FRI 22 AUG 2014 • Issue 025
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PROUDLY INDEPENDENT
INSIDE Luke Priddis Full NRL ladder Celebrity tipsters + PANTHER RUMBLINGS + PANTHERS FLASHBACK + LOWER GRADES + JUNIOR FOOTY
Defying the critics
Panthers can secure top four finish with victory on Monday p.2
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PREVIEW
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PENRITH PANTHERS Matt Moylan Josh Mansour Dean Whare Jamal Idris Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Will Smith Jamie Soward (c) Nigel Plum James Segeyaro Sam McKendry Sika Manu Matt Robinson Adam Docker Lewis Brown Ben Murdoch-Masila Jeremy Latimore Tim Grant
MELBOURNE STORM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Billy Slater Sisa Waqa William Chambers Mahe Fonua Marika Koroibete Ben Roberts Cooper Cronk Jesse Bromwich Cameron Smith (c) Bryan Norrie Kevin Proctor Ryan Hoffman Ryan Hinchcliffe Tim Glasby Tohu Harris Junior Moors Jordan McLean
The Panthers celebrate a try against the Cowboys on Monday night. Photo: Melinda Jane
How the critics got it wrong
he Panthers may be on their way to the finals, and possibly even the top four, but it seems the knockers are still waiting for Ivan Cleary’s men to fall in a heap. So in lieu of a traditional match preview today, I wanted to debunk some of the myths and arguments surrounding Penrith’s 2014 squad.
are ‘pretenders’. After all, Cronulla and the Wests Tigers both provided players to State of Origin this year – how has it helped them? To say that State of Origin sides are selected purely on form is wrong – otherwise Luke Lewis wouldn’t have been there this year, and Penrith’s Josh Mansour would have at least been picked for game three ahead of Newcastle’s James McManus. Top of the table Manly only provided two players to the Origin series in Anthony Watmough and Daly Cherry-Evans. Consider this – the New South Wales side in game one featured eight players from teams not currently in the top eight. To try and suggest a club side’s success or failure can rest on how many Origin players they have is a mute argument. And you can’t on one hand criticise Penrith for not having any players good enough to play Origin, and then suggest they’ve had an easy run through the Origin period because they weren’t missing any players – it just doesn’t make sense!
Penrith have no Origin players: True, but I find it strange that this has become such a strong argument as to why Penrith
Penrith have no star players: Well, not star players in the eyes of Channel Nine anyway, who ram Jarryd Hayne, Sonny
TROY DODDS
@troydodds
Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm KICK-OFF: MON 25/8 • 7PM Sportingbet Stadium Referees: Ben Cummins and Gavin Morris
Friday 22 August 2014 the western weekender
TV: Fox Sports Live 7pm Radio: Triple M Live 7pm
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Bill Williams and Greg Inglis down our throat on a weekly basis. Panthers boss Phil Gould declared Jamie Soward was a marquee player when he signed for 2014, but the critics wouldn’t listen. Penrith had the equal top try scorer in the competition last year in David Simmons, but he hardly rates a mention outside of the Penrith fan base. James Segeyaro, Matt Moylan and Dean Whare all announced themselves in style in 2013, but seemed to be forgotten about in pre-season expert predictions. Penrith may not have ‘star’ players in the eyes of a rugby league media that so often focuses only on the game’s elite, but the squad is one of the most enviable in the competition. Penrith has had a soft draw: To suggest Penrith’s run has been easy is simply a fallacy. When people talk about the Panthers not beating top eight teams, they forget that the Titans were on top of the ladder in round four when the Panthers beat them 14-12. They forget that Penrith beat the Bulldogs in round two, and again in round 21. Penrith thrashed Parramatta in round 12 38-12, but because the Eels were without Jarryd Hayne, it wasn’t
good enough. And yes, the Eels were in the top eight at the time of that clash. When Penrith beat the Wests Tigers back in round 17, the Tigers were coming 6th. When they beat Brisbane a week later, the Broncos were equal fourth. On Monday, Penrith ended an impressive Cowboys winning streak. The Panthers have also won some tough road trips, including a 32-10 thrashing of the Knights at Hunter Stadium – something the defending premiers couldn’t even achieve this year. And, to top it all off, Penrith sit third on the competition ladder despite losing to the Sharks twice! Penrith have too many injuries: When Peter Wallace was injured against the Sharks in Bathurst, some NRL experts said Penrith wouldn’t win another game. Since then, the Panthers have won three straight. It’s true that if Jarryd Hayne was injured for Parramatta, or Greg Inglis for the Rabbitohs, that those respective sides may find themselves in trouble. But not at Penrith, where injuries have been covered in style this season. Tip: Panthers by 8
FEATURE STORY
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NATHAN TAYLOR
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@natetaylor87
Second-rower Matt Robinson says the opportunity to get more NRL game time is behind his decision to join the Gold Coast next season
Matt Robinson is leaving Penrith at the end of the season. Photo: Melinda Jane
Why I’ve quit the Panthers P enrith Panthers second-rower Matt Robinson has revealed the reasoning behind next year’s switch to the Gold Coast Titans on a multi-year deal. The 24-year-old New Zealander, who made his NRL debut with the Panthers in 2012, chose to link up with the Robinabased club next season due to better prospects of playing in the NRL. Robinson has spent most of the 2014 season guiding Penrith’s NSW Cup side to a minor premiership but was recently recalled to Penrith’s first grade squad to help cover the club’s dreaded injury toll. “I’ll be at the Titans for a couple of years.
I sorted that out at the start of the year and that’s all done and dusted,” Robinson told Extra Time. “It was a good opportunity to go over there, it’s pretty exciting but I’ll be sad to leave.” Before he relocates his life to the Sunshine State, Robinson still has a massive job to do at Penrith starting with helping the Panthers to their first finals series since 2010. Robinson made his NRL return during Penrith’s big win over the Dragons a fortnight ago, putting in a solid performance which even saw him make a try-saving tackle on Benji Marshall.
“It was really awesome to be back out on the field. The game was pretty quick,” he said. “I think a couple of the new rule changes have sped up the game a bit. It’s getting faster and faster every year, I’ve definitely noticed that.” Before re-joining Penrith’s first grade side Robinson was one of reserve grade coach Garth Brennan’s star performers each week in the NSW Cup. Robinson admitted there was a “little less pressure” in the NSW Cup and didn’t mind waiting for his chance to play in the NRL again. “I think we’ve got some great depth and
experience in the NSW Cup team, we’re just clicking and everything’s going well,” he said. “I got used to playing down there, it wasn’t too bad. The boys in first grade deserved their shot and they did well. “My goal is to always play first grade. I was happy to be 18th man a few times and be in the mix. Both teams have been riding the waves of success this season, so it’s been easy to sit back and admire them.” Robinson was called into the starting side by coach Ivan Cleary on Monday night against the Cowboys after the shock withdrawal of Issah Yeo, who himself has been a star for Penrith this year.
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FEATURE STORY
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NATHAN TAYLOR
@natetaylor87
Cool under pressure and loving the challenge, Matt Moylan won Penrith another game with his boot on Monday night
or the third time already this season Panthers fullback Matt Moylan was once again the man of the moment, winning another vital game for his side during the dying stages. Moylan’s 78th minute field goal brought the small but vocal crowd at Sportingbet Stadium to their feet on Monday night after the Panthers sealed a 2014 finals spot with a 23-22 win over the North Queensland Cowboys. Following the one-point thriller, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary praised Moylan’s coolness under pressure, something he’s become accustomed to over the course of the season. “He (Moylan) likes the big moment, it doesn’t faze him and that’s a pretty good quality to have,” he said. “The bigger the moment, the calmer he is. He’s had a great season and he keeps stepping up which is good to see.” In Round 3 against the Bulldogs, Moylan slotted over a sideline conversion after the full-time siren to win Penrith the game, while just a month ago, in Round 18, Moylan nailed a field goal with a minute to spare to send the Broncos packing. “He’s a good kid, he’s been working hard and I think he realises the harder you work
Matt Moylan kicking them from everywhere on Monday night. Photo: Melinda Jane the more rewards you get in this game,” Panthers captain Jamie Soward said of his young fullback. “He did some important things tonight but that’s his job. He’s one of our main players, he understands that and he’s playing good.” Also singing the 23-year-old’s praises is teammate and friend Jamal Idris who,
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Magic Moylan does it again F
while elated with Moylan’s final minute heroics, was a little unsure as to what was going on. “It was definitely good to win when Moyza did that field goal because I thought the score was 20-22 and we were two points down, so I was a little confused as to why he went the field goal but lucky he did,” Idris told Panthers Media.
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Stop the fight: Cleary is year’s best coach
TROY DODDS
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary must be named Coach of the Year at the Dally M Awards later this year. No coach in the NRL has come close this year to matching Cleary’s efforts to guide Penrith into the finals, no matter what happens when they get there. Arguments will be made in support of Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire, Sea Eagles mentor Geoff Toovey and Roosters leader Trent Robinson, but Cleary surpasses them all in terms of 2014 achievements. Eels coach Brad Arthur will also come into calculations given he has taken the Eels from a wooden spoon side to a potential finals contender, but the Eels remain well behind Penrith’s achievements this year. To confirm Cleary’s status as Coach of the Year material, you have to go back to 2012. Cleary inherited a team that was a rabble both on and off the field. The side was full of egos, boosted by former coach Matthew Elliot’s desire to basically allow the playing group complete control. Elliott had put the lunatics in control of the asylum. Cleary along with Phil Gould made some incredibly tough decisions that were never going to be popular with fans. He allowed
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Panthers coach Ivan Cleary the club’s two most popular players in Luke Lewis and Michael Jennings to walk out the door, and along with them went Michael Gordon and Lachlan Coote – both fan favourites. This year Cleary continued his cutthroat approach by supporting Tim Grant’s departure to Souths at the end of this season and dropping him to the NSW Cup. Critics forget that when they say Penrith don’t have any ‘star’ players or Originquality representation, that it’s in fact somewhat deliberate and by design, not force. The Panthers could have made different decisions and kept players like
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Lewis and Jennings, who played Origin this year, but Clearly bravely went in a different direction. Along the way he has resurrected the careers of players like Jamie Soward, Brent Kite and Peter Wallace – all could have proven to be flops but Cleary has ensured they’re playing some of their best football. And when players like Kite and Wallace went down, the structure Cleary has implemented at Penrith ensured that the side kept winning. Soward is a particular success story – a confidence player, Cleary has given him just enough responsibility to have him playing great football, but has restrained him enough to ensure he doesn’t get too engrossed in the hype surrounding him. Sure, those judging the Dally M Awards could take the easy option and select someone like Michael Maguire as Coach of the Year – after all, he’s doing remarkably well with his football side, who are without question premiership favourites. But what Cleary has done with a team of misfits, many of whom wouldn’t find a spot in first grade at rival clubs, is an incredible achievement that cannot go unnoticed. The debate should stop now – Cleary is the NRL’s Coach of the Year.
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Sam McKendry is all smiles with his five-year deal. Photo: Melinda Jane Panthers prop Sam McKendry has made a commitment to Penrith for life after signing a contract extension on Tuesday which will seem him remain at the club until the end of 2019. The popular Kiwi made his NRL debut with the Panthers in 2008 and was already contracted to the club until the end of the 2016 season. However, with the NRL announcing in May that they would reward players and clubs for long service (six years or more) with a salary cap discount, the Panthers pounced and locked up the 25-year-old for the next five years. McKendry, who is due to open a new healthy café business in Emu Plains with
fellow Panther Lewis Brown this weekend, said he was very excited to remain at the club. “I couldn’t be happier to be staying on at Penrith and to be playing out the next five years with the club,” he said. “We have a really solid team at the moment and Ivan Cleary is an incredible leader, and I see a really bright future here with plenty more to come.” Panthers General Manager Rugby League, Phil Moss, said McKendry was a huge asset for the club. “He has always been one of our most consistent players and we are confident he still has a lot of good football to play,” he said.
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PANTHERS IN PICTURES James Segeyaro embraces Ashton Sims at full-time
One point thriller at Penrith
Jamie Soward makes a break in the second half
The Panthers produced another nail-biting win on Monday night, defeating North Queensland 23-22 thanks to a Matt Moylan field goal in the dying minutes. Photographer Melinda Jane captured some of the highlights @wwpenrith
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1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak shows some pace out wide 2. Josh Mansour crosses for a vital try 3. The Panthers celebrate the victory 4. Nigel Plum takes the ball forward Photos: Melinda Jane
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Monday’s game was played in awful conditions, which is part and parcel of the players’ job but I would like to commend those fans that braved the conditions to support their mighty Panthers. Sitting out of the weather I was still bitterly cold so I can only image what those sitting down in the rain were feeling so it was great to see after the game the players taking the time to thank those supporters, even James Segeyaro who had an ankle injury. I am sure they all wanted to be first into the hot showers awaiting them, but they took the time to thank the fans. The ‘ball boy saga’ that cost Parramatta the game against the Bulldogs shows the pitfalls of continuing to make rule changes every year for the so-called sake of bettering the game. Those who sit on these committees that throw up these rule changes are usually coaches, ex-coaches and those experts who are involved in the media side of the game. In some way each person has an individual agenda. I am not saying that they don’t also believe they are doing the right thing by the game but a coach is always mindful of what will be in the best interest for their team, ex-coaches want to still take part in the game, and the media are all about trying to do what is best for their ratings. The one thing that commonly seems to be missed is thinking further afield as to the full ramifications of the changes. Having a 10-year-old child potentially determine the outcome of a match doesn’t sit right. Putting a post and having a ball waiting there on the 20m line isn’t the answer either because it is still left up to the ball boys to ensure that those four balls are always there and what happens the one time one isn’t and a team misses out on the quick tap? The bigger question is why a 40/20 kick deserves such a huge reward anyway? The old rule that they received the feed to the scrum was in itself more than handy.
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Send your Panthers gossip at news@westernweekender.com.au
If you want to meet some of the Penrith Panthers players, head down to KAOS at Panthers Leagues Club tonight from 7.30pm. There will be plenty of fun and activities for kids of all ages, plus some giveaways. Get down there and get some autographs from some of your favourite players. The special Indigenous jerseys worn by the players on Monday night will be auctioned off for charity. Stay tuned to the Panthers website for the details on how to pick up a game-worn jersey.
Our Cheerleader of the Year competition is getting exciting So successful has Phil Gould been at turning around the Panthers, that he’s now starting to be linked with rival clubs. The latest to get a mention is the Gold Coast Titans, and there’s no doubt that Gus does have a soft spot for the beachside club. However, Gould is contracted to the Panthers and if you know the long-term history of his relationship
with Chairman Don Feltis and others at the club over the years, you’d know that he’s not about to consider walking out. The Titans do have some real problems, with the AFL quietly winning the war up there – something they haven’t been able to achieve in western Sydney. How interesting that the NRL has been on the front foot over last week’s 40/20 ball boy fiasco. I can only surmise that it’s because the whole thing was played out on free-to-air television, and involved the league’s precious wonderboys in the Parramatta Eels. How else could you explain why the NRL didn’t look into this a month ago, when Jamie Soward – a senior player in the game – raised the issue. “You’re not allowed to get the ball unless the ball boy has the ball on the ground and the ball boys were doing the best job that they could but the reality is that Kevin Naiqama or Jamal Idris sprints down there a lot quicker,” Soward said after Penrith’s loss to the Roosters in mid-July. “I’m surprised the NRL haven’t looked at ways for that to move and flow.” How did the NRL not at that point realise that they may have a problem with the new rule that was raising concerns among players? Phil Gould also wrote about the issue in the Sun Herald some time ago – again, why didn’t the league listen? While I’m on a roll questioning the leadership of the NRL, I need to make a point about kick-off times. The NRL is the only professional sport on this Earth that I’m aware of that doesn’t kick-off at the advertised time. And it’s 100 per cent deliberate – the players, coaches and official broadcaster knows when the game actually kicks off, but fans are left sitting in the stands or in their lounge rooms for up to 15 minutes while they await the start of a game. Seriously, how hard is it? It’s unprofessional and a black mark on the current NRL administration that they allow Channel Nine in particular to control delaying kick-off times. The game against the Cowboys brought in above average ratings for Fox Sports, with 266,000 viewers.
NATHAN TAYLOR
11 @natetaylor87
The Penrith Panthers continue to cling on to an all-important top eight spot after a convincing win over the North Queensland Cowboys in the Holden Cup last Monday night. Missing halfback Sam Scarlett through suspension, the Panthers debuted boom local junior Soni Luke in the halves who didn’t disappoint, setting up the first try of the game to put the home side up 4-0 early in the contest.
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PANTHER RUMBLINGS
The Extra Time Cheerleader of the Year competition has reached its final stages, with the eight finalists dancing their hearts out in special videos that are now up on both the Western Weekender and Penrith Panthers websites. Votes are rolling in for Natalie, Kirsten, Nat, Jess, Emily, Chelsea, Carly and Caitlin – with the winner to be announced at Penrith’s final home game against the Warriors.
Lower GRADES
Brendan Attwood The Cowboys were the next to score to make it 4-4 but it was the Panthers who hit straight back when Sione Katoa barged over the line from close range. Penrith were in again moments later after Chris Smith broke through the line to make it 16-4, but the Cowboys had a quick answer and closed the gap 16-10. Another try to Waqa Blake before the break saw the Panthers lead 22-10 at halftime. The second half began rather unusually for both clubs with points for either team rather scarce. The Panthers finally got on board 23 minutes into the second half when Jarrod Brackenhofer broke through the defence before offloading to Eddie Aiono who flicked it on to Brent Naden to score in the corner. The Cowboys weren’t done with yet and continued to pressure the Panthers before scoring themselves to make it 26-16. But the night belonged to the home side who ran in two further tries in the final nine minutes to ice the win 38-16. The Panthers currently sit in seventh position with a match-up against the ninth-placed Melbourne Storm this Monday afternoon.
Friday 22 August 2014 the western weekender
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Panthers fail to Things we back up success can’t control YVONNE PURTELL
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PANTHERS FLASHBACK
JUNIORS @penrith_juniors
Can any junior league association predict the weather? Do they have control over council grounds in wet weather? Do they cancel games, especially semi-finals just so they can reschedule them at a later date? The answer to these and many other questions is ‘No’. All junior league associations, including Penrith will do everything in their power to ensure that the scheduled games go ahead. Unfortunately there are things which are out of our control, the weather being one of those. In fact, I was with people from other districts this week and our discussion was around just this – wet weather, rescheduling of games and the difficulties we all faced in relation to this. As many of you would have seen through social media people believe that it is only rain and games should be able to go ahead under any circumstances – we wish it was that easy but it isn’t. As an individual you look at your situation, as an administrator I need to look at the ‘big picture’ and the consequences related to both playing and/or cancelling games. I would like to assure everyone that having to reschedule a large number of games is not an easy process, in fact we only do this when there is no other option. Moving away from the weather, I would like to congratulate all teams who have made the semi-finals and wish them well in their games moving towards the grand final weekends. I would like to thank the players/parents and officials of the clubs who braved the weather last Sunday and attended the U6 and U7 Fun Day. Unfortunately due to the weather and withdrawal of a number of teams we were not able to continue with the full day.
FROM THE VAULT
Friday 22 August 2014 the western weekender
From the vault this week comes this amazing 1966 Penrith Rugby League Football Club Journal, released in September of that year. It was released following confirmation that Penrith would be admitted into the first grade competition the following year. This is a rare piece of pre-premiership history, that shows the amazing journey the Panthers went on before finally being included in the top competition. It certainly is a very rare item!
TROY DODDS
@troydodds
W
inning a premiership is one of the most difficult things to do in rugby league. Winning two of them in a row is nearly impossible. The Panthers found this out the hard way in 2004, exiting premiership contention just one game short of the Grand Final and leaving the squad wondering what could have been. After the title success of 2003, expectations were high for another good year. The squad remained relatively stable and the younger members of the side were only going to get better. Things got off to a rough start, however, when the Panthers went down 20-14 to Newcastle at Penrith Stadium, stunning the big crowd of 19,936. The Knights were not coming off a particularly special season, finishing the 2003 regular season in seventh spot, so the loss was a surprise. Things did get back on track though over the next month, with the Panthers stringing four wins together over the Raiders, Warriors, Roosters and Storm. It put Penrith back on top of the ladder, but two heavy defeats to the Dragons and Broncos would bring the side back down to Earth. As if on a cycle, the Panthers went through the same process again – four more wins, including a 40-29 thriller over the Bulldogs in round 12 – before losing two games on the trot. With just the odd question mark floating around about Penrith’s premiership credentials, the critics were back on board when the side produced three stunning performances to finish the regular season. First, they thrashed a hapless North Queensland 56-6 at Penrith Stadium, then defeated arch rivals Parramatta 30-20 at Parramatta Stadium. In round 26, the Panthers gave it to Brisbane 46-20 to ensure they finished in fourth spot. Fourth was enough to give the Panthers a home final, and they played the Dragons on a Friday night in front of 21,963 fans. It turned out to be a thrilling contest, with a Craig Gower field goal ultimately getting Penrith home 31-30 after the Dragons produced a stunning comeback late in the game. Penrith had in fact led 24-0 after just two minutes, and appeared to have the game sewn up at 30-12
Amos Roberts played for Penrith in 2004
Craig Gower’s 77th minute field goal was especially crucial – but the Panthers didn’t know it at the time
before the Dragons fought back. In the end, Gower’s 77th minute field goal was especially crucial – the Panthers didn’t know it at the time, but had they lost that night, their season would have been over – big upsets across the weekend and the controversial finals system at the time meant that the Dragons, despite finishing fifth, were bundled out of the finals, as the Panthers would have been if they’d lost the game. The Panthers went into their Grand Final qualifier against the Bulldogs a little underdone, and lost 30-14. Penrith led 8-4 at the break, but the Bulldogs were simply too good in the second half.
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1 Sea Eagles
21
15
0
6
2
448 322 +126 34
ROUND 24
2 Rabbitohs
21
14
0
7
2
536 303 +233 32
Bulldogs v Wests Tigers
3 Panthers
21
14
0
7
2
449 370 +79 32
Thursday 7.45pm ANZ Stadium
4 Roosters
21
13
0
8
2
523 343 +180 30
5 Storm
21
12
0
9
2
478 414 +64 28
6 Bulldogs
21
12
0
9
2
384 389 -5
7 Cowboys
21
11
0
10
2
524 361 +163 26
Broncos v Knights
8 Warriors
21
11
0
10
2
511 423 +88 26
9 Eels
21
11
0
10
2
423 493 -70 26
Saturday 5.30pm Suncorp Stadium
10 Broncos
21
10
0
11
2
459 406 +53 24
Rabbitohs v Cowboys
11 Dragons
21
10
0
11
2
403 452 -49 24
Saturday 7.30pm ANZ Stadium
12 W. Tigers
21
9
0
12
2
372 564 -192 22
13 Titans
21
8
0
13
2
347 444 -97 20
14 Knights
21
8
0
13
2
375 501 -126 20
Sunday 12.00pm Mt Smart Stadium
15 Raiders
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5
0
16
2
384 579 -195 14
Sharks v Raiders
293 545 -252 14
Sunday 2.00pm Remondis Stadium
21
5
0
16
2
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Extra Time Issue Number 025 PRINTED BY Spotpress Pty Ltd / PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Luke Priddis / Yvonne Purtell / Erin Molan SALES MANAGER Simon Gould / 4722 2998 simon.gould@westernweekender.com.au
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Panthers help Close The Gap
Eels v Sea Eagles Friday 7.45pm Pirtek Stadium
Warriors v Roosters
Dragons v Titans Sunday 3.00pm Kogarah Oval
Panthers v Storm Monday 7.00pm Sportingbet Stadium
The dance performance at Sportingbet Stadium on Monday The wet weather was not enough to stop Penrith’s Close The Gap Round celebrations on Monday night at Sportingbet Stadium. In front of a crowd of just 7,000, the Panthers wore a special Close The Gap Round jersey, while six players wore specially themed boots. A special Aboriginal dance performance took place during
the half-time break – a very brave effort considering the wind and rain! A large number of NRL clubs wore special jerseys last weekend to commemorate Close The Gap Round, which aims to raise awareness of the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
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16 Sharks
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15
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