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FRI 25 APR 2014 • Issue 008

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GRANT QUITS Penrith junior to join Rabbitohs on four year deal + ERIN MOLAN + LUKE PRIDDIS + MASKED PANTHER + YVONNE PURTELL

Shark Alarm

Panthers sense danger against cellar dwellers p.3

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PENRITH PANTHERS

PREVIEW

Matt Moylan David Simmons Dean Whare Jamal Idris Josh Mansour Jamie Soward Peter Wallace (c) Tim Grant Kevin Kingston (c) Brent Kite Sika Manu Elijah Taylor Adam Docker James Segeyaro Jeremy Latimore Tyrone Peachey Nigel Plum 18 Matt Robinson

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

Michael Gordon Sosaia Feki Blake Ayshford Ricky Leutele Jonathan Wright Todd Carney Jeﬀ Robson Andrew Fiﬁta John Morris Bryce Gibbs Chris Heighington Wade Graham Paul Gallen (c) Isaac De Gois Tinirau Arona Sam Tagatese Siosaia Vave 20 Beau Ryan

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

Nigel Plum looks to offload the ball against the Titans. Photo: Melinda Jane

Sharks circle Panthers TROY DODDS

@troydodds

Penrith Panthers v Cronulla Sharks Kick off: Sat 26/4 • 3PM Remondis Stadium Weather: Possible shower during the afternoon TV: Fox Sports Live 3pm Radio: Triple M 104.9 3pm

some spice to the game given his apparent feud with Jamie Soward, the real battle will be among the forwards. Tim Grant played one of his better games last weekend and if he continues that sort of form, he will not only leave Penrith on a high at season’s end but may also find himself back in a sky blue jumper come Origin time. His renewed energy when taking up the ball was a real highlight against Gold Coast on Monday. Nigel Plum’s return added some grunt to the side last weekend and he’ll be even better for the run heading into the game against Cronulla, but the Panthers have suffered a massive blow with Adam Docker likely to be suspended for a dangerous throw (at the time of printing). Docker is playing great footy and is on the verge of a breakout game, so his suspension comes at an awful time. The Sharks have their own power pack – Andrew Fifita is an obvious danger while former Panther Wade Graham has just re-signed with Cronulla and has been one of their better players this season. He’ll be keen to fire against his old club. One player to keep an eye on will be Panthers interchange star Tyrone Peachey,

who faces his former club for the first time and admits he’s got a point to prove on his return to the Shire. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself but I want to have a good game,” Peachey said. “It will be good to win down there, it’s always hard at Cronulla because they love their home ground. If we win down there, it’ll be massive.” Peter Wallace knows it’ll be tough to back-up from Monday night’s clash with the Titans. “It’s not going to be easy down at Cronulla because we have a short turnaround,” Wallace said. “It’s going to be a tough game and pretty dangerous when their backs are against the wall.” This is a real danger game for Penrith. Cronulla may be coming last but in front of their home fans, against a side struggling to put teams away, there’s plenty of reasons for Panthers fans to be alarmed. That said, if Penrith play the kind of footy they’ve played in their other wins this season, it should be enough to collect the two competition points. Tip: Panthers by 1

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he NRL’s two worst attacking teams go head to head this Saturday at Remondis Stadium in what is one of round eight’s toughest games to pick. Penrith sit in seventh spot on the competition table but have scored just 109 points this season. Only this weekend’s opponents, Cronulla, have scored less with 87 points to their name. You would think it’d indicate a low-scoring, tight contest on Saturday afternoon but I actually think there will be plenty of

points scored, with one of these sides to wake from their try-scoring slumber. Penrith defended superbly against the Titans on Monday night and while only scoring two tries, their attack was much more direct than it was against the Rabbitohs, suggesting things are indeed heading in the right direction. The Panthers may be struggling to pile on the tries but their defence has been reasonably solid, conceding just 110 points so far this season – the fourth best in the competition. On the other hand, Cronulla have conceded 158 points – among the competition’s worst – but you cannot question their effort against defending premiers Sydney last Saturday night. The Sharks have proved they can be competitive in matches and against the Warriors a few weeks ago, showed what they can do on the limited occasions they do get their attack right. Not surprisingly, Todd Carney is the real danger man for the Sharks this weekend. When he plays well, Cronulla play well – he just hasn’t done it enough this season and has also been hampered by injury. While Beau Ryan’s likely return will add

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FEATURE STORY

Grant turns red and green T TROY DODDS

@troydodds

He was born and bred in Penrith, but Tim Grant now finds himself on the verge of calling Redfern home after signing with South Sydney

hree weeks after declaring he was going nowhere, the Penrith Panthers have agreed to release forward Tim Grant at the end of the season so the former NSW prop can take up a four year deal with South Sydney. Confirmation of Grant’s departure came on Good Friday, just 19 days after Panthers boss Phil Gould said he would not be leaving the club. “It is my hope and I’m sure Tim’s hope, that he gets to play many more years with the Panthers, and that would be the best result for all concerned,” Gould said on March 31. When announcing his departure, the Panthers attempted to explain the mixed messages. “Tim approached Penrith officials several weeks ago about a possible release, but after negotiations he agreed to see out his term until the end of 2016. However, after a change of heart he again approached club bosses to ask for a release, which has today been formalised,” the club said in a statement. Grant has not spoken publicly about the issue and it is not known how much pressure the club itself applied on Grant to find a new home. It is known that the Panthers have been uncomfortable for some time

Tim Grant will join the Rabbitohs next season. Photo: Melinda Jane with Grant’s high wage, put in place by the club’s previous management. The 26-year-old made his debut for the Panthers in 2007, and is a St Marys junior. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said he wished Grant all the best for the future. “He’s not the first person to leave the club and he won’t be the last,” he said. “In today’s day and age it’s all about

commercial decisions and this is one of those, but he’s also made his decision that it’s time to move on and we wish him well. “There’s certainly a lot of unfinished business before that happens – Tim’s a proud Penrith junior and I’m sure he’ll want to go out in the best possible way.” Cleary said Grant had handled the situation with great professionalism.

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FEATURE STORY

NATHAN TAYLOR

@natetaylor87

He gave up his glamorous lifestyle on the northern beaches, but Brent Kite couldn’t be happier with life in Sydney’s western suburbs

fter swapping his Northern Beaches lifestyle for western Sydney, two-time premiershipwining prop and recent Panthers recruit Brent Kite has urged locals to be proud of where they live. Kite, who played 221 games for Manly, is currently building a home with his wife in Glenmore Park, reaffirming his commitment to the area well beyond the two-year deal he’s currently serving. “My family and I are enjoying it out here. We think it’s a great area and we’ve noticed all the people are very friendly,” Kite told Extra Time. “I was from Manly and before that Queanbeyan, and I don’t think people understand that. “People here are always so apologetic that I’ve had to leave the beaches to come out here. I think it’s a great spot and it has so much going for it.” Kite said it was time Penrith people became proud of where they live and proud of their footy team. “I wish people were a bit prouder of the area sometimes,” he said. With Kite settling down in the Penrith area for at least the next two years, he revealed there’s a very good chance he will still be involved with the Panthers

Brent Kite is happy in western Sydney

club when his current contract expires at the end of 2015. “Yeah it’s looking that way, I’m hoping to stay involved with the club when my two years is up. I think those two years will see me out footy-wise,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going onto something else after that but it’s so hard to make plans when you play footy… you could end up in New Zealand or wherever but we’re trying to be comfortable and happy for now and that’s why we are calling this area home.” While he’s only played a handful of games to start the season, Kite’s leadership on the field is already evident. He’s slowly gaining the respect of the playing group and is having little trouble adjusting to his new surrounds. “It’s different but change can be as good as a holiday people say. I’m enjoying it here though, I get some time to play golf which is nice, but it’s a good vibe,” Kite said. “I suppose coming to a new joint takes some time to build relationships and trust with different players and staff but I think my on-field role is very similar to the one I had a Manly.” Kite could be even more valuable to Penrith next year with the departure of Tim Grant to Souths.

Friday 25 April 2014 the western weekender

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Honouring the real Australian heroes I ERIN MOLAN

@Erin_Molan

Erin Molan from ‘The Footy Show’ says the NRL does a great job in commemorating ANZAC Day each year

was a Major General in the army, so for me personally it’s a special day. With three games of NRL action on this afternoon and evening, I think it’s a great opportunity for everyone in this country to watch and enjoy a game of footy but at the same time make sure they also spend a lot of the day reflecting on what exactly it is we are commemorating today. The relationship rugby league has with the military is very powerful because so many guys and girls who serve overseas for us are rugby league fans. Last night on the show, we celebrated our military men and women with our entire audience made up of these true Aussie legends. Back to the game and I must admit Mick Crocker played his heart out and was huffing and puffing while my mate Finchy was a ratbag and cheeky as per usual, but the locals just loved it. In the end, the Army side beat the local team from Bellingen, NRL stars included. Make sure you catch me and the boys on ‘The Footy Show’ every Thursday night on Channel Nine at 8.30pm. We’ve got a great mix of footy chat, light entertainment and a whole heap more. You never know what’s going to happen on ‘The Footy Show’!

Erin Molan

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MOMENT WITH MOLAN

wanted to write this week about a story we showed on ‘The Footy Show’ last night about a special game of rugby league between a local team from Bellingen and the Australian Army. The game, which is played each year, is in memory of a soldier named Matt Locke who was killed in Afghanistan a few years ago. This year the local Bellingen side had a bit of help with three former NRL stars in Brett Finch, Mick Crocker and Danny Buderus, featuring in their line-up. It was just the most incredible thing to watch how the whole town came together to celebrate the life of Matt, who was a huge rugby league fan. At the same time it was also quite bizarre because the Army team looked at players like Finch and Buderus as their heroes, which is so ironic because, to all of us, the military and the men and women that risk their lives for our country are the real heroes. With Australians commemorating ANZAC Day today, it’s just wonderful how the NRL acknowledges it each year and makes such a big deal about it, just like the other codes do. In my opinion, ANZAC Day is the most important day on the calendar. My dad

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Referee shambles must be fixed T PRIDDO'S POINT LUKE PRIDDIS

Former Clive Churchill Medal winner Luke Priddis says a bunker system must be introduced to ensure consistency

here was some great footy played over the course of the round with some down to the wire thrillers. However controversy again dominated the round. When it comes to the obstruction rule the changes that have been instigated over the years, with great input of certain coaches, has come back to bite with it now being a complete shambles. There was never an issue with the old school rule, if you ran behind someone with the ball or a non-ball carrying attacker obstructed a defender then it was a penalty. Then coaches became involved in changing rules. Let’s face it, they were all trying to obtain an advantage to their attack with all the current day second man and decoy plays. Giving referees discretion with these decisions was always going to be fraught with danger as it seems is having ex-players involved who seem to be failing to understand the objectives of the current day playmakers when certain plays are executed. With all the technology in the game today surely the NRL can employ one person that has live access to all games being played taking over the role of video

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referee for every game of the round. That way you will then have a similar interpretation across all games. Finally, get rid of the refs needing to make a call on the decision because if they knew they wouldn’t be sending it upstairs. If this is all too hard then have the on field referee go to the TV cameras in the corner of the in goal where they can be the sole adjudicator. Like all other decisions in the game they are the ones solely responsible for their decisions and face judgement based on their performances, just like players. One thing is for sure, we can’t carry on the way we are going because we don’t want the game to be dominated by controversies involving referees every single weekend. I wrote this sitting in what was a decent crowd at the Panthers game last week and the one point to highlight from the match was how much better the Penrith attack is when the defence is put in two minds as to whether the half or five eighth might run and attack the line, not just pass the ball. The Panthers are up against the Western Sydney Sharks this week away and it’s a game that hopefully provides a good chance to string together that elusive two wins in a row.

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Grant’s exit is no real surprise

with the Masked Panther

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

Panthers five-eighth Jamie Soward was left red faced after being caught speeding over the Easter long weekend. The 29-year-old was clocked doing 85km/h in a 60km/h zone over the ANZAC Bridge in Glebe. He’ll lose a truckload of points and cop a big fine. It’s not the biggest crime in the world, but certainly not a good look for a player of his standing.

Whilst soccer and rugby league does have separate fan bases, there’s no doubt that there’s some crossover between fans of the Western Sydney Wanderers and the Penrith Panthers. Given the threat of the Wanderers in western Sydney, you’d have to wonder why the NRL scheduled so many Penrith games to clash with Wanderers games this season. Over the first six rounds of the competition, the Panthers and the Wanderers played on the same day four times. It’ll happen again this weekend too with the Panthers v Sharks game on the same day as the Wanderers’ finals showdown with Central Coast, though a clash this time around was unforeseen. It may only be a few hundred fans affected, but scheduling is so important and the NRL needs to make sure it considers a wide variety of factors, including what the competition is doing. We call him DWZ but according to his mother, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s nickname shouldn’t stick. Kara-Joe Zelezniak posted on the Panthers’ official Facebook page last week, saying it “saddens” her to see the DWZ nickname being used. She says his surname represents both his grandfathers, who have passed away, and the youngster would prefer his full name be used. I’m told some Penrith officials tried to convince coach Ivan Cleary to have his side warm up on the training field rather than in front of the fans at home games, but it fell on deaf ears. Personally, I’d prefer the team didn’t warm up on the field – it takes away some of the electricity when they run out for the game proper.

In hot water: Jamie Soward The Panthers have finished their investigation into an incident involving a fan and Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess. The club spoke to witnesses and reviewed camera footage from the night, while the fan herself has apologised to Sam and the Rabbitohs. Officially, the Panthers say they have taken “appropriate action” against the fan.

As a follow-up to my piece last week on general admission fans being allowed into the stands when it is raining, I’m told the club has developed a new plan to deal with the issue and has introduced new procedures. Monday’s crowd of 9,555 was only slightly below average crowds for games against the Titans at Penrith. It was the best crowd against the Titans at Penrith since 2009.

NATHAN TAYLOR

9 @natetaylor87

With only the Panthers Holden Cup side in action last weekend, you’d be forgiven if you missed out on the clash to enjoy a nice feed at Panthers before heading over to watch Penrith beat the Titans in the NRL later that night.

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PANTHER RUMBLINGS

I told you two weeks ago that the Tim Grant story was far from over, despite the reassurances from the club. I was a little disappointed in the way the club handled the announcement last Friday that Grant had signed with Souths. The club’s statement made it sound like this was 100 per cent Grant’s decision, and almost made him out to be disloyal. That just isn’t the case and if Grant had his way, I am sure he would be playing his career out at Penrith, such is his passion for the club. For the Panthers to not take responsibility for their part in all of this seemed a little unfair to me.

Lower GRADES

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Photo: Melinda Jane Not that the result was bad, the Panthers ran away 26-6 winners over the disappointing Gold Coast, but the game was just awful to sit through. The amount of penalties and dropped ball in the game gave this writer a headache and I was even happy to wait a while in a food and beverage queue to give my eyes a break. In fairness, Penrith played well when they wanted to but in all honesty they should have given the poor Titans a walloping just like they did in 2012 when they smashed them 78-0. Penrith’s 20-point win over the Titans last Monday night was the club’s third in a row, a huge feat considering they started the season winless after four rounds. The game belonged to two of the best young guns in the game, Dallin WateneZelezniak and Waqa Blake, who each bagged a double in the win. This Saturday morning the eighthplaced Panthers will take on the ninthplaced Sharks at Remondis Stadium from 10.40am. Meanwhile, Penrith’s NSW Cup side will play 2013 premiers Cronulla, also at Remondis Stadium from 12.40pm.

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2 W. Tigers

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-7

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Extra Time Issue Number 008

Sunday 2.00pm Brookvale Oval

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

Best moment in the NRL: Watching Matt Moylan kick that goal to win our game over the Bulldogs! Worst moment in the NRL: When I broke my ankle in 2012 Favourite team growing up: Broncos Sporting idol: Darren Lockyer One player you wish you played with past or present: Darren Lockyer or Andrew Johns

Tigers v Titans

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

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

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PANTHERS FLASHBACK

JUNIORS @penrith_juniors

We are nearly there – after an interrupted pre-season due to some inclement weather the Junior League season kicks off this weekend. With two short working weeks leading up to kick off, it has been a massive effort by the team in the office to get all the players registered, transferred, cleared and ready to play this weekend. Last weekend saw some mixed results for our Junior Representative squads. Our Harold Matthews defeated Balmain 24-22 in extra time which gives them a weekend off. The SG Ball squad was defeated by the Sydney Roosters in a high scoring game 44-42. The SG Ball squad take on Newcastle next weekend at St Marys Leagues Stadium kicking off at 3pm. Our Under 15 Development Squad headed off to Nyngan last Friday to play in the Annual Easter Nyngan Challenge. I don’t know who named the teams but we had two teams – ‘Brilliant’ and ‘Awesome’. On the last day ‘Brilliant’ played Far West and led all the way until Far West scored a try in the final play of the game to take the game 24-18. ‘Awesome’ played Parra Blue and I am told the boys played out of their skin with a Raymond Beale field goal from 30 metres out clinching the game. Well done to all the players who took part in the program. This is a big weekend and you represented the district proudly. Want to play? We have competitions open from U6 to A-grade together with a girls competition and also a Try-Time program for people with an intellectual disability or special needs. I would like to finish this week by saying on this ANZAC Day weekend we commemorate our diggers and honour the memory of those brave Australian and New Zealand soldiers.

FROM THE VAULT

Friday 25 April 2014 the western weekender

From the vault this week comes a program from the 1992 Football Presentation Night. 1992 was a sad year in Penrith’s history, with the side failing to go on with the form from the 1991 premiership season, and suﬀering the sad loss of young rising star Ben Alexander in a car accident. It was a sombre presentation night from a year many at the Panthers would rather forget.

TROY DODDS

@troydodds

t’s inevitable in any sport that you’ll have sad lows – seasons that don’t go right, times you just can’t get a result. For the Penrith Panthers, 1980 was one of those years. It was a disastrous season for the club – they secured just two wins and one draw from the entire year. Crowds at Penrith Stadium were terrible and at away grounds, very few fans were keen on watching the Panthers go around. Penrith drew with Parramatta 19-all and beat Cronulla 15-14 in the first half of the season, but would have to wait until the last match of the year for their second win – a 15-7 defeat of Norths at North Sydney Oval. But while history will show a wooden spoon for the Panthers, the side actually played some competitive football and was beaten by six points or less on no less than 10 occasions during the season. The worst run during the year was of 12 straight losses, starting with a 26-2 loss at the hands of Easts at the SCG on June 1. The crowds very much deserted the Panthers that year. 13,423 was the best crowd of the season at Penrith Park (for the 19-all draw with the Eels), but by the end of the season the crowds had dropped to below 6,000. Penrith’s last match of the year against Norths at North Sydney Oval was played in front of just 2,247 fans, showing just how little interest there was in watching the Panthers. In 1980, three players played 20 first grade games – Darryl Brohman, Jamie Jones and Lew Zivanovic. Brohman, these days known as The Big Marn, even bagged four tries. The club’s leading try scorer was Marvin Hicks, who scored 12 tries from his 19 appearances that season. 1980 was certainly a season to forget for the Panthers, and things didn’t get much better in 1981 when the side finished 11th, just one position better than the previous year. Times were tough for an emerging Penrith side back then – a period we hope the side will never return to. We all know what happened over the next decade,

Marvin Hicks in action during the 1980 season

Penrith’s last match of the year against Norths was played in front of just 2,247 fans

however. Good recruitment, the emergence of local juniors and quality coaching saw the Panthers become a true force in the competition. By the mid-1980’s, the rugby league world had its eyes on Penrith and in 1990, a decade after that disastrous 1980 season, the side qualified for its first grand final. A year later, they won the premiership and any lingering memories from those days at the bottom of the ladder were washed away.

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PANTHERS IN PICTURES

Welcome home, Peter

Peter Wallace is back in a Penrith jumper in 2014

He’s returned home in 2014 and Peter Wallace is already proving to be one of the buys of the year, leading the Panthers around the park with class each weekend. As the season goes on, there’s little doubt Wallace will become a crowd favourite @wwpenrith

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1. Peter Wallace playing against Newtown in the pre-season 2. Wallace plays against the Knights in round one 3. Wallace in action against Souths earlier this month 4. Wallace talks to the media Photos: Melinda Jane

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