Father Time has never been beaten,but in Smith there’s a rival who has taken him further than everyone else. Few really know Smith,an at-times complex man who yearns for a simple life.

Like most of his 430 NRL games,the grand final was played on terms which he largely dictated. Rival teams have rarely been able to read his genius,nor opposition fans really accept it.

On Sunday night,his name was greeted with thunderous boos during the pre-game introduction. He then went about systemically pulling apart the young Panthers,death by a few sideways glances and a thousand subtle passes.

There would barely be a rugby league player more acutely aware of big moments in matches,and with five seconds left before half-time Smith scored his first grand final try at the eighth time of asking.

There was more than a little luck involved,his opposite Api Koroisau slapping the ball out of his hands and the veteran No.9 picking it up and diving over to hand his team a 22-0 half-time lead. Smith had 14 of those points.

The scoreline was harsh on Penrith,which conceded a penalty try when Tyrone May was ruled to have kicked out at Justin Olam inside four minutes and lamented Suliasi Vunivalu’s 80-metre intercept when Nathan Cleary’s floating ball was plucked out of the night sky by the rugby union-bound Fijian.

It had been 17 years since Penrith had last played in a grand final,this time their spot sealed on the back of a remarkable 17-game winning run. Win No.18 was a bridge too far. Just like 2003,there was a father coaching his son,and it poured for most of the day.

But no one was going to rain on Smith’s parade,even if he wouldn’t declare it during the week.

At half-time,Smith’s wife,Barb,danced joyously in a poncho while the PA system blastedAin’t No Mountain High Enough as the team her husband led climbed another.

For all the rub of the green which went against the Panthers in the first half,they arguably got it all back with a reply from Brian To’o after Ryan Papenhuyzen's long-range try. Isaah Yeo ran around the back of Kurt Capewell and kicked for his winger to touch down. Bellamy blew a gasket in the coaching box,and no one could begrudge him.

Stephen Crichton gave them the faintest of faint hopes when he cut the margin to 14 points and the decibel levels went up when Josh Mansour scored immediately after Hughes was sin binned with nine minutes left. Nathan Cleary scored in the final seconds,but it wasn't enough.

The most remarkable season finished with an unremarkable result,and no asterisk attached.

MELBOURNE STORM26 (Justin Olam,Suliasi Vunivalu,Cameron Smith,Ryan Papenhuyzen tries;Cameron Smith 5 goals)bt PENRITH PANTHERS 20 (Brian To’o,Stephen Crichton,Josh Mansour,Nathan Cleary tries;Cleary 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee:Gerard Sutton. Crowd:37,303.