Extra Time June 9

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with the Masked Panther

VOSSY IN PRINT » The Masked Panther was lucky enough

to be invited to the launch of Fox League commentator Andrew Voss’ new book on Monday night in Pyrmont. Stuff You May Have Missed is well worth a read, and has been endorsed by Panthers boss Phil Gould. The launch was attended by a host of rugby league personalities including NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, top referee Matt Cecchin, league legends Steve Roach, John Gibbs and Mark Gasnier, and a host of Vossy’s fellow media personalities. Interestingly, Vossy revealed during the night that he’s yet to be re-signed

by Fox Sports for next year. As one of the game’s best commentators, surely a new deal will be struck by the end of the season. Stuff You May Have Missed is out now in all good (and bad) book stores.

» Still on Vossy, he revealed at Mon-

day night’s launch that his passion for commentary was partly inspired by the famous 2KA rugby league team, which serviced the Blue Mountains and Penrith for many decades. The late, great Frank Ley proved an inspiration for a determined Vossy, who would go on to become one of the game’s most respected callers.

» Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a

new sponsor pop up on Penrith’s shorts last weekend. The Glad Group, a property services company, has joined the Panthers as a major corporate partner. I can also reveal that Glad Group will soon take over the naming rights of the Panthers Rugby League Academy, which will officially be called the Glad Group Rugby League Academy. It’s an important partnership as the Academy is an expensive facility to maintain and will continue to be into the future.

» Josh Mansour made a successful return from injury last weekend and it’s been a pretty incredible journey back to the NRL for the former Origin star, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. Journalist Zac Bailey has been following Sauce’s story ever since he suffered the heartbreaking ACL injury while training with

the Kangaroos late last year, and has put together an incredible feature length story. You can expect to see it on Fox Sports over the weekend, but it’ll also soon be up on the official Panthers website. I hear that it’s pretty raw, inspiring stuff.

» Talking of Sauce, he experienced a

challenge far tougher than his injury recovery earlier this week – dealing with the Foxtel call centre. He gave them both barrels on Twitter.

» It’s understood Corey Harawira-Naera has agreed to a new deal with Penrith.

» Panthers players joined more than 250

children at the Reliance Bank Super Clinic at Bathurst Sportsground on Wednesday afternoon. It was part of a busy day for the playing group, which also participated in a meet and greet with fans at Bathurst Panthers on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, players visited a number of schools around Bathurst – making the match against Canberra on Saturday just part of what the club is doing in the region this week.

» The Pantherettes will also be heading

to Bathurst for Saturday’s game, and let’s hope they’ve all been given directions to the ground. I’m told the girls haven’t been provided with a bus this year and will have to make their own way to Carrington Park.

» Once the new-look Parramatta Stadium

is completed and upgrades to ANZ Stadium are finished, there will be plenty of pressure on clubs like Penrith to play one or two home games out of either venue.

The State Government is desperate for content to fill the venues to justify the huge spend. I’m told they won’t have much luck in Pantherland, with the club keen to continue playing 11 matches out of Pepper Stadium and one game each year in Bathurst. It’d have to be a mighty big financial incentive for the club’s Board to consider moving a match to a bigger stadium.

Andrew Voss with Hazem El Masri and Jason Taylor at the launch of his book on Monday night

» Great news for the Panthers this week

with the current membership tally hitting 18,209.

» Penrith’s 38-0 thrashing of Canterbury last Sunday attracted a pretty handy TV audience. An average audience of 207,000 tuned in on Fox League (making it the second most watched pay TV

program of the day) while Channel Nine’s coverage attracted an average audience of 332,000. Pretty good for a one-sided game.

» Spotted: Panthers boss Phil Gould and

recruitment chief Jim Jones watching the Panthers’ ISP clash with Canterbury from the Members Stand at ANZ Stadium.

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Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

PANTHER RUMBLINGS

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MATCH PREVIEW

FOUR IN THEIR SIGHTS PANTHERS V RAIDERS | SATURDAY, JUNE 10 • 5.30PM | CARRINGTON PARK | REFEREES: HENRY PERENARA & CHRIS JAMES

PANTHERS 1

Dylan Edwards

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 20

Josh Mansour Dean Whare Waqa Blake Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Matt Moylan (c) Nathan Cleary James Tamou Mitch Rein Reagan Campbell-Gillard Corey Harawira-Naera Isaah Yeo Trent Merrin Tyrone Peachey Leilani Latu 16 Tim Browne Viliame Kikau Sitaleki Akauola 19 S Katoa Moses Leota 21 Peta Hiku

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, June 9, 2017

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RAIDERS

Trent Merrin is back in form

TROY DODDS @troydodds

B

efore a ball was kicked this season many would have expected this Round 14 clash between Penrith and Canberra to be a top four blockbuster.

Instead, both sides find themselves outside the top eight with the Panthers currently 10th and the Raiders a rung above on ninth, thanks to a marginally superior for and against.

While both sides have been a little disappointing this year, there’s no doubt that the Panthers have been the big improvers over the last month, winning their third straight game last weekend when they flattened Canterbury 38-0 at ANZ

Stadium. The Raiders meanwhile remain in patchy form but were unlucky not to escape Lottoland with two competition points last Sunday, going down to Manly in extra time.

Everything points to a tight contest at Carrington Park in Bathurst on Saturday evening, and with a 5.30pm kickoff will come chilly conditions – not that either side isn’t used to that.

While Canterbury have put together some good performances at times this season, there’s little doubt that they were poor last week and the Panthers will face a much tougher opponent in the Raiders.

Canberra’s backline is full of point scoring potential and the Panthers will have to watch the likes of Joseph Leilua, Jack Wighton, Jarrod Croker and in particular Jordan Rapana, who crossed for two tries in his side’s loss to Manly.

The Panthers will also have their hands

full with Canberra’s talented halves pairing of Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer, who on their day can tear opposition sides to shreds. It’ll be a big test for Matt Moylan and Nathan Cleary.

But the Panthers have plenty to offer in terms of points themselves.

Things really clicked for Anthony Griffin’s men last week and it was no surprise to see Josh Mansour playing such a big part in the performance.

He ran for over 200 metres and showed just how much the Panthers have missed his kick returns and enthusiasm over the first few months of the competition. He’ll play a key role against the Raiders, giving the forwards a break particularly towards the back end of each half.

Talking of the forwards, Penrith’s big men steam rolled Canterbury last weekend and will come up against a Canberra pack that has been dealt a couple of

1

Jack Wighton

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 18 20

Nick Cotric Jarrod Croker (c) Joseph Leilua Jordan Rapana Blake Austin Aidan Sezer Junior Paulo Josh Hodgson Iosia Soliola Josh Papalii Elliott Whitehead Luke Bateman Adam Clydsdale 15 R Hunt Clay Priest 17 Joe Tapine Scott Sorenson 19 B Naden Dave Taylor 21 Kurt Baptiste

significant blows with both Shannon Boyd and Dunamis Lui ruled out after picking up injuries against Manly.

While the flair and highlights will certainly come from the backs in this game, I’m expecting the forwards to determine the result, and the Panthers appear to have a slight edge. Trent Merrin has now reached full flight after a slow start to the season, while Reagan CampbellGillard looks like a man on a mission every time he runs the football. James Tamou is also improving, while Isaah Yeo appears to have unleashed the best version of himself this year and has probably been Penrith’s most consistent and dominant player.

I’d like to see Tyrone Peachey used a little earlier and there’s clearly some issues with Viliame Kikau given his limited game time, but a consistent week to week squad should really start to help Penrith.

Tip: Panthers by 8.

31

Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

FEATURE

always a panther NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

P

anthers legend and former Great Britain international Bill Ashurst is still a massive Penrith man at heart but admits, apart from the lucrative dollars, he wouldn’t want to play the game of rugby league today.

The now 69-year-old made a name for himself at Penrith in the mid 1970s following a decorated six-year career in Wigan.

While he only spent a relatively short amount of time at the Panthers, Ashurst won plenty of fans and is still regarded as one of the greatest English players to ever lace on a boot in Australia.

While Ashurst’s time at the foot of Mountains was cut short in 1977 after he walked out of the club in mysterious circumstances, he still remains a big fan.

Speaking exclusively with Extra Time in Penrith this week, Ashurst admitted while the club has changed remarkably over the years, his affection for the Panthers certainly hasn’t.

“Everything looks different but, at the end of the day, the Panthers are still the Panthers and I’ve always been a Panther and I always will be,” he said.

“I always say there are only two teams in my life – the Wigan Warriors and Penrith.”

During his four-week trip back to Australia, Ashurst managed to witness in the flesh two Penrith victories over the Bulldogs and Warriors as well as go on a private tour of Panthers Rugby League Academy.

“Brad Waugh took me around the Academy and I couldn’t believe what I saw, it was unbelievable,” Ashurst said.

“I remember our old sheds, buying our own boots and making our own way to the ground. Heck, I even smoked when I played, even at half-time!

Panthers legend Bill Ashurst has been visiting his old stomping ground “To be honest, I wouldn’t like the lifestyle the players have these days – there’s too much pressure and far too many mobile phones.”

Panthers Hall of Famer Grahame Moran once described Ashurst as the “most complete footballer”, as skilful as Andrew Johns. But the former centre/backrower and goal kicking sharpshooter admits he isn’t a fan of how the game is played today.

“It’s a different game to when we played… I don’t like the modern game,” Ashurst said.

“It’s all based on defence now, I was brought up on attack and scoring more

points than your opposition. I wouldn’t have liked to have played now except for the money, of course,” he joked.

In 2006, Ashurst received one of the greatest honours of his career when he was one of 17 players named in Penrith’s Team of Legends – an incredible achievement for a rangy Englishman who played just 46 games in Penrith colours.

These days Ashurst enjoys his time in the north of England, cheering on Penrith’s legends of the future, watching every game on TV. Tyrone Peachey and Matt Moylan are two of his favourite players.

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COMEBACK COMPLETE NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

I

n the 79th minute of Penrith’s demolition of the Bulldogs last weekend, fan favourite Josh Mansour scored a classic winger’s try in the corner to complete a fairytale comeback seven months in the making.

When the full-time siren rang at 5.53pm last Sunday evening, no one at ANZ Stadium was more relieved to see Mansour get through the game intact than the 26-year-old himself.

“I’m back doing what I love, I’m so happy,” Mansour told Extra Time.

“I had a lot of nerves going into the game – both good and bad. I had so many thoughts flooding my mind, which made my very vulnerable, but I’m definitely grateful for the way the game panned out and I was able to leave the field unscathed.”

In November last year, Mansour ruptured his ACL during a freak accident at Kangaroos training when he collided with Dragons star Josh Dugan.

The unfortunate incident not only ruled

Mansour out for the remainder of the Four Nations tournament but the entire first half of the 2017 season.

Mansour described his seven months on the sidelines as “frustrating, long and painful”.

“I was just counting down the weeks.

We always planned for a Round 13 return against Canterbury. We didn’t want to go any sooner than that because, with ACLs, it’s a career threatening injury, you don’t want to rush into playing,” he said.

“I was fortunate the physios and rehab staff looked after me from day one. As a player when you have staff care for you, it really motivates you.”

After putting 38 unanswered points on Canterbury last weekend, Mansour’s teammates were also buzzing upon his return.

Up until Mansour’s comeback game Penrith had been enduring a roller coaster start to the year, seemingly missing what the man they call ‘Sauce’ has to offer.

Mansour cheekily agreed, saying his teammates enjoyed having him back.

“I’m not going to lie, they did, I’ll probably cop some stick for that comment,” he laughed.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, June 9, 2017

FEATURE

Josh Mansour returned to the NRL last weekend. Photo: Melinda Jane “My teammates took a lot of pressure off of me and everyone played out of their skin. To see the boys happy for me to be back means a lot and shows why I play for this great club and why I’ll continue love doing what I do.”

However, while seven months in rehab certainly took its toll, things weren’t all doom and gloom for Mansour during that time.

In April, he and his beautiful wife Daniella announced they were pregnant with the couple’s first child. The powerful winger said he owes everything to his wife for always standing by him.

“My wife is my number one supporter and has sacrificed a lot for me,” he said.

“We weren’t able to go on our honeymoon last year and to be expecting a child is mind-blowing.”

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Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

It’s time for the NRL to show more respect for the bush

JAMIE SOWARD

P

enrith will take another game to the beautiful town of Bathurst this weekend, and I strongly believe that every team in the NRL should have an association with a country town in either NSW or Queensland.

Teams have taken games to other parts of Australia in the past, including Adelaide, Perth and Darwin, but I’d rather see those games being played in the bush, where the game is strong.

The Panthers have really set the tone with this by recently signing a new 10-year deal to play games in Bathurst.

For the last couple of years, I was lucky to go out to Bathurst with the Panthers and it was a fantastic experience.

It really made me and the other players realise just how much the people in the bush love their footy.

I honestly believe that without the people in the bush, the game would not survive.

Penrith’s deal with Bathurst is wonderful for the fans but it also gives us players a chance to get away, meet some new people and gather new opportunities.

With the NRL recently dumping the annual City Country fixture for the foreseeable future, I think taking more NRL games to the bush will win back plenty of brownie points for the game’s governing body.

I think it’s the perfect way to get crowds going to games again.

Last weekend there were three games played at ANZ Stadium and the crowd looked awful on TV in each and every one of them.

You really lose that sense of occasion when you play in front of such small crowds at big stadiums.

I know when I’m commentating for radio, you want to see a packed stadium and feel that atmosphere.

Taking more NRL games to the bush will not only look way better on TV but it will do wonders for the game.

Lastly, I just want to congratulate an ex-teammate of mine, Josh Mansour, on a fantastic return from injury last Sunday afternoon.

In our game, when you are injured, it takes a lot of support from family, friends, coaching staff and teammates to get back on your feet.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, June 9, 2017

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Fans love feeling close to the action and the players. Photo: Melinda Jane It was terrific seeing Josh score a try and give the Panthers plenty of energy and great metres! I look forward to seeing him back that up on Saturday.

It was great to watch Josh get back to his best over the weekend.

Any injury is difficult to come back from but knees are often the hardest.

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Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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Round 14

FACE IN THE CROWD

Thursday, June 8 7.50pm Shark Park

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Friday, June 9 6pm Lottoland

Friday, June 9 7.50pm Suncorp Stadium Saturday, June 10 3pm Cbus Super Stadium Saturday, June 10 5.30pm Carrington Park

Saturday, June 10 7.30pm TIO Stadium Sunday, June 11 4pm Campbelltown Stadium

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, June 9, 2017

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Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

Brought to you by

Close your eyes and it feels like 1975 all over again

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8 points to nil.

One of the most famous scorelines in rugby league history. It was the 1975 Grand Final and the Roosters beat the Dragons, white boots and all.

It was Arthur Beetson, Johnny Peard, Ian Schubert and company... what a team, what a performance!

Now fast forward 42 years...

38 points to nil.

The Panthers beat the Bulldogs on a chilly June Sunday afternoon. Actually, let me correct that. The Panthers thumped them!

No. No similarities or comparisons apart from a scoreline, for now anyway.

The last time my bad melon was pictured above I spoke of the Panthers, and the game I considered would be the turning point of their season.

At half-time, I looked even more silly than normal, however Penrith’s second 40 minute performance against the Warriors was... well, it was WOW! Timing. Execution. Momentum. Confidence. It was all there.

Where it came from all of a sudden I don’t know, but it was there and it still is judging by that game on the weekend.

Again, what a performance!

THIS was the side we expected to see in round one, the side we expected to see at the north tip of the competition ladder.

The side we expected, well many did, to win the whole damn thing.

There is no doubt it has been a rocky road. That opening game against the Dragons cut Penrith deeply, and while they did manage to collect a few wins in the early part of the season, getting over that thrashing really took Anthony Griffin’s men some time.

A change of position here and there, a return from injury, an honesty session and hard work.

Sure there’s other reasons for the dramatic improvement but this looked a completely different side.

Not like the side that won in 1975, but it could. See, they played with confidence, and had a certain swagger when they walked too.

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, June 9, 2017

BLAST FROM THE PAST

SCOREBOARD

TEARS OF PURE JOY

NRL PANTHERS 38 BULLDOGS 0

HOLDEN CUP TROY DODDS @troydodds

T

he headline on the Monday, October 6, 2003 edition of the Daily Telegraph summed it up: “Perfect”.

Penrith’s 18-6 Grand Final win over the Sydney Roosters on October 5, 2003 was one of the most magical days in the club’s history.

Despite finishing minor premiers, the Panthers still went into the season decider against the Roosters as underdogs, but defied all expectations by winning by 12 points in wet conditions at ANZ Stadium.

The Telegraph’s front page declared: “This is what joy looks like. 21-year-old Luke Rooney scores one of his two tries in the game no one said the Panthers

could win. For Penrith, fairytales do come true”.

Inside, under the headline “Tears, cheers and league’s greatest fairytale in years”, the praise continued: “The Grand Final of October 5, 2003, will forever be remembered as one of the greatest games of rugby league”.

In front of a crowd of 81,166, the Panthers were simply superb.

“The ferocity and intensity was greater than some State of Origin matches,” the Telegraph declared in its match report.

“The opening set of six tackles alone was as fierce as anyone could remember.”

After the game, Scott Sattler – who produced one of the most remarkable grand final tackles of all time in the second half to save a certain try – spoke about being written off by the critics.

“All that matters is that we believed in ourselves,” he said.

“We knew we could beat them. We

were always going to try to frustrate them”.

The late Peter Frilingos, one of the most revered journalists in the game at the time, couldn’t stop raving about Penrith’s effort in the season decider.

“There’s no question the game ranked up there as one of the great season deciders,” he wrote.

“Penrith’s victory in last night’s momentous Grand Final proved that nothing is impossible in the game of rugby league”.

Whether it was that Penrith had come from last to first in the space of two years, Sattler’s tackle or simply that this team played with such inspiring spirit, the memories of 2003 will live on forever.

It was a special game by a special team, but moreso, a very special season.

PANTHERS 28 BULLDOGS 12

ISP NSW BULLDOGS 14 PANTHERS 4

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The Primary Classroom Program at Panthers on the Prowl has been running continuously for 15 years. We serve local primary schools to assist in the development of social and emotional learning targeted at small groups. Each week we nominate a student of the week from a participating school to highlight their efforts. ts.

s i k e e w e h t f o t n e d Stu Bianca Crawford

This week’s student of the week is Bianca Crawford. Bianca attends Penrith Public School and has a passion for visual arts. At Panthers on the Prowl, visual arts are an important way to encourage creativity, problem solving and personal expression. This past week we were lucky enough to have the Panthers Indigenous Welfare Officer, Glen Liddiard, come to the classroom and teach our students about symbols and storytelling through art. Bianca enjoyed participating in these lessons and was helped along by Penrith Panthers Sitaleki Akauola and Corey Harawira-Naera who joined us for the day. Congratulations Bianca and keep up the great work.

The student of the week is brought to you by

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WE W ILL L YOUR EAVE Y OUR PLACE WITH A SMILE ON

The October 6 edition of the Daily Telegraph newspaper

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Friday, June 9, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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tr ivia 1. Which club did Dean Whare (pictured) play his junior footy for?

2. In what year did Mitch Rein make his NRL debut?

3. In which country was James Tamou born?

4. Against which club did Reagan Campbell-Gillard make his first grade debut for Penrith?

5. In which year did Nathan Cleary first play for the Junior Kangaroos?

ANSWERS: 1. Arncliffe Scots 2. 2011 3. New Zealand 4.

Canterbury 5. 2016

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