- Penrith stars wore Polynesian candy leis
- Leis are festively presented
- Penrith defeated Brisbane 26-14 in the grand final
Penrith staked their claim as one of rugby league’s greatest ever teams after Nathan Cleary engineered the greatest comeback in grand final history to beat Brisbane 26-14 to claim a third straight title.
Trailing 24-8 with 18 minutes to play at the Accor Stadium on Sunday, Cleary set up two tries and scored one himself in the final minutes to put the Panthers ahead and earn him a second Clive Churchill Medal .
Players and fans celebrated long after the game was over, and the Panthers’ stars wore colorful Polynesian candy leis around their necks.
Spencer Leniu was asked after the game about the meaning of the decorations.
“A piece of our Samoan-Polynesian culture,” he explained to Channel Nine.
Penrith stars could be spotted wearing Polynesian candy leis around their necks after the win
Spencer Leniu explained that the decorations are given during the celebration
‘It’s just kind of a party. Obviously we just won the grand final, so they make these things…
“I think it’s good for us now because it’s the off-season and we can eat some snacks!”
Leis – or streamers – have been part of Polynesian culture since time immemorial.
In Samoa the lei is called an ‘asoa’ or ‘ula’, in Tahiti it is ‘hei’, in the Cook Islands it is ‘ei’, in Fiji ‘salusalu’, in Hawaii ‘lei’, in Tonga it is ‘ kahoa’.
Various leis have been made for all kinds of special occasions.
Leis are given at weddings, birthdays and graduation ceremonies. They are also given to someone else as a sign of affection, friendship or appreciation.
The candy leis are especially popular in Tonga and Samoa and are intricately woven together with ribbons, cellophane and candies.
Penrith are the eighth team in history to win three consecutive premierships, and the first since Parramatta in 1983.
Leniu joked that they could enjoy the snacks now because the season is over
The Panthers have staked their claim as one of rugby league’s greatest ever teams
But their win is the first in the NRL era or under a salary cap.
“There was that great Parramatta side, but that wasn’t the NRL era either,” coach Ivan Cleary said.
“But things were different, it was pretty much the Sydney comp back then. And I say that without trying to take anything away from what they did.
‘We are not here to explain where we are in history. I think we’ll be able to reflect on it in the coming days, it’s quite a remarkable achievement.
‘It’s completely surreal. I don’t know how to explain it.’