It was a sweet moment for Reynolds, who lost grand finals against Penrith with South Sydney in 2021 and Brisbane in 2023.
Now the 35-year-old gets a chance to potentially win another premiership with coach Michael Maguire, to go with the title they won at Souths in 2014.
A second premiership would be the ultimate vindication for Maguire, who was sacked by both Souths and Wests Tigers before resurrecting his career in representative football with New Zealand and the NSW Blues.
He now has the chance to join an exclusive group of coaches who have won competitions with two clubs.
Brisbane have enjoyed an impressive first season under Maguire, finishing the preliminary rounds with five straight victories – including a 30-14 trouncing of Melbourne. They then scored an epic extra-time win against Canberra in the opening round of the play-offs.
That earned the Broncos a week off before the preliminary final and home-ground advantage at a sold-out Suncorp.
Deine Mariner after scoring the decisive try.Credit: Getty Images
Moreover, they welcomed playmakers Reynolds and Ezra Mam back from injuries, although Patrick Carrigan (suspension) and Billy Walters (knee) were unavailable.
Brisbane’s cause received an unfortunate boost in the opening minutes, when Penrith back-rower Scott Sorensen was knocked senseless in a head clash.
It was not a good omen for the visitors, given that Sorensen has been a lucky charm since joining Penrith in 2021, featuring in all four of their grand final wins, and boasting an undefeated record in his first 12 play-offs.
Brisbane gave it everything in the first half but Penrith dominated the arm wrestle, enjoying the bulk of possession and field position, to lead 14-0 at the break.
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire appeared unconcerned in a half-time TV interview, predicting: “We’ve got some points in us.”
How right he was.
His players repaid his faith in them in due course. Like the Raiders, the Panthers weren’t quite sure what hit them.
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“I keep saying that there’s a lot more in this team,” a delighted Maguire said post-game.
“I just think that the work they’ve been doing, ingraining what they’ve been doing, there’s so much more in the group.
“That’s exciting for me … we were challenged, right through the year, everyone knows that.
“But they’ve stuck solid to where they wanted to go, and it’s a really tight-knit group.”
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