People are talking about which is the most important to win. In a real world scenario, I would much much rather win the JJ Giltinan Sheild over the Provan-Summons Trophy, thats why Penrith Panther fans were supporting gold Coast vrs Melbourne Storm on Sunday night. We all truly value the JJ Giltinan Sheild over the Provan-Summons Trophy. 16 teams attack it on equal footing and over 25 rounds, the winner is the most deserved. Its like the Premier League in the EPL. the best team is decided over the course of the season not in some arbitrary games at the end of the season.
It proves that the team who wins the JJ Glitinan are the best prepared side throughout the off season and most successful side throughout the 6 & 1/2 month weekly slog that is the NRL premiership round competition. You managed any mini crisis’s that present such as key injuries and suspensions as well as losing personnel due to rep footy. You best kept the attitude and drive of the squad pointing in the right direction and you minimised dramas in your squad’s personal lives bleeding into their work. It is severely hard to win it and just as severely under appreciated. The prize money and standing within the game is insufficient.
In contrast, to that the end of season competition is a bit of a lottery, 8 teams get a crack at the Provan-Summons and not necessarily the best side over the 4 week period collects it. Usually, good sides are eliminated by your rivals, providing an easier path. If you make the 8, hit decent form and have some luck, you can take the trophy and at worst it’ll be a 4 game investment.
So, Penrith Panther fans would vastly prefer the JJ Giltinan.