FRI 23 MAY 2014 • Issue 012
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BIG HITTERS Luke Priddis Erin Molan Masked Panther
Magic Manu ready to fire After a slow start, Sika says he’s ready to give his best p.3
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2014 FUNDRAISING
d Re & e k m ac he Bl T
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Join us to raise funds for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation & unlock the maze on brain tumors A fun night with entertainment, amazing 3 course dinner & auctions
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FEATURE STORY
extra time
NATHAN TAYLOR
3
@natetaylor87
His pre-season was ruined by injury, but big Sika Manu is back on the park and ready to make an impact at the Panthers, as a crucial period of the season gets underway for the club Sika Manu is keen to make an impact in the middle part of the NRL season. Photo: Melinda Jane
Manu overcomes slow start H e may be studying the delicate art of tattoo artistry away from football but there is nothing gentle about this 110kg weapon when he’s out on the field. Sika Manu was one of Penrith’s prized signings last season following his switch from the Melbourne Storm at the end of the 2012 season. This year, however, it’s taken the New Zealand and Tongan international a little longer to stamp his authority on the field after a major shoulder reconstruction chewed up his entire pre-season as well as the opening few rounds of the regular season.
Manu said he is slowly getting back to his devastating best but recovery both physically and mentally was taking longer than anticipated. “My shoulder is getting stronger every week and is progressing slowly. It’s taking longer than I thought it would but I reckon I’m really close,” he said. “I sometimes lack confidence especially when I’m defending. Sometimes I’m scared to take a hit up because it was a massive injury and I’m just a bit cautious at the moment.” With injuries to fellow Kiwis in Elijah Taylor and Lewis Brown, Manu has teamed up with 22-year-old Tyrone
Peachey in Penrith’s starting back-row. The Storm premiership winner said he’s learnt a lot from his on-field partner in crime, who himself only joined the Panthers this season. “Peachey’s got a really good attacking game and I’m slowly picking up on that, just learning how he gets around the field,” Manu said. “I’m also learning a lot from young [Isaah] Yeo, who is a really tough competitor.” But it’s injured new teammate Taylor who Manu really admires when muscling up in defence. “ET’s a real workhorse, it’s unfortunate
we’ve lost him for a few weeks, he was a massive buy for our team,” he said. “I played with him a few years ago with the Kiwis and his work rate is outstanding, hopefully I can get up to his level one day.” And as the season rolls on, fans hope he does too. Manu was again a little quiet against the Raiders last Sunday but with the bye this weekend, he’ll be back to full fitness for next Friday night’s blockbuster against Parramatta at Sportingbet Stadium. The Panthers are also hoping that Taylor may recover from his injury in time to make a comeback in that game, which is set to be played in front of a sellout crowd.
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FEATURE STORY
5
NATHAN TAYLOR
@natetaylor87
Last Sunday’s win over Canberra wasn’t pretty but Ivan Cleary was proud of the way his side defended against a desperate Raiders
hile Ricky Stuart used his press conference to blast the referees last Sunday, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary was far more composed after his side notched up back to back wins for the first time this season. The Panthers certainly weren’t at their best during their 26-20 victory over the Raiders but did enough to hang on with some gritty defence for which the side have become known this season. Cleary was impressed by the way his side held on, particularly given Canberra came home strong. “That was a tough game today and it was always going to be regardless of what’s happened in the last couple of weeks for them. From minute one to minute 80 it was a very tight contest,” Cleary said after the game. “There was a period in the second half where we had to defend our line, I thought we did a pretty good job actually. “The first half we couldn’t defend our goal line and that was something we spoke about at half time. They threw a lot at us and challenged us but our defence was definitely better on our goal line in the second half.” And that watertight defence has seen the
Panthers win a number of tight encounters this season by six points or less. In fact, Penrith have the third best defence in the game behind the Bulldogs and Cowboys, only leaking 164 points after 10 rounds. Their strong defence and ability to grind out games now sees the Panthers third on the NRL ladder heading into their first bye of the season, but true to form, coach Cleary doesn’t want to take a peek at the premiership standings just yet. “There’s not much point looking at the ladder at the moment,” he said. “To win at Newcastle and Canberra, regardless of where they sit on the table in consecutive weeks, is a pretty fair achievement. “It was our first away win last week, we haven’t played at home in four weeks and by the time we play there against Parramatta, it’ll be six weeks away from our home ground. We’re looking forward to getting back there.” The Panthers return to Sportingbet Stadium next Friday night against the Parramatta Eels in what’s set to be a blockbuster top four encounter. The Eels are having a stellar season, thrashing St George-Illawarra last week to secure fourth spot on the table.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary
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Cleary happy with defence W
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MOMENT WITH MOLAN ERIN MOLAN @Erin_Molan
Join Erin Molan and the rest of the team on ‘The Footy Show’ every Thursday night at 8.30pm on Channel Nine
Friday 23 May 2014 the western weekender
WW7760
I don’t think I’ve ever been excited for a game of State of Origin than I am for Game I this Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. I think it was a very brave move by Blues coach Laurie Daley to pick Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson in the halves over James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce but I think they’ll do a fantastic job. Reynolds is your quintessential Origin player and I think the balance he has with Hodkinson is working very well for the Bulldogs and no doubt will work for the Blues. I think the fact the pair know each other well and they play together at club level has been one of the elements of success for Queensland over the years thanks to their partnerships with the Storm trio of Slater, Cronk and Smith. I think you only need to look at the combination of Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop over the weekend to know that despite having two very good players, it’s hard to know what each other is doing when they don’t have a combination built. I’ve already heard a lot of people complaining that Hodkinson is untested at Suncorp but if you look back to Brett Finch back in 2006, he was just about NSW’s last option in the halves due to injuries, and he won them the game in spectacular fashion. That’s one of the most exciting things about having guys untested, untried and on debut, we could see a superstar unveiled. Hodkinson could absolutely smash it or he could not, he could have an off game but we just don’t know, and that element of surprise is what makes Origin what it is. I know everyone has their right to an opinion but we’ve got to support these boys. They need to play with confidence and they’ll get confidence if they think people are confident in them and are supporting them. Anything we can do to make Josh and Trent feel more confident is only going to be a good thing.
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Bye does more harm than good at Penrith F
LUKE PRIDDIS
Luke Priddis is a former Penrith legend who won the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2003 Grand Final
Luke Priddis at the OZWAC Ball out having to try and do both. While the Benji gamble still needs time to determine a long term outcome he is not the seven they are looking for which begs the ques-
tion why they actually needed to sign him. Maybe they should have spent some of the money they are paying him chasing some quality forwards such as Tim Grant or Glenn Stewart to bolster their pack to lay the foundation for what is still a class backline. As I write this, Queensland have again named a strong side with a debutant who will learn the Queenslander way to ensure their future. Based on the form and health of several NSW incumbents, change has been forced on Coach Daley. Inserting a few young stars in the mix certainly makes an impact at State of Origin level. I still remember the passion Tim Grant showed in his two games in 2012 and believe that more of that spirit is required. I am not saying that he should be picked but NSW needs some players that are aching to wear that jumper and don’t care for reputations of those in the maroon jerseys opposite. I was fortunate enough to attend a great charity night last Saturday in Penrith. The OZWAC Ball was a huge success and as you can see from my outfit, I certainly got into the spirit of the 1970’s theme. Congratulations to all at OZWAC who put the ball on this year.
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PRIDDO'S POINT
inally the Panthers have broken the duck egg and won back to back games. Though the performance was far from perfect against a side that is in a massive trough, it sets Penrith up to stay in the top four given the bye this week. On the bye, I really feel that the fact that Penrith have two byes over the Origin period is going to be more detrimental than beneficial. For a start it would have been good to have allowed them to maintain the momentum from consecutive wins. The Panthers don’t have huge representative representation, so the byes at this time are not of any real benefit to Ivan Cleary and his men. Onto other issues and Steve Price certainly has to be walking the tight rope in terms of his future. While the Dragons recruited players in the off season and started off well poor performances over the past six weeks has the whispers starting again. The plain fact is they are clearly being dominated in the middle. They lack a forward that instils any fear or demands respect from the opposition as well as a true number seven to allow Widdop the time to set his backline with-
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Did Panthers drop the ball?
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PANTHER RUMBLINGS with the Masked Panther
Send your Panthers gossip at news@westernweekender.com.au
There’s been some rumblings about why Penrith didn’t wear their pink jersey last Sunday given it was Women in League round. I’ve spoken many times about my frustration surrounding wearing the pink jersey too much, but it was simply odd to not see the side wearing it during the round it was originally launched for. I’m told by club officials that the Panthers had simply assumed Canberra would be wearing their pink jersey given it was a Raiders home game, so planned to wear the black to avoid a clash. I’m also told the Panthers are planning their own Women in League round later in the year, which may explain why the annual Women in League lunch was also missing from the Panthers calendar in the past week. All of that said, congratulations to some of our junior clubs who got very involved with the Women in League concept – particularly the Penrith Waratahs. All Waratahs players across
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart certainly lost his cool after last Sunday’s game between the Raiders and the Panthers, and deservedly so – his side was the victim of some terrible refereeing decisions. But the Panthers also had a few against them in a day the boys with the whistle would rather forget. I can reveal that referees boss Tony Archer was in Canberra last Sunday watching the game – he wouldn’t have been impressed.
Lower GRADES NATHAN TAYLOR
@natetaylor87
The Penrith Panthers continued their dominance in the NSW Cup last Friday night defeating a spirited Canterbury Bulldogs outfit 35-28 at Belmore Sports Ground. The game should’ve been a walk over for the higher ranked Panthers but the bottom-placed Bulldogs put in one mighty effort to see the game go right down to the wire.
It was great to see so many of the Panthers family at the annual OZWAC Charity Ball last Saturday night. Player Nathan Smith was in attendance while Chairman Don Feltis was sporting an impressive 70’s themed tie. OAK’s partnership with the Panthers is due to expire at the end of the season but I’m told a new three year deal is close to being signed, sealed and delivered. Panthers boss Phil Gould visited OAK officials last week. It’ll be a busy time for Panthers officials over the next few months with a number of high profile sponsors coming off contract. Kevin Naiqama. Photo: Melinda Jane Some great news for the Panthers last week – for the first time, the club surpassed 15,000 members. James Segeyaro avoided being charged by the NRL’s match review committee following that incident with David Shillington during the game last weekend. In fact, no players were charged following the weekend’s NRL matches.
The Penrith Waratahs got into the Women in League spirit
Friday 23 May 2014 the western weekender
various ages and divisions wore pink socks last weekend, and the club even had a cake and hair spraying stall, where people could buy a cake or for a gold coin donation, get their hair coloured pink to celebrate the day. Some great money was raised for the McGrath Foundation and it was great to see all those involved having such a fun time.
Congratulations to St Clair Comets junior Jesse Abbott who was the only Penrith player selected in the New South Wales Under 16’s side that will take on Queensland at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday night. The Panthers were hoping to have new big screens installed in time for next Friday’s game against Parramatta, but it’s now more likely that they will be ready for the game against the Dragons on June 14. The screens have been on order since the pre-season.
Penrith dominated the first half with Kevin Naiqama scoring a hat trick and Bryce Cartwright having a hand in everything – this was truly a breakout game for the much-hyped local junior. With the Panthers up by 10 points at the half, the Bulldogs decided to come to the party. However outstanding Penrith defence allowed the visitors to get on the board first in the second period thanks a great solo effort by Cartwright. Canterbury certainly made things interesting with some quick tries to get within reach but a Cartwright field goal in the final seconds put the result beyond doubt. Meanwhile, the Panthers have continued their struggles in the Holden Cup this season going down to the equally as bad Canberra Raiders 34-16 last Sunday afternoon. The Panthers will enjoy a bye in the Holden Cup this weekend while the NSW Cup team will play Manly at Brookvale Oval on Saturday afternoon in what should be an exciting clash.
WW7419
NRL LADDER A
+/- Pts
PD
W
D
L
B
1 Bulldogs
10
8
0
2
0
225 124 +101 16
ROUND 11
2 Sea Eagles
10
7
0
3
0
222 166 +56 14
Bulldogs v Roosters
3 Panthers
10
6
0
4
0
187 164 +23 12
Friday 7.45pm ANZ Stadium
4 Eels
10
6
0
4
0
239 227 +12 12
5 Storm
10
6
0
4
0
216 224 -8
12
6 W. Tigers
10
6
0
4
0
214 226 -12
12
7 Titans
10
6
0
4
0
167 194 -27
12
8 Cowboys
10
5
0
5
0
232 153 +79 10
9 Roosters
10
5
0
5
0
212 169 +43 10
10 Rabbitohs
10
5
0
5
0
214 171 +43 10
Raiders v Cowboys
11 Broncos
10
5
0
5
0
216 180 +36 10
Sunday 3.00pm GIO Stadium
12 Warriors
10
4
0
6
0
208 217
-9
8
13 Dragons
10
4
0
6
0
179 256 -77
8
14 Raiders
10
3
0
7
0
182 284 -102
6
Monday 7.00pm Remondis Stadium
15 Knights
10
2
0
8
0
148 219 -71
4
Queensland v New South Wales
16 Sharks
10
2
0
8
0
155 242 -87
4
Wednesday 8.00pm Suncorp Stadium
Titans v Warriors Saturday 5.30pm Cbus Super Stadium
Wests Tigers v Broncos Saturday 7.30pm Campbelltown Stadium
Sharks v Rabbitohs
Extra Time Issue Number 012 PRINTED BY Spotpress Pty Ltd / PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au
Keep up to date with the Panthers on Facebook
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Best moment in the NRL: Scoring my first try against Brisbane Worst moment in the NRL: Getting knocked out after 30 seconds on the field Favourite team growing up: Tigers Closest teammate: Sam Anderson Sporting idol: Glenn McGrath Favourite TV show: ‘Seinfeld’ Secret guilty pleasure: Meat Pies
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PANTHERS IN PICTURES Smith working hard at training
Doing the hard yards
Nathan Smith in action at Sportingbet Stadium last year
He may be struggling to make it into the first grade side this year, but there’s no questioning the effort of Nathan Smith. Smith, who has played more than 100 first grade games, is currently toiling away in Penrith’s NSW Cup team @wwpenrith
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extra time
1. Nathan Smith works his way through a tackle 2. Smith looks for room to move against Canberra 3. Smith poses for a shot at training 4. On the sideline waiting for an opportunity Photos: Melinda Jane
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Friday 23 May 2014 the western weekender
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YVONNE PURTELL
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PANTHERS FLASHBACK
JUNIORS @penrith_juniors
Sideline behaviour We are four rounds into the Junior League season and there is a need to highlight sideline behaviour. Poor sideline behaviour can have a negative effect on those playing and officiating the games. Supporters on the sideline are part of the game, and they need to realise this, their attitude has an impact on what’s happening on the field. We want that attitude to be positive, not negative. Sideline misbehaviour is unacceptable, everyone needs to enjoy themselves, whether they are playing or watching. Some tips for the bench and sidelines: • Cheer and call out encouragement, keep your voice positive; • Allow the coach to do their job, like the players they are doing their best; • Stay in the designated areas; • Understand that referees are there to do the best they can, thank them at the end of the game; • Show self-control. Remember you are watching junior sport, not the NRL; • Cheer the entire team and encourage all players; • Congratulate the opposing players and officials at the end of the game; and • Provide support for your child, listen to them and try and understand their feelings. Remember off-field behaviour can have a significant effect towards on-field behaviour. Coaching also plays an important role when it comes to both off and on-field behaviours and as a coach it is important to teach young people and help them grow as individuals. The word of a coach has to closely match their behaviour.
Penrith Park officially opens
The team that played against the Dragons on April 23, 1967
TROY DODDS
FROM THE VAULT
Friday 23 May 2014 the western weekender
From the vault this week comes this amazing icon of Panthers’ past. This players’ kit bag was obviously in action somewhere around the 1980’s given the old school logo and brown colour scheme. Even today, most Panthers fans would be proud to carry this great bag around! This particular bag is owned by a Penrith Panthers supporter with a wide collection of items from the club’s
present and past. The bag is in excellent condition and has only been used a few times. It will only get more and more rare as time goes on, that’s for sure!
P
@troydodds
enrith have won premierships, produced superstars of the game and had great success over the years, but one of the most significant days in the club’s history was way back on April 23, 1967. It was on this day that Penrith Park was officially opened – the venue that would go on be the hallowed turf that so many memories were made on. With the Panthers granted a place in the 1967 competition, work was feverish in late 1966 to get the ground ready. When it opened on April 23, 1967 it looked nothing like it does now – many upgrades over the years have taken away the bulk of the 1960’s heritage that existed at the venue. The official opening game was against the ferocious Dragons, a side that had won 11 straight premierships. The Dragons were obviously the favourites, but Penrith had emotion and celebration on their side and ran out 24-12 winners.
The day will be remembered sadly for St George fans, with the legendary Reg Gasnier suffering a broken leg early in the contest. Coached by Leo Trevena, the Panthers scored four tries on the day through Russell Johnstone, Grahame Moran, Wayne Peckham and Maurie Raper. Bob Landers kicked six goals. The legendary John Raper scored for the Dragons, as did Brian Clay, while Graeme Langlands kicked three goals. Laurie Bruyeres was the referee. The crowd on that day was 12,201 and each one of them witnessed something very special in the history of not only the Penrith Panthers, but Penrith as a city. Nobody could have foreseen on that day what would happen to rugby league over the next 50 or so years, nor would they have expected that the Panthers would still be running out at the same location in 2014. It was a magical day, topped off by a remarkable, unexpected victory by the underdogs.
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