Extra Time April 19 2019

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CAPTAIN JIMMY TA MOU NA MED SKIPPER FOR REST OF 2019 SEASON PANTHER RUMBLINGS > P32 The Masked Panther has all the news and gossip from around the Panthers

RCG OPENS UP > P34 Panthers enforcer admits he needs to improve after early season shockers

CLINTON MAYNARD > P35 Is the race to the NRL Grand Final already run and won?

Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

PANTHER RUMBLINGS

with the Masked Panther

NEW SKIPPER  James Tamou has been named as

Penrith’s captain for the rest of the 2019 season. The club made the surprise announcement on Tuesday afternoon, after coach Ivan Cleary had originally named a ‘leadership group’ for the season instead of a single captain. The leadership group still exists, and the club is adamant that it was always Cleary’s intention to name a captain from that group at some stage during the season. If you believe that, don’t forget to leave some carrots out for the Easter Bunny on Sunday morning.

Jack Hetherington at training.

Photo: Megan Dunn

 Tamou’s appointment as skipper

did raise some eyebrows given James Maloney had effectively taken on those duties over the first five rounds. There’s speculation aplenty going around about Maloney’s future at the moment but club sources tell me an early departure from his contact has not been discussed.

 Mystery surrounds why Jack Hether-

ington can’t make his way back into the first grade side. The 22-year-old played 13 NRL games in his rookie season last year and is contracted until the end of 2021, but has been languishing in reserve grade in recent weeks. He was dropped from the NRL team back in round 3 to make way for Liam Martin’s debut, but hasn’t made his way back into first grade despite injuries and the squad’s poor form of late.

The Panthers were originally spinning a yarn about Hetherington suffering a head knock and officials taking extra precautions, but it’s hard to fathom that’s true given how long he’s been in NSW Cup. He’s not even being named in the 21-man squad at the moment.

 The Masked Panther was at the Easter

Show last Friday and I’m happy to report

Dylan Edwards is putting on a brave face about being shifted from his beloved fullback position, but don’t be surprised if you start to hear some rumblings about his future if he can’t get the #1 jersey back.



 I’m told that Panthers prop Reagan



 Which NRL commentator raised a few



 Barring a serious injury, you can almost

guarantee that Roosters star Luke Keary will take James Maloney’s State of Origin jumper off him for this year’s series. But despite what we’re hearing, I’m told Nathan Cleary is safe as the NSW half – at least for now. Blues coach Brad Fittler never expected Maloney and Cleary to be a long-term partnership given Maloney’s career is closer to the finish than the start, but he sees Cleary as the Blues’ number 7 for many years to come.

Which leading NRL commentator has a very special parking spot reserved for him at Panthers Stadium?

things about his disability. The partner of Panthers forward Hame Sele heard about what was going on, and offered the young man and his family tickets to sit in the stadium’s family room to watch the next home game in peace and comfort, and to head to the sheds after the game to meet the players.

that plenty of Penrith Panthers showbags were being sold. It’s good to see plenty of people adding to their merchandise collections!

The happy owner of a Panthers showbag

CC TYRES FAMILY-OWNED & OPERATED, WITH OVER 60 YEARS SERVICING THE PENRITH REGION.

Here’s a disappointing yarn with a very happy ending: At a recent home game, a young bloke in the crowd was having a rough time with a number of fellow supporters saying some not-so-nice

Campbell-Gillard is a big country music fan, but he’s having a little trouble convincing his fellow team mates to get into the spirit. Chris Stapleton is apparently a particular favourite of the big man. eyebrows at Panthers HQ over a negative Tweet last weekend? It’s not the first time the club has been disappointed with some of his comments about Penrith.

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THE FINAL WORD

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PANTHERS 1

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Josh Mansour Dean Whare Waqa Blake Dylan Edwards James Maloney Nathan Cleary James Tamou (c) Wayde Egan Tim Grant Viliame Kikau Isaah Yeo James Fisher-Harris Sione Katoa Tyrell Fuimaono Moses Leota Reagan Campbell-Gillard Jarome Luai 19 Liam Martin

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 19, 2019

MATCH PREVIEW

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SHARKS

CHANNEL 9 FOX LEAGUE

TRIPLE M A dejected Penrith side on the Gold Coast last week. Photo: NRL Photos

TROY

DODDS Rugby league is so often a numbers game and right now the numbers look pretty grim for Ivan Cleary’s Penrith Panthers.

Where do we start? Perhaps with the damning statistic that shows Penrith has an average possession rate of just 46.6 per cent in matches this season – worse than any other team in the competition, and perhaps indicative of the side’s poor discipline and lack of respect for the football so far this year.

Points? The Panthers are last there too, having scored 63 points in their first five matches, less than teams like the Titans and Bulldogs who many predicted would be in a wooden spoon battle this season.

Penrith are also last in completion rates, second last in line breaks, third last in

tackle breaks, second last in offloads, worst in missed tackles and have the highest error rate of any team in the competition.

The Panthers are in freefall, and if things don’t turn around quickly, this very talented ‘on paper’ football side could be staring down the barrel of the club’s fifth wooden spoon in its long and proud history.

“Can’t happen”, those in the know say.

This side is surely too good for that. The first five rounds suggest not, however.

We all know that in recent years, Penrith have defied odds and expectations to get themselves out of the gutter and right the wayward ship in time for the Finals. But right now, it’s hard to see the ship doing anything but sinking.

Penrith face a difficult and perhaps season defining three weeks ahead. They face Cronulla at Shark Park, South Sydney

at Panthers Stadium and then head to Wagga Wagga to take on Ricky Stuart’s rejuvenated Raiders.

Lose all three of those games and it’s goodnight Penrith. Win one or two of them, and suddenly the tide may start to turn. Things can indeed change quickly in rugby league and winning can do remarkable things.

The Panthers looked a little better in attack last week against the Titans, but their poor defence and attitude let them down again.

Nobody is controlling the flow for Penrith at the moment, and nobody seems willing to stick their hand up to declare they’re the person who is going to lead the team out of the trenches.

Hopefully Ivan Cleary’s decision to appoint James Tamou as captain will ensure there’s better on-field leadership.

Cronulla has plenty of problems of their

1

Josh Dugan

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Sosaia Feki Bronson Xerri Josh Morris Sione Katoa Shaun Johnson Chad Townsend Andrew Fifita Jayden Brailey Matt Prior Briton Nikora Kurt Capewell Paul Gallen (c) Blayke Brailey Jayson Bukuya Jack Williams Scott Sorenson

own at the moment, mainly on the injury front, and they do face a short turnaround after playing the Roosters last Saturday night. Both of these sides are two wins from their first five matches, but you just get the feeling Cronulla are closer to turning it around than Penrith.

The Sharks are still without key playmaker Matt Moylan, but welcome back skipper Paul Gallen who at a pinch probably could have played against the Roosters last week.

The difficulties of a Friday- published newspaper and the NRL’s schedule means the Panthers may well have already played Cronulla by the time you read this preview. I can only hope they managed to turn some of those awful statistics around. I’m sticking with Penrith again this week – perhaps allowing the heart to overrule the head.

Tip: Panthers by 2.

33

Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

FEATURE

RCG: I NEED TO STEP UP NATHAN

TAYLOR During Extra Time’s six-minute one-onone interview with under siege Panthers forward Reagan Campbell- Gillard on Monday morning, the 25-year-old uttered the word ‘fix’ on not one or two occasions but an incredible seven times.

On a personal front, Campbell- Gillard has endured a shocking start to the 2019 season and it’s not hard to figure out why he has the word ‘fix’ on his mind.

The man, simply known as “Reg”, admits he needs to fix plenty about his game in order to give his side the best possible chance of making four consecutive Finals series’.

Last week against the bottomed- placed Titans, Campbell- Gillard dished up his worst performance of the year – running just 47 metres in 51 minutes of action. He also missed three tackles in the six-point defeat.

Speaking with Extra Time, the Originwinning prop put his hand up and took ownership of his performances of late.

“I know personally I’m pretty frustrated with my performances and being inconsistent,” Campbell-Gillard said.

“I hold a very high standard of how I like to play. I’ve probably played a couple of games this season where I’ve thought I’ve done OK but, quite frankly, the last few weeks have been inconsistent.”

It’s often rare for players to admit they aren’t performing well, so it’s a testament to Campbell-Gillard’s character for admitting he is doing it tough on the field.

“I’ll happily take ownership of that, I know I’m not personally hitting the standards I want to be playing at and my standards are very, very high,” he said.

“Even if I do have a good game, I know there’s always more room for improvement and not getting comfortable. I’ll definitely put my hand up and admit I’ve been inconsistent there.”

The Windsor Wolves junior isn’t the sole blame for Penrith’s terrible start to the season, with the whole side struggling to find their feet under coach Ivan Cleary.

Campbell-Gillard said each video review session sounds like a broken record.

“We are still addressing the same stuff.

We are trying to figure out what is wrong and only we hold the answer,” he said.

“It’s not an attitude thing, it’s probably just the way we’ve been playing. We’re unable to get on a roll and get in the groove of things.

Reagan Campbell-Gillard in action against the Titans. Photo: NRL Photos “On the weekend I gave away two poor penalties and let some tries in – and that doesn’t help. It’s an easy fix and something that I and we can control as a team.”

With this year’s State of Origin series not too far away, Campbell- Gillard would be at long odds to make Brad Fittler’s side on current form.

Campbell- Gillard said he hasn’t even thought about wearing the sky blue jersey this year.

“I’m not even thinking about Origin, my main focus is right here, right now. I’m honestly not even thinking about that and in the current form I’m in, I wouldn’t be in that team,” he admitted.

Brought to you by

Why Michael Gordon deserves our praise

MATT RUSSELL P

34

lenty of Penrith fans will still remember the day Michael Gordon scored 30 points in a game – Friday, August 20, 2010.

Playing fullback in a 54- 10 win against Souths, he scored three tries and only missed one of his 10 shots at goal. The 30 points remains a Panthers record for most in a game.

‘Micky G’ or ‘Flash’ – call him what you will – spent his first seven seasons at Penrith before moving to Cronulla, Parramatta, the Sydney Roosters and his current home Gold Coast. The last stop is also really home for the now 35-year-old.

Gordon has long been one of my favourite players. So, it was a real honour to call his 250th game for Fox League, funnily enough against the Panthers last weekend.

Gordon might not have the super skills or amazing athleticism of some NRL superstars, but as Panthers great Greg Alexander said pre- game; “I’ve always loved his ball-running”.

Deceptively evasive, always fearless and super effective, that day he put 30 points on Souths, Gordon ran for 267 metres and tallied 16 tackle busts!

Michael Gordon during his days with the Panthers His milestone might have been a little lost this week amid Cam Smith’s all-time points record, the Greg Inglis retirement and the Titans’ slow start to the season, so let’s shine the light on it here.

His experience and organisation at the back was crucial in helping Gold Coast

come from behind to beat his former club 30-24.

He scored a try – the 90th of his career.

There was another perfect kicking performance, 5/5, giving him double figure points in an NRL game for the 77th time. Yes, 77th!

All of that while wearing the socks of his junior club – Tweed Coast Raiders – against his first NRL club and in front of 500 family and friends, who filled multiple buses to be there.

After full- time, he headed straight for that support group, sculled one beer they handed to him and poured another into his boot for a ‘shoey’.

The story got even better when he spoke after the game.

Gordon pointed out he’d never won a milestone game before – indeed losing his 50th, 100th, 150th and 200th.

Earlier in the day his two children had won sporting events and Dad joked he was under some pressure to not let the family down.

The man who played Origin in 2010 and has been part of some good teams in his 14 NRL seasons has never played in a Grand Final though.

So occasions like last Friday are even more special. It’s been some career.

It is a well deserved career, given he is one of the NRL’s true good guys.

He’ll be at it again on Sunday afternoon against Newcastle and you can watch on Fox League Ch502 from 1.30pm.

Roosters and Storm the teams to beat yet again

CLINTON MAYNARD O

nly five rounds into the season and it’s clear there are already two teams head and shoulders in front of the rest of the NRL’s 16 teams, the Roosters and Storm. Only a fool would write off 14 teams in April but the signs are ominous.

The Storm are yet to be beaten, two of the big three are gone yet with Cameron Smith at the wheel it doesn’t seem to matter. The Roosters aren’t suffering any sort of premiership hangover to the point they’ve disposed of 2018 semi finalists Brisbane and Cronulla in embarrassing fashion.

Competition for last year’s Grand Finalists was supposed to come in the from of Penrith.

Under Ivan Cleary they’ve managed two wins and surprisingly have the worst attack in the league with just 63 points.

While St George Illawarra have put on three straight there are still big question marks over their squad without Gareth Widdop and Jack de Belin.

The Knights were many experts’ tip to be a contender given the squad they’ve assembled, but with one win from five

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 19, 2019

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Victor Radley in action for the Roosters. Photo: Melinda Jane Nathan Brown is under enormous pressure.

Teams including the Raiders, Eels, Manly and Tigers are performing well and are in the top eight, but no one expected them to be there and it remains to be seen if they can compete with the big boys come the

end of the season. That leaves Souths as the only strong team from 2018 in a position to challenge the Roosters and Storm, and although they’re winning their form is hardly anything to write home about.

After five rounds last year the Dragons and Warriors occupied the top two spots

on the ladder, the Roosters and Storm were yet to make an impression.

It’s a reminder the NRL season is long, however if current form is maintained Melbourne and the Sydney Roosters are headed towards another Grand Final this October.

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Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 19, 2019

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Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

FEATURE Josh Mansour is desperate to find his best form.

Photo: Megan Dunn

ROCK BOTTOM MANSOUR: “THAT DEFEAT STRUCK US TO THE CORE” NATHAN

TAYLOR

38

Struggling Panthers winger Josh Mansour has labelled last week’s loss to the bottom- placed Titans “embarrassing” after his side missed a whopping 67 tackles on their way to their third defeat of the season.

The 28- year- old was responsible for three missed tackles at Cbus Super Stadium last Friday night, with five-eighth James Maloney leading the way with 13.

Following a video review of the game on Monday morning, Mansour said “the players didn’t recognise ourselves”.

“We were all really embarrassed as a team,” he told Extra Time.

“Our whole pre- season was based on defence and ruck control but to produce that – 67 missed tackles – was embarrassing.

“We’re not happy with the way we’ve been playing [but] on the weekend, that defeat struck us to the core.”

Fans have been beyond frustrated with Penrith’s lacklustre start to the season, expecting better things for a team touted as potential Grand Finalists.

Mansour said he sympathises with the supporter-base.

“I can definitely put myself in a fan’s shoes and see how frustrating it is. Us as players are frustrated as well with the way we have been playing,” he said.

“It starts here, it starts with all of us as a team. We need to take ownership of how we are playing – less talk, more action.”

With every loss the pressure on Panthers coach Ivan Cleary will continue to mount.

Mass team changes are expected in the coming weeks if Penrith are unable to turn things around.

Mansour said some players are nervous they’ll be sent to reserve grade.

“I think that would cross a few of the players’ minds. If you’re not performing, something has to give,” he said.

“WE NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF HOW WE ARE PLAYING – LESS TALK, MORE ACTION” “Ivan is a very faithful person and believes in his players.

“The team that takes the field every week, he’s got 110 per cent faith in. At the

end of the day, it’s for him to decide what action to take.”

Meanwhile, the former Blues winger has shed some light on the shoulder injury that saw him miss Penrith’s Round 2 victory against Newcastle.

Mansour said the AC joint complaint, which doesn’t require surgery and will heal over time, should have kept him sidelined for six weeks.

“It’s a very unique injury as to how it happened as well, the club doctor of 20 years has only ever seen one player before me have it,” Mansour explained.

“It was initially a six- week injury but I only missed one week. I have been playing through quite a bit of pain but I’m not trying to make any excuses.

“If I knew I was going to let the team down, I would put my hand up and rule myself out. It’s been quite painful but every week I’ve been playing it’s getting better.”

W

D

L

B

F

A

+/-

PTS

Storm

5

5

0

0

0

112

52

+60

10

2 Roosters

5

4

0

1

0

140

82

+58

8

3 Raiders

5

4

0

1

0

97

44

+53

8

4 Rabbitohs

5

4

0

1

0

128

91

+37

8

5 W. Tigers

5

3

0

2

0

92

59

+33

6

6 Sea Eagles

5

3

0

2

0

109

88

+21

6

7 Dragons

5

3

0

2

0

108

98

+10

6

8 Eels

5

3

0

2

0

98

91

+7

6

9 Sharks

5

2

0

3

0

98

90

+8

4

1

10 Warriors

5

2

0

3

0

108

124

-16

4

11 Panthers

5

2

0

3

0

63

104

-41

4

12 Knights

5

1

0

4

0

68

80

-12

2

13 Broncos

5

1

0

4

0

85

115

-30

2

14 Titans

5

1

0

4

0

66

119

-53

2

15 Cowboys

5

1

0

4

0

74

131

-57

2

16 Bulldogs

5

1

0

4

0

64

142

-78

2

FACE IN THE CROWD

Round 6

/ / / / / / / /

Thursday, April 18 7.50pm PointsBet Stadium Friday, April 19 4.05pm ANZ Stadium

Friday, April 19 7.55pm AAMI Park Saturday, April 20 5.30pm Mt Smart Stadium

IS THIS YOU?

Saturday, April 20 7.35pm WIN Stadium

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.

Sunday, April 21 2.00pm Cbus Super Stadium Sunday, April 21 4.05pm GIO Stadium Sunday, April 21 4.00pm Western Sydney Stadium

Extra Time Issue Number 2019-006 PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Clinton Maynard / Matt Russell SALES DIRECTOR Chris Pennisi / 4722 2998 chris.pennisi@westernweekender.com.au

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Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

Panther Flashback

The 1980 season: Rock bottom It’s inevitable in any sport that you’ll have sad lows – seasons that don’t go right, times you just can’t get a result.

For the Penrith Panthers, 1980 was one of those years.

It was a disastrous season for the club – they secured just two wins and one draw from the entire year. Crowds at Penrith Stadium were terrible.

Penrith drew with Parramatta 19-all and beat Cronulla 15-14 in the first half of the season, but would have to wait until the last match of the year for their second win – a 15-7 defeat of Norths at North Sydney Oval.

But while history will show a wooden spoon for the Panthers, the side actually played some competitive football and was beaten by six points or less on no less than 10 occasions during the season.

The worst run during the year was of 12 straight losses, starting with a 26-2 loss at the hands of Easts at the SCG on June 1.

The crowds very much deserted the Panthers that year.

13,423 was the best crowd of the season at Penrith Park (for the 19-all draw with the Eels), but by the end of the season the crowds had dropped to below 6,000.

Penrith’s last match of the year against Norths at North Sydney Oval was played in front of just 2,247 fans, showing just how little interest there was in watching the Panthers.

In 1980, three players played 20 first grade games – Darryl Brohman, Jamie Jones and Lew Zivanovic. Brohman, these days known as The Big Marn, even bagged four tries.

The club’s leading try scorer was Marvin Hicks (pictured), who scored 12 tries from his 19 appearances that season.

1980 was certainly a season to forget for the Panthers, and things didn’t get much better in 1981 when the side finished 11th, just one position better than the previous year.

Times were tough for an emerging Penrith side back then – a period we hope the side will never return to.

We all know what happened over the next decade, however.

Good recruitment, the emergence of local juniors and quality coaching saw the Panthers become a true force in the competition.

By the mid- 1980’s, the rugby league world had its eyes on Penrith and in 1990, a decade after that disastrous 1980 season, the side qualified for its first grand final.

SCOREBOARD NRL

TITANS 30 PANTHERS 24

NSW CUP

MAGPIES 32 PANTHERS 12

JERSEY FLEGG PANTHERS 72

THUNDERBOLTS 4

BEHIND THE PANTHERS

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HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR PANTHERS? Just over two-and-a-half years.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FOR PANTHERS? It sounds cliché but there is something special about being a part of something bigger than yourself, especially when your designs finally come to life.

WHO IS YOUR FUNNIEST COLLEAGUE AT PANTHERS? The Maltese marketing maestro Darren “Have A Good Sleep” Micallef.

 The glittering career of Greg Inglis is

officially over, with the Souths captain announcing his immediate retirement on Monday. “It has been a remarkable ride, I’m happy with my decision,” Inglis said.

The 32-year-old finishes with 266 NRL games and a long list of representative honours, including 39 games for Australia. He was also a key part of Queensland’s decade of dominance in State of Origin.

 Cameron Smith is now rugby league’s

most prolific point scorer, passing the record previously held by Bulldogs legend Hazem El Masri. Smith scored six points in last week’s game against the North Queensland Cowboys, giving him 2,422 points during his career so far. “Cameron is one of the game’s true statesmen and his record – and records – enhance that reputation,” said NRL CEO Todd Greenberg. “He is the game’s most capped player and now he has added another significant milestone, one which is difficult to see being challenged for some time.”

 Popular radio commentator Dan

Ginnane made his Fox Sports debut last weekend when he called the Knights v Sea Eagles match at McDonald Jones Stadium. With Andrew Voss and Warren Smith leading the way on Fox, Ginnane is

an impressive addition to rugby league’s number one broadcast team.

 North Queensland winger Nene Mac-

donald has undergone ankle surgery and is likely to miss the rest of the season.

 Thousands of people turned out for a

community open day at Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta last weekend, and it seems all are very impressed with the new facility. The venue hosts its first game this weekend when the Eels and Tigers do battle on Easter Monday.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 19, 2019

EXTRA MINUTES

 Bad news for the Canberra Raiders

with New Zealand international Joseph Tapine suffering ankle ligament damage and facing up to 12 weeks on the sideline.

 The NRL is on the look-out for 16 super

fans to take part in the official launch of Magic Round, where they will get the chance to kick for a million dollars. As part of Youi’s Million Dollar Kick, the NRL will select one fan from each club to represent their team and take a shot at the “Magic Target” themselves or get their club ambassador (either a current player or club legend) to take the kick on their behalf. Details on how to enter are on the NRL website.

South Sydney’s Greg Inglis this week pulled the curtain down on his impressive career

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Friday, April 19, 2019 « the western weekender