competition for most of the last two seasons. The experience of being in the Big Show last year has them primed to get the lollies this time around.