ROCK BOTTOM
PENTHOUSE TO OUTHOUSE: PREMIERS SIT LAST ON NRL LADDER IN EXTRAORDINARY FALL FULL PANTHERS COVERAGE INSIDE
Isaah Yeo.
Photo: NRL Photos.
the finalword
Despite a disappointing end result, there were actually a couple of things to like out of last Saturday’s loss to Manly at CommBank Stadium.
One of the real highlights was Blaize Talagi’s try in the 45th minute. On the last play, he ignored his far more experienced halves partner on the right and darted to the left himself, showing plenty of confidence as he crossed the line and the gamble played off.
Equally, I enjoyed the performance of Luke Sommerton – who I think probably had his best game in first grade, and should have got himself a try in the second half if we’re going to back the referee’s on-field call.
Despite the bright sides, there is no doubt that things are pretty dire for Penrith at the moment.
And while Ivan Cleary said after the game that the ladder doesn’t really matter until July, no team running last after eight rounds has gone on to make the Finals since the NRL was
formed in 1998. Make of that what you will, but it probably suggests the ladder does indeed matter in late April.
It’s hard to be angry at this Penrith side though given what they have achieved over the past five years.
Unlike supporting the Panthers through the rough period that preceded the Premiership run, the feeling is one of frustration more than it is total despair.
At the end of the day the side probably needs this type of season.
The likes of Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo and Moses Leota need a proper off-season that starts in September, not closer to when the Christmas Tree is up in Memory Park.
And it’s clear players like Casey McLean, Blaize Talagi and Lindsay Smith need more time to find their proper place in the Penrith system and what’s required to stay up every single week.
But of course, giving up on the season is not what elite athletes are about and certainly not what fans expect – so Penrith will keep turning up every week looking to dig themselves out of the hole.
The question must now be asked around whether the thing that has worked for Penrith so well over the past five years is now its downfall.
You constantly hear the Panthers talk about “the system”. How this system has laid the stones of success, how it has enabled the ‘next man up’ philosophy to flourish, and how it has soaked through to the lower grades.
But every system needs tweaking every now and again.
Perhaps other clubs have worked out the system and how to beat it. We certainly know that every team is ‘up’ when they play Penrith – Ivan Cleary’s side has been so dominant in recent years that the opposition they’re facing
has tasted defeat after defeat in most cases. You could see last Saturday just how much the win meant to Manly, and it’s been evident in other teams’ reactions as well.
Penrith head to Suncorp Stadium this Sunday for a Magic Round showdown with Brisbane, ironically a home game for the Panthers.
As much as I’d like to still have the confidence I’d turned up with for the last eight weeks, I have real fears this scoreline could blow out against the Panthers on Sunday.
Penrith’s left-side defence is concerning, and Brisbane’s backline even without Reece Walsh has the potency to take advantage of it.
The loss of Scott Sorensen adds to Penrith’s constant headaches in terms of losing experience each week. As much as a Penrith win wouldn’t surprise me given we know what this side has in them, it’s one of those weeks you have to let the head overrule the heart.
Tip: Broncos by 12.
Graphic by Zoe Merrick.
panther rumblings
REF CRITICISM CROSSES LINE
! Criticism crosses the line: Nobody is denying that referee Belinda Sharpe had a challenging night at CommBank Stadium last Saturday. But some of the criticism from the corporate areas from Penrith fans was nothing short of misogynistic and disgraceful. I’m told it was a similar story in the stands as well. It was so disappointing to hear, especially when you’ve got women and young girls listening to it all from grown men who should know better.
! Bland stadium likely to stay: Weekender Editor Troy Dodds certainly got people talking via both the Tension’s Running High podcast and an online editorial last week about the blandness of the designs for the new-look Penrith Stadium. He’s rightly called for the stadium to have a Penrith look and feel given it’s a suburban venue with the Panthers as the anchor tenant. But the reality is, it won’t be happening. The State Government and Venues NSW want it to be as plain as possible, for want of a better term. They believe they can better sell outside content without branding specific to a certain club or team.
! Irony as NRL gets black eye: The NRL’s efforts to shield referees from criticism this year by dumping Graham Annesley’s weekly briefing and not sending officials appointments out to the media on a Tuesday afternoon has backfired on them. The officials have never been under more pressure and there’s so much uncertainty around The Bunker and the referees. While it was great to have NRL CEO Andrew Abdo front up on Fox Sports and Channel Nine on Monday night, he can’t do that every week. Annesley’s weekly briefings at least provided some balance to the conversations that inevitably flow. In an effort to take the attention away from match officials, the NRL has only increased the scrutiny and discussion points.
! Sculpture screams Panthers: It was installed with little fanfare but how cool is this new sculpture that is out the front of the Panthers Academy? It’s behind the security gates, which is probably a shame – we reckon it could be a tourist attraction!
! Stadium spend context: It’s worth noting a few things about the cost of the new stadium, which sits at $309 million. The new stadium at Townsville, which is the home of the Cowboys, opened in 2020 and cost $250 million. A compounding rate of five per cent per annum in escalation costs would value that stadium at around $319 million. Had the NSW Government applied an escalation rate to the project in Penrith, the budget would be far more impressive than it is today. The reality is the project is very budget constrained, hence why there won’t be a stadium the quality of CommBank or the Townsville venue. History will show this was a dud deal.
! Spotted: Panthers CEO Matt Cameron and Chairman Peter Graham deep in conver-
sation on the field after Penrith’s loss to Manly at CommBank Stadium last Saturday night.
! Sorensen outed: After a period of so much uncertainty surrounding illegal tackles, it was no surprise the Panthers took their chances and headed to the judiciary to fight Scott Sorensen’s shoulder charge offence on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, perhaps typical of Penrith’s season, it didn’t pay off and he’ll miss the next three weeks.
! Schooners make a difference: Are you heading to Magic Round this weekend? For every schooner of Great Northern Super Crisp (pictured) sold at Suncorp Stadium for the Women’s State of Origin on Thursday night and the next three days of Magic Round, Great Northern will donate 50 cents to charity
impacted farmers and for ongoing mental health support through its dedicated counselling team.
! Vegas victims? There was an argument building, partly based on last year, that going to Las Vegas was a severe disruption to the season for competing teams. But it’s hard to justify that stance now – of the four teams that went this year, two of them are sitting in the top four and a third is seventh. Only the Panthers sit outside the eight.
! Media ban? Which Panthers official is apparently on a media ban? We’re not sure if it’s self-imposed or come from above.
! Who let this happen? Kayo Sports subscribers will be able to hear special commentary from Nathan Hindmarsh and Bryan Fletcher on the two late Saturday games as part of Magic Round. The special feed will be provided as an alternate to the main call provided by Fox Sports.
partner Rural Aid. Rural Aid will use the funds for hay deliveries to starving livestock, direct financial relief for
Belinda Sharpe.
What the new stadium will look like.
footy club
PANTHERS STARS BACK EXPANSION
NATHAN TAYLOR
Penrith Panthers premiership winners
Izack Tago and Liam Martin have thrown their support behind the new NRL franchises from Papua New Guinea and Western Australia.
While Tago and Martin are tied up with the Panthers until the end of 2028 and 2027 seasons respectively, both players can see the immense benefits of NRL expansion.
Speaking with Extra Time on Tuesday, Tago said the PNG franchise, which is due to enter the NRL competition in 2028,
intrigues him a lot.
“It’s always good to experience new things and travel to new places,” Tago said.
“Somewhere like PNG will be pretty cool, especially for the young boys who haven’t travelled much playing footy.”
With the Panthers and other NRL clubs bursting with young talent in the lower grades, Tago believes the new franchises would appeal to them the most as they look for opportunities to play regular first grade football.
“It’s more opportunities for the young guys,” the 23-year-old said.
“A lot of the boys are on the fringe [of first grade] a lot of the time and have the talent to get there but sometimes they are unlucky with
the people who are in front of them at the time.
“Somewhere like PNG or Perth are good opportunities for the people that maybe want to leave their lifestyle here and get away. I think it’s good.”
Martin, who said his cousin played for an iteration of the Western Reds in recent years, said it was “exciting” to see rugby league return to Perth.
“I haven’t really looked too much into it because obviously I’m at home at Penrith, but it’s only good for the game, growing that audience on the west coast market,” he said.
“I think I had a cousin play for the Western Reds a couple of years ago. For it to grow over there would be awesome. It’s pretty exciting!”
One of Martin’s current teammates at the Panthers, Mavrik Geyer’s famous father Mark, was one of the Reds’ big-name signings when they originally entered the ARL competition back in 1995.
Martin said he can see many players, especially the young talent coming through, wanting to showcase their skills in one of the two new faraway lands.
“There is so much talent looking for an opportunity to get a crack. Even here at Penrith, some of the younger boys, but the more teams
the better,” he said.
“The comp is going to be stronger, so it can only be a good thing especially over in PNG and Western Australia.”
While unconfirmed by the NRL, the Perth Bears are set to enter the first grade competition in 2027, while the PNG franchise is expected to launch the following year.
Players will be allowed to start signing with the new Perth franchise from November this year.
Penrith legend Mark Geyer with the Western Reds in 1995.
A PNG NRL team will enter the competition in 2028.
CONFIDENCE STILL STRONG
Despite sitting dead last on the bottom of the NRL ladder, Panthers players are remaining positive as they head north this weekend for one of the toughest road trips of the season.
The NRL’s Magic Round will see thousands of footy fans from around the country descend upon Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for three days of rugby league action.
But while their opponents in the Broncos are coming off a huge win over ladder leaders Canterbury last week, the Panthers are keener than mustard for the challenge.
“Those away trips are great,” Liam Martin told Extra Time this week.
“I think it’s something that we do really well, that we get away and sort of are able to connect just that little bit more… get to know each other a little bit deeper and stuff like that, so it’s good for connection.
“And then our opponent, they obviously played extremely well last weekend and they have talent right
across the board. It’s our home game but up there at Suncorp at Magic Round, I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully we can make a statement.”
Penrith’s lone two wins of the year have come on the road, with centre Izack Tago also getting behind the importance of an away trip to bond a team together.
“It’s good for the team because everyone comes together,” he told Extra Time
“It sort of forces us to be together off the field as well. In saying that, a lot of the boys get together on the off days too, but it’s just a good opportunity to connect as a team and hopefully bring that connection into the game.”
If you somehow woke up from a five-year-long coma this week you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Panthers barely know each other after such a disastrous start to the season.
Tago said that couldn’t be further from the truth, with the
team tighter than ever because of the adversity of the last eight weeks.
“If anything, our connection is only getting stronger,” he said.
“The boys really lean on each other and we’re the only ones that can get ourselves out of where we are at the moment, so it’s important we stay like that,” he said.
New fans of Penrith may not remember but in 2019 – Ivan Cleary’s first year back at the club –the Panthers started that season in similar fashion, winning just two of their first 10 matches.
Martin, who made his NRL debut that year, said he can see similarities between that season and this one.
“That was my debut year and I think my first seven games of NRL I lost. It was a bit of a tumultuous time,” he said.
“Thinking back, it was similar to this. We knew what we had was a good thing, but the results weren’t happening. I think we just missed out on the eight that year and it’s a long season. There’s still plenty of football to go, we’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Following the disappointing 2019 season, in which Penrith finished 10th, the club would
go on a historic run of five straight Grand Final appearances.
Tago, who debuted in 2021, said he’s never experienced a season like this as a first grader.
“Nah not really. Since I came in, we’ve barely lost a game, so it’s a bit different for me,” he said.
“When I first started, I was playing during the Origin period, so my first few games we lost but it was nothing like this. It’s sort of uncharted territory, but it’s about getting through it.”
And while Panthers supporters have virtually given up on a sixth consecutive trip to the Finals, the players and coaching staff have not, with all of them believing they can and will turn things around.
“I did not imagine we’d be in this position but there’s only one way for us to go and that’s up. We still have full belief in what we do and in each other, but we just have to keep working hard,” Martin said.
“Ivan is still acting the same but it’s probably a bit different for him too. He hasn’t experienced this for a while, but he’s been here before, and he’s pulled the boys out of it before too. He’s got full confidence in us, and we have full confidence in him,” Tago added.
Liam Martin has “full belief” Penrith can turn it around this season. Photo: Melinda Jane.
Tries: R Garrick, T Talau, H Olakau’atu, T Koula Goals: R Garrick 5/6
Tries: J Rinakama, L Smith, K Morrin, B Wilson, D Hutchison, J Sua. Goals: B Taaffe 5/7
Tries: B Talagi, I Tago Goals: N Cleary 1/2
Tries: D Fale, H Hassett, H Armstrong Goals: T Toelau 3/3
Penrith Panthers games...
panther memories
Ryan Girdler remains one of the most popular play ers to ever pull on a Penrith jersey.
An Illawarra junior, Girdler joined Penrith for the 1993 season after two years with the Steelers.
He would stay with Penrith for the rest of his career, retiring after the 2004 season – his final game being the Preliminary Final loss to Canterbury.
After playing through some lean seasons, Girdler experienced Premiership success with the club in 2003.
He played 204 games for Penrith and until recently was the club’s highest point scorer.
During his career Girdler, often known as the intercept king as a result of his many stunning intercept tries, also represented New South Wales and Australia.
Girdler pursued a media career following
YES, IT’S A RE-BUILDING SEASON analysis
lang on league
with Peter Lang
Make no mistake Ivan Cleary is facing one of the biggest challenges of his coaching career as he finds himself in a position he probably thought he would never be in again – a rebuilding phase.
Yes, after four premierships in a row, as hard as it is to admit, the Panthers are rebuilding again. The sample size is now big enough to make that call.
Ivan could be forgiven for think ing he was back in 2019 again. The results at this stage are the same as they were six years ago, two wins and six losses.
Talk about Groundhog Day.
Like in 2019 the Panthers currently have a mix of experience and up-and-coming bright young talent.
It was the year Cleary thought about giving it all up if the team were to start poorly again the following season. Well, we all know how that turned out.
I don’t think Ivan is thinking the same thing for 2026, the bloke has coached a team to four consec utive premierships and knows a thing or two about rugby league.
But to make Penrith a powerhouse and one that can challenge for a premiership again is not going to be easy.
Make no mistake, I don’t think this team will be challenging for a premiership this season or maybe even next.
There’s just too much work to be done to the roster first.
The NRL salary cap has done its
so long has finally taken its toll. It’s not all their fault though, with at least two to three additional players out each week with suspension or injuries, it’s just too much to overcome when you’ve already lost
has a tough road ahead to build back a premiership-winning roster.
But it’s not all negative, he has built this team up before and one gets the feeling he’ll do it again.
In fact, he’s already started the rebuild.
In the positive, youngsters like Casey McLean and Blaize Talagi are going to be major stars. It doesn’t take a genius to see that.
The lower grades are performing well and look likely to deliver at least four to six genuine top quality first grade players over the next few years.
However to expedite the process there’s no doubt Penrith will have to go into the market and pick up some experienced heads as well.
Senior players like Cleary, Yeo, To’o, Martin and Leota are all contracted until the end of 2027 and none are likely to want a release before then.
Make no mistake, Panthers supporters, the club will be back on top again and vying for more premierships.
Furthermore, I expect a massive improvement and a return to Finals football next year. It’s the biggest challenge Ivan Cleary has had to face in years.
But one gets the feeling he’s up for it.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.
Photo: NRL Photos.
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