Hot Shots: Stars to swelter at NRL Grand Final - but will the heat affect the outcome?

The Penrith Panthers will have another hurdle to overcome in their pursuit of a historic premiership three-peat, with record temperatures expected in Homebush for the NRL Grand Final on October 1.

Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s throughout the day and still sit around the high-20s by kick-off at around 730pm. Should the weather meet forecasts, it will be the hottest Grand Final Day since the event was moved to Olympic Park.

It will be in stark contrast to the conditions for each of Penrith’s premierships so far, and will be the first time Grand Final day temps have surpassed 30 degrees since the 2015 decider - which was also the last time Brisbane played in the final game of the year, losing in heartbreaking fashion after looking the better side for most of the contest.

After collecting the kick-off and day-time temperatures from every Grand Final since 2014 and analysing the points scored per match and the average margin, punters will be disappointed to learn there was little to no discernable impact on the result based solely on Grand Final.

The closest we could find? The weather conditions are similar to those forecast for the World Club Challenge in February, which resulted in a delayed kick-off and saw the match divided into quarters. Despite being heavily favoured and with a trophy on the line, the Panthers lost by one point - although it's worth noting that prior to kick-off in that contest, Penrith was hammered by a heavy storm that quickly changed conditions and saw the temperature drop significantly.