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FRI 11 APR 2014 • Issue 006

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PROUDLY INDEPENDENT

INSIDE Troy Dodds makes a plea to Panthers fans + PANTHER RUMBLINGS + LUKE PRIDDIS + ERIN MOLAN + JUNIOR FOOTY

Sam’s Our Man Sam McKendry puts football in focus p.5

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PENRITH PANTHERS

PREVIEW

Matt Moylan Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Dean Whare Jamal Idris Josh Mansour Jamie Soward Peter Wallace (c) Sam McKendry Kevin Kingston (c) Tim Grant Sika Manu Elijah Taylor Adam Docker James Segeyaro Jeremy Latimore Lewis Brown Nigel Plum

SOUTH SYDNEY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Greg Inglis Nathan Merritt Dylan Walker Joel Reddy Bryson Goodwin John Sutton (c) Adam Reynolds Dave Tyrrell Apisai Koroisau George Burgess Kyle Turner Ben Te’o Sam Burgess Cameron McInnes Chris McQueen Jason Clark Luke Burgess

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Fans show their spirit in the stands this season. Photo: Melinda Jane

It’s time to talk about you TROY DODDS

@troydodds

Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs Kick off: Fri 11/4 • 7.30pm Sportingbet Stadium Refs: Ashley Klein and Adam Gee TV: Channel 9 Live 7.30pm Radio: 2GB Live 7.30pm

pages of the Weekender each week, which highlight some of the amazing things that happen in this region. More than 16,000 people rocked up at Leichhardt Oval last Sunday in bloody awful weather to cheer on the Wests Tigers. The effort of that crowd at one of the worst venues in the country in terms of parking and comfort in the wet should be admired and puts what the people of Penrith did last Saturday to shame. The people of Penrith turned their back on their team, put their slippers on and watched the game in their lounge room instead. And to themselves, the excuses make sense. It was wet! Indeed it was, but some of my best memories watching the Panthers have been with the rain tumbling down, feeling like you’re going the extra mile to support the blokes who are bleeding for you, the Penrith jumper and everything it embodies. It’s expensive! Footy tickets can be expensive, but the club has done everything possible to make it more affordable this year, including cutting the price of memberships, payment plans and presale discounts.

In fact, the club has more than done its share of the work this season. It has brought you superstars to watch – Jamal Idris and Jamie Soward at the top of the pile. It’s listened on food prices and offered some darn good discounts for members last weekend. You wanted three grades of footy like the “good old days”, so the club delivered. You weren’t coming to games, so the team behind the scenes worked to overhaul the match day experience, with more changes to come. But you? You just whinged about a scoreboard being taken down and how long you had to line up for a beer. Come on Penrith, you can do better than this. Let’s show that no matter what the weather, Penrith people really do care about their team – so much so that they’ll sit through anything. As fans you should never, ever be taken for granted. But you have to turn up to earn the respect in the first place. Over the next two weeks, we have two home games at Penrith Stadium. It’s in your hands now. Tip: Panthers by 2.

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enrith did enough in wet conditions to beat Canberra 12-6 last weekend, but I don’t really want to write about that today. Nor do I want to write about the ins and outs of tonight’s blockbuster against South Sydney at Sportingbet Stadium. Instead, let’s talk about you. Actually, not all of you – the 7,667 people who turned up to Penrith Stadium last weekend are excused. I realise that last Saturday night’s game was played in terrible conditions, but the

crowd figure was awful and the rain is hardly an excuse given it came after kickoff and it was a pretty nice afternoon. Penrith, it just wasn’t good enough. And it won’t be good enough when you all jump on the bandwagon a little while down the track and claim you’ve been attending games religiously for years, even during the ‘tough times’. And it’ll probably be too late when you scream the joint down if Phil Gould and his management team decide to move games to ANZ Stadium next year. You’ll take to social media saying how unfair it is. You’ll have conversations with your mates about how you always knew this would happen with Gus in charge. You’ll wish the ‘good old days’ were back. And while you’re doing all of that whinging, you’ll forget to blame yourself. You are from the same group of people who whinge that empty seats at ANZ Stadium look awful on television, but do nothing to fill those seats (though the ANZ debate is one for another day). Everyone loves a winner – I get that. But that should not be what this city is about. That’s not the Penrith I grew up in and that’s not the Penrith I see in the

Friday 11 April 2014 the western weekender

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FEATURE STORY

We’re all loving big Jamal H NATHAN TAYLOR

@natetaylor87

Now settled at Penrith, Jamal Idris says he is 100 per cent fit and keen to return to the form that saw him selected for Origin four years ago

e’s only been a part of the Panthers club for a matter of months but Jamal Idris is already becoming a big fan favourite amongst supporters. For years he had been admired by the wider rugby league community because of his hulking frame and charismatic personality, but now he is ours, and is slowly progressing to being back to his devastating best. “I’m feeling 100 per cent. I have no niggles or anything, so I’m back,” Idris said last week. While the signs look good the 23-yearold will return to the form that saw him selected for Origin in 2010 and the Kangaroos in 2011, there’s still some work to be done first. “I tend not to worry about other teams [we are playing], I only worry about myself and what I can control. I want to get better in my timing in attack and defence,” Idris admitted. Since arriving at the foot of the Mountains from the Gold Coast in January, Idris appears very comfortable in his new surrounds both on and away from the footy field. His teammates often hand out glowing remarks that Idris is the life of the party

once all the hard work at training has been completed. But how is Idris really settling in at Penrith? Who are his closest teammates and which local hangouts is he making himself known at? “I haven’t been to any Penrith hangouts yet, no one really wants to hang out with me,” Idris joked. “If anyone’s around Penrith come say ‘hello’, we’ll go get some coffee or something.” But while Idris may still be familiarising himself with the local area, scoping out the best places to hang with his new ‘friends’, he is glad he does have one close friend on the team in the form of Fijian winger, Kevin Naiqama. In the opening rounds of the season both Naiqama and Idris formed a strong combination on the field and it seems the pair have a pretty strong combo off it. “Me and Kevvy are really good mates, it’s good to have Kevvy around,” Idris said. “When he was up at Newcastle, I would go back up to Forster a fair bit and stop in at Newcastle and go to the local hangouts like Fanny’s night club. “We’ve been working really well together but I guess it all comes down to communication.”

Cheeky and confident: Jamal Idris. Photo: Melinda Jane Idris is also starting to make inroads in the media, and has become a semi-regular panellist on Channel Nine’s ‘The Footy Show’ on Thursday evenings.

WW7352

FEATURE STORY

NATHAN TAYLOR

@natetaylor87

He’s getting married soon, but right now Sam McKendry is focused on playing good football for the Panthers and pushing aside rumours of his departure

ith a wedding on the horizon, Panthers star Sam McKendry is thankful the talk of him leaving the club in the near future has passed so he can finally settle down in the place he loves. The 24-year-old former New Zealand international, along with fellow prop Tim Grant, have been the subject of intense rumours of late involving their immediate futures at the club. Speaking with Extra Time, McKendry said he’s glad those rumours have finally been put to bed, for the time being at least, so he can finally get on with his season and life. “I don’t know too much about it (rumours of being released), I don’t read the papers,” he said. “My partner and I are yet to plan a date for our wedding but I do want to stick around at Penrith, that’s for sure.” While his partner on the field in Grant has copped the brunt of the ongoing speculation, including being dropped to the NSW Cup, McKendry has only ever been dropped to the bench, something he hopes is a rare occurrence. “My form has been alright of late… I didn’t start the first couple of games but now I’ve finally got my starting position

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Sam’s focused on football W

Sam McKendry is focused on his football commitments. Photo: Melinda Jane back. I prefer to start because when I came off the bench I had to make sure I was an impact player,” he said. Last week both McKendry and Grant returned to the starting line-up in Penrith’s thrilling win over Canberra in atrocious conditions. While McKendry didn’t put up the numbers he was hoping for, just 53 metres

gained, he was happy to run out with his best mate once again. “It was good playing with Tim again but the conditions were terrible,” he said. “It was one of those games where both teams couldn’t hold onto the ball. I’ve been in those conditions many times before coming from New Zealand and it’s never easy.”

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Sometimes it’s much more than a game I

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wanted to share with you all this week a sad but uplifting story we featured on ‘The Footy Show’ on Thursday night about a Brisbane man with stage three bowel cancer. Sam Rohlf, 40, along with his wife Caroline and three kids Harley, Drew and Maddy are mad Parramatta supporters even though they live in Queensland. Last week during Parramatta’s clash with Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, Sam and his beautiful family were fortunate enough to meet the entire Eels team after the game. Meeting the players absolutely made Sam’s day and no doubt took away much of his and his family’s pain even for a moment. Sam told me earlier this week that he looks to players like Parramatta’s captains Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah for inspiration whenever they’ve battled their ups and downs. Sam and his family were lucky enough to be guided by Tim Mannah the other night, who was just spectacular in introducing them to the team. Tim knows better than anyone what it’s like to go through tough times and Sam said meeting Tim and to see how his family coped with loss of brother Jon, gave

MOMENT WITH MOLAN @Erin_Molan

ERIN MOLAN

The Footy Show’s Erin Molan discovers that sometimes, rugby league is about a lot more than the big, hard hits and freakish tries

him even more inspiration as far as his own battle was concerned. Sam said having passion for a football team is such a powerful thing. A lot of people say it’s just sport, but to him and his family, it makes a really unbearable time bearable. I’ve met a lot of people in my travels who are unwell or facing some sort of adversity, and when a player gives even just five seconds of their time it can be a huge difference to someone that is struggling. However it isn’t just Parramatta that do this, all clubs around the NRL including the Panthers do heaps of these kind of things, many of which don’t make it on ‘The Footy Show’ or in the papers. Back to Sam and he recently underwent surgery and is about to start chemotherapy in a few weeks’ time. While we all hope for a positive outcome for Sam and his family, it’s nice to stop and realise that rugby league is more than just freakish tries and big hits because to some, football is so much more than being a fan. Make sure you catch ‘The Footy Show’ on Thursday evenings at 8.30pm on Channel Nine. The boys and I talk lots of footy and have a whole heap of fun as well. Plus, make sure you tune in for ‘The Molan Files’ – everyone’s favourite!

Erin Molan

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PANTHERS IN PICTURES Pretty in pink: Sam McKendry warms up before an NRL fixture

McKendry aiming for big season

Sam McKendry on the bench last year

He’s a New Zealand representative and one of the biggest hitters in the game, and Sam McKendry has had a great start to the season for the Panthers. He’s also a favourite amongst the faithful at Penrith Stadium each home game @wwpenrith

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1. McKendry after a game last season against the Dragons 2. McKendry playing against the Knights in 2014 3. McKendry takes the ball up last season 4. McKendry runs onto the park at Penrith Stadium Photos: Melinda Jane

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Luke Priddis believes Jamal Idris is on track to return to his best form this season

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Gaining the two points and the solid debut of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak were positives that can be taken from what was a fairly dour game last week against the Raiders. However it was these specific games that the Panthers failed to win in the past that have haunted the side at the business end of the season. The result shows the side is improving, able to grind out a win when not playing fantastic footy. The continued improvement in Jamal Indris is something I like. I look forward to what can be expected in half a dozen weeks when hopefully he reaches full fitness. He showed on the weekend the potential influence he can have with his forward like charges taking some load off a tired pack. Once he is able to have multiple quality involvements in attacking raids he will certainly be a handful for his opposition defenders who will struggle to contain him. Who would have thought that the Titans would be sitting atop of the ladder and last year’s Premiers, the Roosters, who maintain premiership favouritism, outside the top eight this early in the competition? The Roosters are facing the weekly reality of all Premiers in that their opposition will always be lifting against them as a test against the game’s benchmark and currently they are struggling handling this intensity. With the unpredictable form of all teams on a week to week basis I did not expect any coach to be in the sights of the axe, yet awoke to the news early in the week that my old mate Matt Elliott would be joining the Centrelink queue. It was clear from the start he was not someone the players wanted or respected and eventually in this instance the players won out with the coach not the players shown the door. All interest lies in who will take over the role long term with a number of upcoming coaches and one or two old names on the market looking for a start. Will it be Tim Sheens? Or will the club do what it often likes to do, and look to England?

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Mansour may be in final year

with the Masked Panther

Send your Panthers gossip at news@westernweekender.com.au

James Segeyaro may love playing at the Panthers, but he also loves a weekend road trip. ‘Chicko’ has fallen in love with The Grounds of Alexandria, and its new dining option ‘The Potting Shed’. I hinted a few weeks ago that former Panthers coach Matthew Elliott was on shaky ground at the New Zealand Warriors. This week he was sacked, sorry, I mean to say, he resigned, from the position. Elliott’s days coaching in the NRL are almost certainly over.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak not only scored two great tries on debut last weekend, but he entered himself into the record books. The youngster became the only Penrith player to score two tries on his debut with the club. Can I just say how fantastic it was to see disabled rugby league players being given the opportunity to play on the Penrith Stadium surface before the game against Canberra last weekend. It was inspiring stuff and the players got a well deserved ovation from the crowd when they left the field.

@natetaylor87

It may have taken more than a month but the Penrith Panthers have finally recorded their first win of the Holden Cup season. The Panthers looked like the team of old last Saturday afternoon when they demolished the visiting Canberra Raiders 42-12. It wasn’t one of the prettiest games fans will ever see live, but at half time it was a very close affair with the Panthers only up 10-8.

Panthers fans certainly got a shock when the boys ran out onto the stadium last Saturday – in true heritage round tradition, ‘Hells Bells’ made a comeback after being dropped as the run-on music for this season. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s a permanent return or not. Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield was at it again last Saturday night, taking to social media to berate the Penrith Panthers and General Manager, Phil Gould. Buzz asked for any sightings of Gould at the local seafood shop during the Panthers v Raiders match to be reported, despite being left embarrassed by his last ‘seafood scandal’ story. His nasty tweet prompted a first class reply from Panthers marketing guru Anthony Frantzis: “He’s an embittered & irrelevant clown who bears little relevance to our great game”. We’re not sure if Buzz saw it – he was probably too busy researching Grand Final dates after Cronulla finally won a game. So embarrassed were the Warriors to lose to his Sharks, they got rid of the coach! We’re not 100 per cent sure if it’ll be ready, but we do know there’s a special surprise planned for fans at tonight’s game against the Rabbitohs. Just what will the new inclusion at Sportingbet Stadium be?

Will Josh Mansour be at the Panthers beyond this season?

NATHAN TAYLOR

Perhaps jokingly, Jamie Soward had a shot at Beau Ryan this week, after Ryan started impersonating him on ‘The Footy Show’. Soward delivered a solid spray that may have Ryan questioning whether he berates Soward again.

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PANTHER RUMBLINGS

The Panthers will have to fight hard to keep winger Josh Mansour beyond this season. Mansour is off contract at the end of the year and it’s understood at least two clubs are interested in his services. One of them may indeed be the side he faces tonight – the South Sydney Rabbitohs. But don’t be surprised if rugby union also rears its head in the chase to sign the strong winger, who is being talked about as a potential State of Origin bolter this year.

Lower GRADES

Photo: Mark Matirez Panthers’ big guns were on fire in the second half though with Bryce Cartwright, Sam Scarlett and Waqa Blake doing much of the damage as the home side piled on the points. Even PNG import Wellington Albert crossed for his first try of the season. The Panthers will now meet the South Sydney Rabbitohs this evening at 5.20pm as they look to go back to back. Meanwhile in the NSW Cup, Penrith have now won three in a row with their latest coming against the competition leading Mounties 32-16. The Panthers were on fire from the outset and were led by their five-eighth Isaac John who returned to the side for the first time since round one. John had a hand in nearly all of Penrith’s six tries with winger Kevin Naiqama, who also returned to the line-up after three weeks in the NRL, bagging three of them. Tyrone Peachey, who was also dropped during the week, starred too scoring one try and setting up another. This Saturday the Panthers return to Sportingbet Stadium to take on the Wests Tigers at 3pm.

Friday 11 April 2014 the western weekender

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CELEBRITY TIPSTERS

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Vic Shipley Akira Teppanyaki

040

PANTHERS

RABBITOHS

BRONCOS

TITANS

BRONCOS

TITANS

KNIGHTS

RAIDERS

ROOSTERS

COWBOYS BULLDOGS SHARKS STORM

TIGERS

040

SEA EAGLES

BULLDOGS STORM

Nathan Taylor Western Weekender

TIGERS

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SEA EAGLES

WARRIORS STORM

EELS

ROOSTERS

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Deidre Barlow Country Brewer Nepean

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TIGERS

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RABBITOHS

PANTHERS

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TITANSS

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RAIDERS

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TIGERS

WARRIORS SEA EAGLES STORM

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NRL LADDER

+/- Pts

1 Titans

95 104 -9

ROUND 6

2 Bulldogs

119 60 +59

Panthers v Rabbitohs

3 Broncos

114 99 +15

Friday 7.30pm Sportingbet Stadium

4 Panthers

80 +13

5 W. Tigers

143 132 +11

6 Dragons

115 110 +5

7 Sea Eagles

-3

Raiders v Knights

8 Eels

115 128 -13

9 Storm

107 127 -20

Saturday 3.00pm GIO Stadium

10 Roosters

102 75 +27

Eels v Roosters

11 Cowboys

73 +23

Saturday 5.30pm Pirtek Stadium

12 Rabbitohs

100 83 +17

13 Raiders

96 102 -6

14 Warriors

96 138 -42

Saturday 7.30pm Campbelltown Stadium

15 Knights

80 112 -32

Warriors v Bulldogs

16 Sharks

65 110 -45

Sunday 2.00pm Eden Park

Titans v Broncos Friday 7.30pm Cbus Super Stadium

Tigers v Cowboys

Jeremy Latimore Is this the breakout season Jeremy Latimore has been waiting for?

Sea Eagles v Sharks

Extra Time Issue Number 006

Sunday 3.00pm Brookvale Oval

PRINTED BY Spotpress Pty Ltd / PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au

Storm v Dragons

CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Luke Priddis / Yvonne Purtell / Erin Molan

Monday 7.00pm AAMI Park

SALES MANAGER Simon Gould / 4722 2998 simon.gould@westernweekender.com.au

Best moment in the NRL: My ﬁrst grade debut against the Rabbitohs Favourite team growing up: Brisbane Closest teammate: Josh Mansour Sporting idol: LeBron James One player you wish you played with past or present: Gordon Tallis Favourite TV show: Entourage Favourite guilty pleasure: Ice cream Ultimate holiday destination: Vegas

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A moment we Time for will never forget silly season YVONNE PURTELL

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PANTHERS FLASHBACK

JUNIORS @penrith_juniors

Last weekend saw the first loss to our Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads with both teams going down to a very strong Newcastle outfit. Whilst this loss sees both squads moving out of first place, both will still make the finals with the last round coming up this weekend. Panthers will take on Cronulla at Sportingbet Stadium before the NSW Cup. Harold Matthews kicks off at 11.45am with SG Ball at 1.15pm. Get down to the ground and bring the boys home with a strong finish to the season. This inclement weather saw another interrupted weekend of trials for our junior league clubs with most games having to be cancelled last weekend. Let’s hope we get the wet weather out of the way before the junior league season kicks off on April 26. We are in the middle of the ‘silly season’ in junior league, setting up our competitions and registration of our players. This is also the time when many people don’t believe we should have rules, or if we do, we should break them if they don’t suit the person. The junior league is very mindful of the needs of individuals however we also need to look at the needs of the overall. As I mentioned last week, the junior league needs rules, the game needs rules, and players need rules. The other thing I would like to mention this week is letting kids have fun. Saturday football should be about having fun, enjoying the game, the company and camaraderie. All kids learn at a different level, in fact I read a quote the other day by Michael Carr: “All kids are gifted, some just open their packages earlier than others”. All kids are gifted and need an opportunity to be recognised.

News In Brief Panthers forward Nigel Plum says he was just glad to escape with the two competition points after atrocious weather hampered the side’s game plan against Canberra.

Nigel Plum

Friday 11 April 2014 the western weekender

“It wasn’t real pretty out there,” Plum said.

Plum was particularly impressed with the debut of winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who scored two tries. “He’s the first Panther player to score two tries on debut so that’s a massive achievement for him,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him play over the next 10 or so years.” Meanwhile, halfback Peter Wallace said he’s hoping the side can start fielding a consistent team each week as the season progresses.

TROY DODDS

@troydodds

he headline on the Monday, October 6, 2003 edition of the Daily Telegraph summed it up: “Perfect”. Penrith’s 18-6 Grand Final win over the Sydney Roosters on October 5, 2003 was one of the most magical days in the club’s history. Despite finishing minor premiers, the Panthers still went into the season decider against the Roosters as underdogs, but defied all expectations by winning by 12 points in wet conditions at ANZ Stadium. The Telegraph’s front page declared: “This is what joy looks like. 21-year-old Luke Rooney scores one of his two tries in the game no one said the Panthers could win. For Penrith, fairytales do come true”. Inside, under the headline “Tears, cheers and league’s greatest fairytale in years”, the praise continued: “The Grand Final of October 5, 2003, will forever be remembered as one of the greatest games of rugby league”. In front of a crowd of 81,166, the Panthers were simply superb. “The ferocity and intensity was greater than some State of Origin matches,” the Telegraph declared in its match report. “The opening set of six tackles alone was as fierce as anyone could remember.” After the game, Scott Sattler – who produced one of the most remarkable grand final tackles of all time in the second half to save a certain try – spoke about being written off by the critics. “All that matters is that we believed in ourselves,” he said. “We knew we could beat them. We were always going to try to frustrate them”. The late Peter Frilingos, one of the most revered journalists in the game at the time, couldn’t stop raving about Penrith’s effort in the game. “There’s no question the game ranked up there as one of the great season deciders,” he wrote. “Penrith’s victory in last night’s momentous grand final proved that nothing is impossible in the game of rugby league”. The very fact that Penrith had surprised one of the game’s great thinkers, and so many other critics, is what made the win so special.

The October 6 edition of the Daily Telegraph

“Penrith’s victory in last night’s momentous grand ﬁnal proved that nothing is impossible in the game of rugby league”

Whether it was that Penrith had come from last to first in the space of two years, Sattler’s tackle or simply that this team played with such inspiring spirit, the memories of 2003 will live on forever. It was a special game by a special team, but moreso, a very special season that embodied what Penrith is all about: local juniors, great spirit and defying the toughest of challenges.

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