The Penrith Panthers have put on a dominant display in the opening game of the NRL finals, recording a 30 points to 10 win over the Sydney Roosters at the foot of the mountains.
Here is how we rated each player on the park.
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards - 9/10
Edwards was flawless for the Panthers. 280 metres from 22 carries, safe as anything in defence. The type of performance you have come to expect from Edwards.
2. Sunia Turuva - 7.5
The Fijian flyer didn't have quite as much impact as the the winger on the other side of the park for Penrith, but he still ran for 170 metres. Strong performance.
3. Izack Tago - 7
Scored a try and assisted another. Did his job all night with ball in hand, and without it. Rock solid performance from Tago.
4. Paul Alamoti - 6
The least impactful of the back five, but by no means a poor performance for the former Bulldog. Cracked 100 metres and didn't put a foot wrong.
5. Brian To'o - 8
Just a fantastic performance from To'o. Bulldozed his way over for the opening try of the game and was one of three players to break 200 metres for the evening.
6. Jarome Luai - 7.5
Overshadowed by his halves partner without a doubt, but Luai's classy footwork and agility got him a try, and caused plenty of other headaches for the Roosters.
7. Nathan Cleary - 9.5
Cleary's return was about as perfect as it gets. From start to finish, he was at his best, led by a kicking game that put the Roosters under the pump from the opening minute.
8. Moses Leota - 8
The stats won't show Leota was the best forward on the ground, but he was certainly in the discussion. Every run he took has impact, and he made plenty of solid contact in defence as well.
9. Mitch Kenny - 7
Sometimes, if the dummy half isn't noticeable, it's a case of job done. In this Penrith side, playing as they did on Friday, that is exactly the case. Kenny had some nice moments, but it was strong, fast service all game.
10. James Fisher-Harris - 8
Like Leota, Fisher-Harris' numbers don't jump off the stats sheet, but he averaged more than ten metres per carry and helped his side onto the front foot more than once.
17. Luke Garner - 7.5
A late call up for the Panthers after Scott Sorensen went down to a hamstring injury, Garner fit into the Penrith game plan like a glove, scoring a double.
12. Liam Martin - 8
Absolute aggression from Martin during the first half. He was a standout for the Panthers for all the right reasons.
13. Isaah Yeo - 9
Yeo was the best forward on the park without a doubt. Over 200 metres, fast play the balls, strong runs. Incredible performance.
15. Lindsay Smith - 7
Smith was solid at both ends of the park, and led the Panthers for tackles, contributing 52.
16. Liam Henry - 6
Had half an hour of game time, picked up almost 70 metres, but did miss a couple of tackles in the middle.
18. Matthew Eisenhuth - 5
Only on the park long enough to be viewed as a positive contribution by not getting anything wrong. Always a reliable contributor.
19. Brad Schneider - N/A
Schneider was put on the bench as a back-up for the returning Cleary had had four token minutes at the end with the star being given a rest.
Sydney Roosters
1. James Tedesco - 7.5
Once or twice it seemed Tedesco probably should have looked to get rid of the footy, but he never stopped trying in a well-beaten side. Involved in their only two tries, and made 172 metres. Easily the Roosters' best.
2. Daniel Tupou - 4
Tupou made plenty of metres and worked hard, but it was a disappointing night for the veteran winger, coming up with four errors.
3. Joseph Suaalii - 5
Cracked the 100-metre barrier and scored a try, but didn't have a great deal of involvement or impact over the game.
4. Joseph Manu - 5.5
Manu, like Tedesco, never stopped trying in a well-beaten side, but struggled defensively with four missed tackles.
5. Dominic Young - 5
Young had very little involvement on the game. 88 metres from 13 runs, only a single tackle. He did look dangerous with the ball at times, but was very well contained.
6. Luke Keary - 4.5
Keary was ordinary. Looked to, at one point, be struggling with a shoulder injury, but his kicking game didn't add a lot, and nor did his defence.
7. Sandon Smith - 2
Smith had huge shoes to fill replacing Sam Walker, and failed dismally. Missed ten tackles, made a number of critical errors, and wasn't up to the mark with his kicking game.
10. Lindsay Collins - 4
The State of Origin prop looked exhausted after a difficult early stretch of the contest in defence. Only made 51 metres.
9. Connor Watson - 6
Watson made a game high 69 tackles and his service wasn't all that bad out of dummy half. Will need to go to another level to take the Roosters any further through this competition though.
13. Nat Butcher - 4.5
Why Butcher started at prop is beyond me. Physically outclassed early on and didn't have much in the way of impact on the game.
11. Angus Crichton - 6.5
Labelled the best second-rower in the game right now after the contest by Ivan Cleary, Crichton was one of the Roosters' best. Made some errors, but worked hard.
12. Sitili Tupouniua - 6
Made more metres than any other Roosters' starting forward. Defensively beaten once or twice, but not a bad performance in a well-beaten outfit.
17. Terrell May - 5
May had little to no impact in his first stint, and barely registered a mention. Better in his second stint. Worked hard in the middle.
8. Spencer Leniu - 5.5
Leniu came from the bench to provide impact. He certainly did have a hand in stopping the run of tries for Penrith, but couldn't put his team on the front foot.
14. Zach Dockar-Clay -
In a game where the Roosters made almost 50 extra tackles, they never used a 17th player. Dockar-Clay sat on the bench for 80 minutes. Baffling.
15. Naufahu Whyte - 8
The Roosters' best by a long way in a difficult game. 36 minutes of game time, but he managed 136 metres from 14 runs, made 31 tackles without a miss and is continuing to show why he is so highly regarded.
16. Siua Wong - 6
Wong was also strong off the bench. Wound up with 87 metres and only a single missed tackle. Helped to get the Roosters into the contest.
