The NRL grand final might just be coming six weeks early on Thursday night. Penrith have now won nine in row and they’ve rediscovered their style – that tough, grinding footy that teams just cannot keep up with for 80 minutes.

I’ve been saying all year that I didn’t think they could win the title. But that was on the assumption they couldn’t get into the top four. Well, they’re now fourth. Look out.

The key for the Panthers’ premiership hopes will be how they handle these next three weeks, because they’re about to go to war and start playing finals early.

It starts with Melbourne, then it’s the ladder-leading Raiders in Mudgee. And then in round 26, they face Canterbury on a Thursday night at Accor Stadium, which will be on the games of the season, and hopefully in front of a massive crowd given the way Bulldogs fans are turning up this year.

For Penrith, these three weeks won’t necessarily be about how many games they win, but how healthy they are going into the finals.

The Storm are my team to beat for the premiership, given their big-name players and the sting from losing last year’s grand final. The big question around their title chances is availability: what type of form is Nelson Asofa-Solomona in, and how is Jahrome Hughes’ shoulder injury.

But in Melbourne’s corner is Craig Bellamy – for mine the best coach of all time. At CommBank Stadium – which looked really slippery and heavy in the middle of the field on Sunday – both teams will back their defence, with an emphasis on discipline and kicking games.

I think the Panthers and Storm match up pretty evenly in these areas, which brings this contest down to match-ups and match-winners.

Nathan Cleary up against Cameron Munster is the game-defining........

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