TOUCHDOWN
PREMIERS VICTORIOUS OVER SHARKS IN ELECTRIC LAS VEGAS SHOWDOWN MASKED PANTHER’S VEGAS GOSS : PAGE 31
IT’S ONLY ONE GAME, BUT... analysis
lang on league
with Peter Lang
How good is it to know that your team has started the season with a win and now you can sit back and watch all the other sides bash each other up this weekend.
The Panthers have the week off after playing in Las Vegas last Sunday where they beat a determined Cronulla Sharks outfit 28-22.
Sure, the Penrith boys looked a little rusty and short of a gallop but with a second-rower playing in the centres, Brian To’o and Liam Henry both out with injury, it was an impressive victory under difficult circumstances.
Now I know it’s only one game but you can tell that the motivation and hunger from the players to win a fifth straight title will not be an issue.
The way the team swarmed in defence, especially in the early and late exchanges of the game, it showed everyone that they were up for the challenge.
The attack was clunky at times but this is normal early in the season and will improve as combinations click and the team figures out its best 17.
It’s only one game but prop Lindsay Smith already looks like a NSW Origin player. Smith had a barnstorming game against the Sharks with plenty of quality charges and some great defensive reads.
and not only did he make some fearless kamikaze hit-ups into the opposition line but his defence on smaller, faster players was a real eye-opener.
It’s only one game but already I can tell that Jack Cole is not the answer at five-eighth.
He’s already been ear-marked by this year’s Blues coach Laurie Daley as a potential Origin bolter and games like the one last Sunday will only help his cause.
As far as replacing James Fisher-Harris, well that’s going to take some time but Smith certainly took plenty of positive steps towards that goal.
It’s only one game but secondrower Liam Martin has picked up where he left off in last year’s NRL Grand Final where he won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on the field.
Martin looks headed for a Dally M season if he keeps up the pace of that blistering display against Cronulla. The man was everywhere
He’s a fine defender and runner of the ball but his creativity in attack is just too limited and this then puts a lot of pressure on Nathan Cleary to do everything as the only organiser and playmaker.
I’m a big fan of Blaize Talagi at five-eighth but with what coach Ivan Cleary said after the game, Talagi is going to have to bide his time as young Cole is guaranteed at least a few more games alongside Nathan Cleary to show what he can do.
I know it’s only one game but Penrith’s defence needs to improve after leaking 22 points but I’m sure that will get better as the year rolls on.
Finally, and while I know it’s only one game but, like the players, I also think the boys can win another title this year.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer or even a rugby league season, but I like what I saw from the team as they strive for five in 2025.
Nathan Cleary and Liam Martin are in for big years says Peter Lang.
panther rumblings
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...
! NRL to scale back Vegas: The NRL is unlikely to have four matches as part of its Las Vegas line-up next year. The unintended consequence of such a terrific schedule of matches was that most fans didn’t want to sit through four games of footy. I spoke to fans all week who were debating when they’d arrive at the game. The atmosphere varied so much throughout the day and by the time the Panthers and Sharks played, there were many empty seats. Expect a three-match schedule next year.
! Vegas tourists: The NRL made the most of being in such an iconic part of America last week. They even took Jamal Fogarty, Scott Sorensen, Billy Burns and Jackson Ford out to the Grand Canyon walk for a promotional opportunity.
Spotted: Panthers legend Greg Alexander dancing up a storm at the NRL Vegas launch on Fremont Street last Thursday night.
! Wrong Cleary: Allegiant Stadium put up the wrong graphic when announcing Ivan Cleary as the Penrith coach on Saturday night. Nathan Cleary’s graphic appeared for a second time accidentally, before it was quickly swapped out for the right image.
! English love Cleary: I lost count of the number of English rugby league fans who told me they absolutely loved the Panthers and especially Nathan Cleary. “How does it feel to have the best player in the world,” one asked me. Unlike in the NRL, there is no tall poppy syndrome when it comes to Penrith’s success. The English fans understand they’re witnessing a dynasty and are lapping it up.
! Yes, it’s expensive: There is no question Las Vegas has gotten more and more expensive over the years and the exchange rate really hurt this time around. But I think some of the
criticism of the cost of food and drink at the stadium was a little unfair. Drinks are huge and food portion sizes are pretty reasonable.
! It’s the little things: A $1.9 billion venue like Allegiant Stadium is always going to have bells and whistles we’re not used to in Australia. I was impressed to see closed captioning at the venue – with live running text of ground announcements, including try scorers and the like. It’s a simple but important addition to the experience, especially for the hearing impaired.
! Spotted: UFC star Bam Bam Tuivasa showing his Panther pride in the corporate area at Allegiant Stadium last weekend.
! Unexpected publicity: The NRL got some unexpected publicity when Weekender Editor Troy Dodds appeared on the Sore Losers sports podcast, which comes out of Nashville. It was a good bit of PR for the NRL and the Panthers. The podcast has a huge audience, part of the nationally syndicated ‘Bobby Bones Show’. Podcast hosts Lunchbox and Ray were more than happy to hear about the NRL’s Vegas venture.
! Local views mixed: I spoke to a few Americans during the lead-up to the game, some of whom had absolutely no idea the NRL was coming to Vegas and others who were more than happy to hear about this football code with no pads and no helmets. We even convinced Las Vegas local Rob to buy a ticket.
! Spotted: ARLC Commissioner Kate Jones burning up the dance floor at New York New York on Saturday night.
! Not the best look: Which former NRL star who now plays for an English team was spotted smoking while walking through a casino the night before his team’s big game in Vegas? It wasn’t the greatest look, especially given how late it was.
! To’o popular: There is no question Nathan Cleary was the player every rugby league fan wanted to see at the Fan Fest last week. But Brian To’o was right up there. He was absolutely mobbed as he made his way down the red carpet.
!
Allegiant Stadium. Photo: NRL Images.
footy club
he Penrith Panthers put on a show in Las Vegas, scoring five tries to four as they beat the Sharks in a thriller 28-22.
Photos: NRL Images.
Bam Bam Tuivasa was hyped. Izack Tago scores off a pinpoint kick from Nathan Cleary.
Lindsay Smith had a strong game at starting prop.
Daine Laurie scoring in the corner.
Even Claws made it to Allegiant Stadium for the game.
Isaah Yeo scores besides the post.
Nathan Cleary looking up to the heavens pre-game.
Panthers captain Isaah Yeo was incredible in the win.
Scott Sorensen enjoyed his time in Sin City. Nathan Cleary celebrating with fans.
Job done: Some of the Panthers posed for a group photo after the game.
Paul Alamoti scores a beauty from the wing.
panther memories
If you went to the footy through the 1990s and into the 2000s, you would know about the famous Panther car. It would come onto the field pre-game, often carrying longtime ground announcer Scott McRae.
It became an iconic part of the build-up to matches and certainly cemented plenty of memories for Panthers fans.
The car hasn’t been used as part of the game day experience for about a decade, after Chairman Barry Walsh fell off it at one stage.
It had a home at ‘Panther House’ at Cranebrook for a few years, but its current location is unknown.
The car is pictured with Scott McRae and Panthers mascots on board during the 1999 season.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY FOR MG
Consistency. That will be the mantra running through Mavrik Geyer’s mind this season as he looks to earn a regular spot first grade.
Geyer, son of legendary Panther’s player Mark “MG” Geyer, made his emotional NRL debut in Round 4 last year against the Sydney Roosters and went on to play a total of 11 first grade games.
Reflecting on his rookie season, Geyer said he learnt a lot about what it takes to be a regular first grader.
“Looking back on it, that debut was a very special night for me and my family,” Geyer told Extra Time
“To finally do it was a bit like an out-of-body experience and it took me a couple of weeks to reflect on that and what it meant for me and my family but, by the time that happens, it’s already into the next week. It’s pretty crazy the way footy works and you can’t get too caught up in the past or the future you just have to stay present and take it week by week.
“It was good to play about a dozen games and get some
experience with the boys. For them to finish off with the premiership was just very special and something that I will remember for the rest of my life that I got to be a part of and something that I push towards now to be in that 17 for the next Grand Final.”
Geyer has set his intentions for the season in stone, issuing a warning that he will work hard to make it hard for coach Cleary not to pick him in the side each week.
“I just want to be a consistent player,” Geyer said.
“There were definitely times in NRL last year and even NSW Cup where I wasn’t consistent and
that’s what you have to be. You’ve got to do your job and be reliable and that’s what gets you picked.
“I definitely want to be consistent and reliable and make it very hard for Ivan not to pick me in the side.”
Another thing Geyer is looking to getting right this season is his mental approach to the game, believing it might be the thing that takes his game to another level.
“You can train your heart out and you can get physically prepared but in terms of mentality there were some games where I didn’t quite feel like I attacked it as much as I could, which is all a part of learning and it all a part of becoming a first grader,” Geyer said.
“There were definitely some games where I felt like I was a bit of a passenger, but that is all a part of learning.
“Getting your body right and your mental side of right [is important] because at the end of the day we’re professional athletes and we all train pretty hard to get our physical right but I think what separates the good from the great is the mental side of it and that is something I work on every day.”
(Photo thanks to NRL Photos)
ALPHA BUILD |
MY FAVOURITE SOUND IS ARCHIE’S SNORE
Carolyn, a vibrant 80+ year old who stays connected with the world around her through new Oticon Intent hearing aids. Carolyn reports it has become an essential part of her daily routine. “I’ve been putting my hearing aids in when I get up in the morning…and I don’t notice I am wearing them” she says.
Carolyn has rediscovere d the joys of her active lifestyle with her hearing aids. She loves hearing her dog Archie’s snore.
Enjoying a co ee in a busy café with her friends a er a morning walk, she can now fully engage with the world around her. In noisy environments like restaurants, where she once struggled to hear conversations, Carolyn now feels more at ease.
“Noisy restaurants are not a problem anymore,” she says, grateful for the clarity the devices provide
Overall, Carolyn s ees her hearing aids as a game-changer. “ ey’re making a big di erence to my day-to-day living,” she says. Wit her hearing aids, Carolyn is more connected with those around her and embraces life with con dence.
If yourself, or your loved one ha been considering getting hearing aids or are yet to have a hearing assessment, now is the time!
