RICKY Stuart beware — Anthony Griffin has shown his hand and it’s up to you to outsmart him.

The man they call “Hook” might not say much but there’s a lot going on upstairs. He’s thwarted Des Hasler and now his eyes are on the nation’s capital.

Griffin employed an unusual tactic on Sunday, which set the platform for Penrith’s 28-12 elimination final victory over Canterbury.

On six occasions, the Panthers ran the ball and surrendered the tackle on the last play of their set, rather than kicking or going for the try.

Round 20

In the opening exchanges, the Panthers barely put ball to boot, instead running it to their right wing or at the tryline to force the handover.

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The result was no scrums, no taps, no drop outs — and no rest for the big Bulldogs forwards.

No club previously this season had surrendered the last tackle more than four times in a game.

Penrith great Greg Alexander explained the reasoning behind the ploy when speaking on NRL 360 on Monday.

Matt Moylan of the Panthers is tackled during the elimination final. Source: Getty Images

“Big Dogs pack, [Penrith] didn’t want to give away the seven tackles but also they wanted to keep the ball in play,” Alexander said.

“I think it took its toll on the complete Dogs pack because there was just no stoppages.

“Even though they didn’t get themselves repeat sets or have a chance to score a try off a kick, what they did was wear the Dogs pack out.

“While it might not have won them the game, I think it played a huge role.

“It’s great to see a coach employ tactics and devise a plan against an opposition that he thinks it might be effective.”

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WHAT THE PANTHERS v BULLDOGS STATS SHOWED

Stats suggest the tactic worked a treat.

Bulldogs enforcer Sam Kasiano, who has been their best player late in the season, lasted just 11 minutes before leaving the ground exhausted.

Just three Canterbury big men clocked up triple figures in run metres, with David Klemmer the only big impact forward with 217.

The output of starting forwards Josh Jackson, Greg Eastwood, and James Graham was way down on their usual numbers.

The constant back-and-forth attack and defence instigated by Penrith took the puff out of the big Dogs.

When questioned about the tactic post-game, Griffin was as coy as ever.

“That’s just the way the game flows sometimes,” he said.

“I’d much prefer us at times to make sure we finish the set off the way we want to finish it off.

“There’s no rule that says you’ve got to kick it on the last play.”

PANTHERS GAVE DOGS A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE

Penrith turned the tactic back on the Bulldogs.

It was Bulldogs coach Des Hasler who employed the last-tackle run early in the season but Griffin’s Panthers have since become the biggest exponent.

Over the course of this season, Penrith has run the ball and surrendered the tackle on their last play 25 times.

Next best is Canterbury on 22 occasions, then way down the line are clubs like the Roosters, Sharks, and Tigers, who almost never use it.

BELCHER: RAIDERS VULNERABLE TO MORE OF THE SAME

Having witnessed the success of Griffin’s masterstroke last week, it’s yet to be seen whether the Panthers will use a similar ploy against Canberra this week.

Raiders legend Gary Belcher is tipping we’ll see it again.

“I think they will employ that against the Raiders,” Belcher told foxsports.com.au.

“The proof is in the pudding that it worked for them against the Bulldogs.

“It is a big pack, the Raiders, and it then puts a lot more emphasis on your outside backs to do that heavy work to get you out of trouble but that can take a bit of juice out of them as well.”

Belcher says it’s a tactic other NRL coaches will take notice of, and punters may see a lot more last-play tackles in the game in 2017.

He says it’s now up to Stuart to figure out how to thwart Griffin’s ploy.

Panthers coach Anthony Griffin talks to his team during training. Source: News Corp Australia

“I think rather than Ricky trying to copy the Panthers, it will be Ricky and his staff thinking about how they’re going to handle that,” Belcher said.

“Those turnovers, how do you get out of your zone pretty quickly without using too much energy.

“I think it will come down to those outside backs putting a big performance in and getting them out of the trouble area.”

The writer is on Twitter @SimonBrunsdon

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