The 2021 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2021 National Rugby League season in Australia.

Penrith co-captain and halfback Nathan Cleary was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the official man of the match.

[2] Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the match was attended by only 39,322 spectators because the Queensland Government limited Suncorp Stadium to seventy-five percent of its maximum capacity.

[8] In the Rabbitohs' 54–12 victory over the Roosters in round 24, fullback Latrell Mitchell was suspended for six matches for reckless high contact on Joseph Manu.

[14] Prior to the match, Michael McGowan writing[15] for the Guardian Australia explained how South Sydney represents rugby league's blue collar past, and how Penrith better embody it in 2021.

The Penrith junior system is also widely regarded[attribution needed] to produce the best talent in the modern game, and the team is widely regarded[attribution needed] to have the best homegrown talent in the modern game due to the population demographics of their geographical district.

[16] Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the match was attended by only 39,322 spectators because the Queensland Government limited Suncorp Stadium to seventy-five percent of its maximum capacity.

[17] Matt Burton, Spencer Leniu, Paul Momirovski and Scott Sorensen were new additions to the Penrith squad that played in the 2020 grand final.

Blake Taaffe, who replaced suspended fullback Latrell Mitchell, became the least experienced player in a grand final, playing only his eighth game in the NRL.