Extra Time October 9 2020

Viliame Kikau.

Photo: NRL Images.

MASKED PANTHER Moses Leota a shock contender for Origin

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LANG ON LEAGUE Why was Roosters coach Trent Robinson so salty after last week’s game?

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NATHAN CLEARY POSTER Gloss poster to celebrate our halfback’s stunning Finals game

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FACE IN THE CROWD Were you spotted at a game by our cameras? You could win movie tickets!

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KIKAU SUSPENDED POWERHOUSE FORWARD TO MISS CRUCIAL PRELIMINARY FINAL PAGE 41

Friday, October 9, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

panther rumblings

WITH THE MASKED PANTHER

SHOCK ORIGIN BOLTERS Panthers displays. I’m sure we’ll see an explosion of such displays if Penrith make the Grand Final with a win next weekend.

Liam Martin and Moses Leota.

Photo: Megan Dunn.

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The maturing of Panthers centre Brent Naden – who at one stage was considering giving the game away – has been one of the real highlights of the 2020 season. Last week Naden reached out to former Panther Tyrone Peachey to show his support in the wake of a racism scandal that erupted in the final round of the regular season. Naden didn’t have to do it but after being abused by members of the crowd at Central Coast Stadium earlier this year, he felt he needed to show some solidarity to the Gold Coast Titans utility.

Great to see.

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Penrith’s stunning season has resulted in plenty of Origin selection talk, with Moses Leota the latest Panther being considered for a shock NSW call- up. I’m told Leota’s chances of being in the final 17 for game one are somewhat slim but he’s a near certainty to be included in the initial 27-man squad for the November series. Fellow forward Liam Martin has also caught the eye of Brad Fittler, and as previously hinted he’s likely to find his way into the squad.

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Penrith has made the bold decision to play their Preliminary Final at ANZ Stadium next weekend – even if it means hosting one of the ground’s anchor tenants should South Sydney beat Parramatta.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary was heavily involved in the call, opting to back his side’s ANZ record which includes a recent 42- 0 thumping of Canterbury. Penrith could have played the game at Bankwest Stadium, with Panthers Stadium not an option for week three of the Finals. Pen-

rith’s Preliminary Final will be played on Saturday, October 17 at 7.50pm.

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The Panthers have strongly denied making a formal complaint to the NRL about the scheduling of the Preliminary Final on a Saturday night. The club would have preferred to play on the Friday, but they accepted the NRL’s call. Suggestions of a formal complaint are fanciful.

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Penrith’s nailbiting win over the Roosters last Friday night was even more excruciating for one punter. The TAB tells me the customer placed $15,750 on Penrith at $1.01 when they led 28- 10. It was all to make a profit of just $157.50. He’ll be thanking Nathan Cleary’s field goal for as long as he lives. Meanwhile, Penrith are back into premiership favouritism at the TAB, now sitting at $2.50 after drifting to $3.50 prior to the win over the Roosters.

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Panthers legend Ryan Girdler, who was critical of the club’s management

during last year’s form slump, has phoned Panthers Chairman Dave O’Neill to clear the air and congratulate the club on the 2020 season. It was a big helping of humble pie for Girds, but he’s certainly not on his own in being red faced over criticism of Penrith putting so much faith in Ivan and Nathan Cleary.

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The Penrith Men’s Walk and Talk has become a Thursday night institution and one of the great community events. Next Thursday the organisers will be hosting a ‘Panther Night’ and a number of club legends will be joining the men on their walk around the river. Luke Priddis, Trent Waterhouse and Craig Gower are all locked in for the event on October 15.

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It’s great to see some real Panther pride being shown around town at the moment, with a number of shopfronts already decorated in Penrith colours. BWS at Southlands, PRD Real Estate in Penrith and Stuart Ayres’ electorate office all have

!

A number of fans gave security guards a hard time at Panthers Stadium last Friday night when asked to wear masks in the bar lines or while walking around the venues. Security did a great job, but a few idiot ‘supporters’ either couldn’t read or chose to ignore the constant messages around mask wearing sent to ticket holders in the days leading up to the game, and widely reported in the media before that.

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The team here at the Weekender are working on a Grand Final commemorative wraparound should the Panthers make the Grand Final. They’re keen to get your messages of support to the team to showcase – and they’re accepting entries now, which will be used if the Panthers make the big one. Send your message of support (50-100 words) to info@westernweekender.com.au along with a photo of yourself.

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Major partner Hertz this week extended its sponsorship of the Panthers for at least another season.

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PANTHERS TO ADDRESS SLOW START I

f Penrith are to advance to their first NRL Grand Final in 17 years they need to find the same steel and determination that saw them possess the best defence in the competition after 20 rounds.

For the first time since way back in Round 2, the Panthers leaked a whopping five tries in a game during their heartstopping one- point win over the Sydney Roosters last Friday night.

While the Panthers managed to pile on the points themselves, it was their defensive lapses at times that had supporters biting their fingernails right to the very end.

Speaking with the media this week, Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards said while his side were pleased to grind out the Finals thriller, there were several key areas they weren’t happy with.

“We were happy with the win, but we weren’t really happy with our overall performance,” he admitted.

“We weren’t happy with our start and defensively we aim to be a lot better than we were.

“Leaking five tries is not the standard that we set throughout the year and the

standards that we want to keep, so that’s something we’ll need to address.”

Penrith and the Roosters weren’t the only teams to leak like a sieve, with every winning team across the weekend getting off to an unusually slow start and having lots of points scored against them.

Edwards, who missed three tackles himself last week, said his side will be spending the next fortnight polishing their game.

“We aim to start every game well, but we just missed it on the weekend which, moving forward, we won’t be able to do.

You can’t really give up 10- point leads consecutively and often otherwise you will end up getting beat,” he said.

“I wasn’t really happy defensively after the weekend’s game and I missed a few crucial tackles that a fullback should make. That’s something I’ll be addressing over the next two weeks to try and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

While Penrith won’t feature in tonight and tomorrow’s elimination semi- finals, they’ll be keeping a very close eye on Saturday’s ‘win or go home’ clash between South Sydney and Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium.

The Rabbitohs managed to put a controversial week behind them to overcome the Knights with ease 46-20, while Parramatta

Brian To’o, Dylan Edwards and Stephen Crichton celebrate last week’s win. fought hard but, in the end, succumb to Melbourne’s brilliance 36-24.

Edwards said he’s looking forward to seeing both the Eels and Rabbitohs go toeto- toe, but he doesn’t have a preference as to which side he’d like to meet next Saturday night at ANZ Stadium.

“I don’t have a preference, absolutely not. Any team we play is going to be hard,” he said.

“Souths have hit their straps at the right time of the year and have been putting scores on every team they’ve played. They are playing a good brand of footy and it’s good to watch.

“Cody Walker is playing out of his skin; they’ve got Damien Cook; and their big boys go forward well. They are a very dangerous side, so it will be interesting to see how Parra handle them.”

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, October 9, 2020

feature

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Friday, October 9, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

feature

FOCUS REMAINS DESPITE WEEK OFF NATHAN TAYLOR

T

hey say the little things win you premierships, the one percenters that separate the good teams from the great.

On Monday, when everyone was enjoying their Labour Day holiday at home on the lounge, Panthers players were arriving to training 90 minutes early to begin preparations for a game still 12 days away.

“You can see it in everyone’s eyes, everyone was so keen to be here on Monday.

We were supposed to be here at 12.30pm but everyone rocked up at 11am,” Penrith forward Zane Tetevano said.

“We’re all keen to be amongst everyone and get this next fortnight prepped. That’s where a lot of our confidence comes from – the way we train and making sure we fix up our fundamentals.”

The one percenters.

If anyone knows what it takes to win grand finals it’s 29-year- old Tetevano, he was part of the back-to-back premierships the Roosters won in 2018 and 2019.

While the Kiwi international wasn’t selected for the Chooks in their victory over the Canberra Raiders last season, he was still given a premiership ring by

Zane Tetevano crashes into the Sydney Roosters defence. Photo: NRL Images.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson for his huge contribution during the year.

After burying his 2018 ring with his late grandfather, Tetevano said he’s pictured

himself winning a third in Panthers colours.

“I’m not going to lie, I have visualised those moments but then I have to pull

myself back. I passed my ‘18 ring off to my grandfather who passed away in 2018, which I’m proud I did. Last year Trent Robinson gave me his ring, but I think winning one with Penrith will be very special to me as well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to it, but I don’t want to get too far ahead.”

While Tetevano won’t admit it publicly, last Friday night’s narrow win over his former club would’ve have been sweeter than a bar of Whittaker’s chocolate.

“I just kept it to myself,” Tetevano said of coming up against the Roosters.

“I just wanted to play for my teammates and do really well for them. I didn’t think anything of it, it was just exciting playing against a top tier team who have won back-to-back premierships.”

While Penrith got the job done 29- 28 and earned a vital week’s rest, the Pacific Sharks junior said his side still have plenty to address before next weekend’s Preliminary Final.

“We just need to work on the things we didn’t do too well on the weekend,” he said.

“Despite being part of many Finals games, even I was nervous last weekend.

But you just have to help each other out to get past it. That’s what this team does really well – we work hard for each other.”

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B

y winning last Friday night over the Roosters, Penrith get the chance to sit back this weekend and watch two clubs fight for the chance to play them in the Preliminary Final on Saturday, October 17 at ANZ Stadium.

The Panthers will get to work on their defence, polish their attack and let those minor bumps and bruises heal while the Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs play sudden death football.

So who will be their opponent come 10pm this Saturday night and will Penrith be able to beat them the following weekend?

At this level there are no easy matches but is there a side that the Panthers would prefer to play?

The Bunnies are on a hot streak at the moment, it seems as if their loss to the Bulldogs in Round 19 has spurred them on to greater things. They run hard and they run fast and seem almost impossible to stop once they get into the opposition’s 20-metre zone. They have scored over 100 points in attack in a fortnight and their defence has been solid as well.

The Eels on the other hand appear to be in free- fall. They competed hard against the Storm but in the end were blown off the paddock and lost both wingers to major injuries.

Parramatta have hobbled into the Finals and have showed only patches of bril-

pile on the points to victory. This sort of abnormality won’t be repeated again this weekend surely?

What game I’m looking forward to...

I would have to say the Rabbitohs versus the Eels match. Personally, I hope both sides belt the living daylights out of each other and then play extra time for 10 minutes.

My tips for the week...

Canberra to beat the Roosters and the Rabbitohs to topple the Eels.

Trent Robinson offered no praise to Penrith last Friday night. Photo: NRL Images. liance during their last three encounters.

On form, the answer as to who Penrith would prefer to play on October 17 seems obvious.

It’s the Bunnies of course, because to be the best, you have to beat the best.

What caught my eye last week...

It was almost a prerequisite for teams to get out of the blocks fast, race to a doubledigit lead (Roosters 10-0, Sharks 14-6, Eels 12- 0 and Knights 14- 0) and then let the game slip away and watch the opposition

The final word...

Along with many others, I was not particularly impressed with Roosters coach Trent Robinson’s behaviour during and after the game as he watched his side lose a very exciting Finals game by one point.

The normally affable Robinson showed an angry, ‘salty’ side which we haven’t seen before.

From calling Panthers winger Josh Mansour a ‘soft ****’ while he lay injured on the ground with only seconds remaining in the match, to failing to give any sort of credit to the Panthers after the game, it was poor form in every sense of the word.

Just goes to show, it’s easy to be magnanimous when you’re constantly at the top and winning.

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here is no time like NRL Finals time when it comes to finding reasons why teams can or can’t win a big game.

The focus is narrowed, the senses are sharpened and the knowledge of having seen one or two previous in- season encounters between opponents can bring the sort of confidence to an opinion that leads you to either looking like a genius or a dunce.

Wayne Bennett is hoping to steer the Rabbitohs past the Eels into a Preliminary Final appearance against the Panthers, and there will be plenty of talk before game time about how Parramatta stands no chance against the South Sydney attack if they can’t find a way to shut down Cody Walker.

Theories will be presented, but Walker is in a run of form that would have any coach waking from his sleep in a cold sweat after seeing the Rabbitohs five- eighth score or set- up another try in an all too vivid nightmare.

The default position in finding ways to stop playmakers is usually to not focus on the individual himself, but instead limiting how many chances he gets to do what he does so well when he finds himself inside the opposition 20-metre zone.

The key to that is, firstly, doing a good job with the ball when you have it and then making sure that you keep the metres

Cody Walker will be hard to stop this weekend. Photo: NRL Images. made by your opponents’ forwards to a minimum.

Knights coach Adam O’Brien spoke about exactly that in the build- up to the Week 1 Elimination Final against Souths, however it’s fair to say the Knights didn’t come close to fulfilling either of those

objectives in what turned out to be a heavy loss.

That will be O’Brien’s nightmare for the next five months.

The Newcastle coach’s best mate is Parramatta coach Brad Arthur. They played country footy together and

coached together in the Storm system, and Arthur would have watched the Rabbitohs’ dismantling of the Knights with just a little fear and trepidation.

All you need to know about what happens to the Eels if they don’t aim up in the semi-final was laid bare in the last meeting between the two teams.

Souths put the Eels to the sword in Round 16 to the tune of 38- 0, with Parramatta only completing 70 per cent of their setsof- six and conceding 10 linebreaks while managing none themselves.

None.

That’s not a nightmare, that’s Freddie Krueger plus Chucky multiplied by Hannibal Lecter!

It doesn’t mean Parramatta can’t win, it just means that if they make a few errors in their own half and give Souths the chance to do to them what they did just six weeks ago, the memories of that awful evening will make it tough for the Eels to find the resolve they’ll need to hang in the contest and give themselves a chance in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Ball security, a good kick and great defence – sounds simple, but it has to be the Parramatta mantra leading into the game.

If they can’t manage the basics then Cody Walker will carve them up, and that’s a slasher film no blue-and-gold fan wants to sit through.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, October 9, 2020

Cody Walker is the player dreams, and nightmares, are made of

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enrith forward Viliame Kikau has been found guilty of a Dangerous Throw at the NRL Judiciary.

He will miss Penrith’s Preliminary Final against either Souths or Parramatta but will be available for the Grand Final should the Panthers make it.

Kikau was charged over a first half tackle on Roosters forward Jared WaereaHargreaves in Penrith’s 29- 28 win last Friday night.

Kikau attended the hearing via video link on Tuesday night due to the NRL’s COVID-19 protocols.

The NRL counsel argued that all three

key components of a dangerous throw were met and that Kikau should be outed for the Preliminary Final on October 17.

Kikau’s legal representative, Nick Ghabar, argued that circumstances made the tackle look like a lifting tackle, but the actual tackling motion did not support the NRL’s claim.

He argued that Waerea- Hargreaves’ actions, and the involvement of Jarome Luai, contributed to how the tackle looked.

“While I’m obviously disappointed with the outcome, I respect the decision of the NRL Judiciary,” Kikau said.

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Viliame Kikau was found guilty of a Dangerous Throw. Photo: NRL Images.

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Friday, October 9, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

PREVIEWS

EVERYTHING ON THE LINE IN WEEK 2 TROY DODDS Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders Friday, October 9, 7.50pm @ SCG

W

eek two of the Finals delivers us a delicious 2019 Grand Final replay where everything will go on the line.

After last week’s loss to Penrith, the Roosters’ dream of a threepeat is now in serious danger of falling over, with Trent Robinson clearly frustrated post- game at the one-point defeat.

Canberra were far from their best against the Sharks, particularly in the first half, but they jumped on the opportunities that mattered most and got the job done quite comfortably in the end.

I’ve been off the Roosters for a little while now – their form has been far from spectacular, and they’ve been beaten by five of the top six sides this season.

It’s clear that their ageing roster has not adapted well to the speed of the game at the moment, particularly as we get to the back end of the season.

The Raiders are big chance of springing an upset here – and I think it’ll be a straight sets departure for the Bondi boys.

Tip: Raiders by 8.

Canberra’s Josh Papalii carts the ball up. Photo: NRL Images.

Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Saturday, October 10, 7.50pm @ Bankwest Stadium

I

t’s the wounded Eels up against the rampaging Rabbitohs, and what a Bankwest blockbuster this promises to be.

The Eels looked good in patches against the Storm last Saturday night, going out to a handy lead and never completely losing

touch with the game. In the end, however, the Storm were just too professional and got the job done.

Souths appear to be on something of a premiership surge – big wins over the Roosters and Knights in consecutive weeks have their confidence high, while Cody Walker is in inspiring form.

I think the high scoring nature of the Finals so far will continue here, with plenty of tries likely to be scored.

Waqa Blake. Photo: NRL Images.

For me the loss of Maika Sivo is huge for the Eels – he’s been such an integral part of their attack this season and he would have caused havoc out wide.

I’m expecting a close encounter, but in the end the Rabbitohs are running so hot at the moment that I can’t see them being beaten in this one. Parramatta looks like they’ve run their race after peaking earlier in the year.

Tip: Rabbitohs by 14.

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, October 9, 2020

Clinton Maynard SECRET TO STORM’S SUCCESS

W

hat makes the Melbourne Storm such a great NRL club?

It’s a question 15 other clubs would like to know the answer

to.

It’s almost expected that the Storm would make it through to week three of the Finals because they pretty much do it every year. Since St George won 11 straight premierships, no club has been as consistent, year after year, as the Storm.

So why? Fans will say they cheated the salary cap. Yes they did years ago but they lost players at that point including the great Greg Inglis and bounced back to play in more Grand Finals. If you look through their squad now they clearly aren’t cheating the cap. There are lots of good players there but none they’ve bought from other clubs at a high price.

The reason they are so consistent is they’ve had the one dominant playmaker in all these years, Cameron Smith.

It’s almost as simple as that.

Compare the Storm with their rivals in the 2016 Grand Final, the Cronulla Sharks. The Sharks don’t get enough credit for making the Finals six years straight, it’s a level of consistency better than any Sydney club other than the Roosters, but still not a level of consistency of the Storm. The Sharks side that

went down to the Raiders had just three players in it that won the 2016 Grand Final and a different coach as well, that’s a huge turnover in four seasons. James Maloney led them that season and he’s long gone.

The Storm side that lost the 2016 decider has had plenty of turnover as well but here is the key difference. Its leader is still there, Cameron Smith. It doesn’t hurt that arguably the greatest coach of all time, Craig Bellamy is still running the club, but the key is Smith.

He has run the side on the field for more than 15 years and 400 games. The man is playing as well as he ever has. He is the most consistent player in the game and that’s why the Storm are the most consistent team in the competition year after year. They have had the one playmaker competing at the highest level.

The Roosters have the wobbles. Their two premierships came with Cooper Cronk guiding them, he’s gone now.

The true test for the Storm is how the club handles the future when Smith eventually retires.

There is a lesson here for Penrith. They are having one of the best seasons in their history but what fans will want over time is consistency, to be competing for the top four year after year. They are well positioned to do it.

Face In Th e Crowd IS THIS YOU? Is this you at a recent Penrith Panthers game? If it is, you’ve won a Hoyts Family Movie Pass to use at any Hoyts Cinema in Australia! To collect your prize, visit the Weekender office at 2/42-44 Abel Street, Jamisontown and ask for Nathan Taylor.

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extra minutes

The Dragons cross for a try in the NRLW last weekend. Photo: NRL Images.

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The Roosters and Broncos both recorded comprehensive wins in the opening round of the NRLW competition. The Roosters downed the Dragons 18- 4, while the Broncos accounted for the Warriors 28- 14. This Saturday it’s a double header at Bankwest Stadium with the Warriors playing the Roosters and the Dragons meeting the Broncos.

!

The NRL is continuing its investigations into the Sam Burgess saga at South Sydney, which has dominated off- field discussion in the last week. There’s a chance Souths co- owner Russell Crowe

!

Melbourne captain Cameron Smith is walking a tightrope heading into the club’s Preliminary Final after he accepted an early guilty plea to a dangerous throw charge. Smith is free to play in the Grand Final qualifier but now has 75 carryover points, meaning even the most minor indiscretion could cost him a Grand Final.

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Good seats still remain for the NRL Grand Final, after tickets surprisingly went on sale last week, catching many off- guard. Plenty of seats have been snapped up for the season decider but a quick search of Ticketek shows there’s also lots still available. Some are also being held back for fans of the two competing teams.

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! A number of players have been added to the NSW Blues squad for next month’s Origin series. Daniel Saifiti (Newcastle) was selected after his team was eliminated from the NRL Finals. Zac Lomax (St George-Illawarra) was added after Tom Trbojevic (Manly) ruled himself out through injury on Thursday.

may be asked to front the NRL Integrity Unit to answer questions about the scandal and what he knew about the allegations levelled at Burgess.

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Friday, October 9, 2020 « the western weekender