Panthers fans cop backlash over 'appalling' act towards Storm players after NRL grand final

Penrith Panthers fans have drawn the ire of TV viewers after booing Melbourne Storm stars Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes after the NRL grand final. The Panthers completed a four-peat of NRL premierships on Sunday night with a 14-6 victory over the Storm in the decider.

Melbourne players were shattered after the full-time whistle, with many looking dejected and in tears on the ground. But their pain was only worsened by some unsavoury treatment from Panthers fans, who mercilessly booed Hughes during a post-game interview, and Grant during his runner-up speech.

Hughes was being interviewed by Danika Mason of Channel 9, which popped up on the big screen inside Accor Stadium. But rather than show their respect - especially after Hughes' incredible season in which he won the Dally M medal - Panthers fans decided to boo him for no particular reason.

And the same occurred when Storm captain Grant was asked to speak on stage during the official presentation. Grant and Hughes were both incredibly classy and respectful considering how heartbroken they would have been, and the booing from Panthers fans sparked anger on social media.

One person wrote: "That’s an appalling lack of class from the Panthers fans booing Harry Grant." Another commented: "Crowd booing Hughes is poor form. Pull your heads in." While a third added: "That was poor, too many beers and no respect. And I am a Panthers fan. Respect for the effort the Storm put in, was all that was needed."

Craig Bellamy and Harry Grant respond after NRL grand final loss

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Storm coach Craig Bellamy also cut a dejected figure. He said he hoped his players could take some lessons learnt and make them stronger next season.

"Hopefully we'll be wiser for tonight," Bellamy said. "We can learn a few things and I don't think we're going to lose too many of our squad. There's a theory you have to lose one to win one because at the end of the day we were outplayed. They stuck to what they know they're good at and they were just that little bit better than us."

Not a single Storm forward ran for more than 100 metres, and Bellamy admitted they missed suspended forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona. "We did miss him, without a doubt," the coach said. "I'd be lying if I said we didn't miss him because we were struggling to make metres early and that's one of his real strengths."

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Grant admitted the Panthers taught the Storm on a lesson on how to handle the big moments. "We've had an incredible season and I think we learned how hard it is to get here over the last few years," the skipper said.

"We thoroughly enjoyed this week, but we probably learned what this week's all about and what it takes to take your game to the next level. Once you do get here, it's even harder to win and it just goes to show Penrith for the 'been here, done it'.

"You've got to give them a lot of credit and a lot of respect for what they've done over the past four or five years. For our guys, this was the biggest game of our careers, so that's a real lesson. We're keeping our squad together. We're adding to our squad and we'll be more experienced and better for the run next season."

with AAP