Extra Time: The Deciders

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THE DECIDERS

Flashbacks and fresh takes: A look back at Penrith’s three Grand Finals

LESSON LEARNED

MG’S MEMORIES

ON THE BUSES

How the heartbreak of 1990 shaped Penrith’s destiny

Mark Geyer reflects on the magic of the 1991 decider

Craig Gower offers fresh insight into the 2003 win

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Friday, May 22, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

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LESSONS LEARNED: FIRST DECIDER SET PANTHERS UP FOR THE FUTURE

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 22, 2020

1990 Grand Final

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Barry Walker, David Greene and Col Bentley during the 1990 season. Photo: Panthers Men In Black.

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efore glory, there was heartbreak.

It doesn’t get talked about often when reflecting on Penrith’s past successes, but the 1990 decider has a special place in club history. It was the first time the Panthers had qualified for the decider, coming after a decade in which the club finally started to become a serious Finals contender.

Penrith would start their 1990 campaign with Phil Gould, who had already enjoyed Premiership success with Canterbury two years prior, in charge as coach.

Despite some teething issues throughout the season, the club’s acquisition of Gould was deemed a masterstroke after the Panthers won 10 of their last 13 matches leading into the Finals.

In the Qualifying Final, Penrith disposed

of Brisbane with ease to set up a Semi Final berth with defending Premiers Canberra, for a place in the 1990 Grand Final.

After 80 minutes of thrilling action, the result still couldn’t be decided with scores level at 12-all.

If Penrith were to reach their maiden Grand Final after 24 years, they’d have to find another gear in Extra Time. Fortunately, they did just that – blitzing the Minor Premiers in overtime to win 30-12.

Gould tried to restrict the celebrations in the sheds post-match, wanting to ensure that the players understood the job was far from done. However, back at the licenced club later that evening, the Penrith district partied long and hard.

The city came alive during the two weeks prior to the decider, which made

it very tough for Gould who was trying his best to keep his troops grounded and distraction-free.

“We had civic receptions and street parades and all this other fanfare that took our mind off the game,” forward Mark Geyer remembers.

“Once we got to the Grand Final we realised it was a bit like Origin, it was a different game. It was life and death.

“Canberra were just more intense and had been there and done it all. We didn’t handle it.”

The 1990 decider was cursed for an inexperienced side from the outset.

The reserve grade decider went into Extra Time, forcing the main event to be pushed back 30 minutes.

Many believed this rattled the young

Panthers and gave the experienced Green Machine an advantage before a ball had even been kicked.

When play finally got underway, the Panthers started strongly but it was Canberra who jumped out to a 12-0 lead.

Penrith did hit back with a double of their own, and would trail by just two points at half-time.

The Raiders edged further in front in the second half to lead 18-10, but Penrith still had some fight in them with Greg Alexander crossing late.

Time and lack of big match experience got the better of the Panthers in the end, and they would lose their first Grand Final 18-14 despite both sides scoring three tries apiece.

– Troy Dodds and Nathan Taylor

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Friday, May 22, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

1991 Grand Final

HISTORY MADE WITH FIRST TITLE T

he front page of the Weekender on Friday, September 20 1991 said it all – ‘bound for glory’. Inside, another headline read ‘Panthers to win’.

It was a Grand Final Penrith was always destined to claim.

After going down to the Raiders in 1990, Penrith walked onto the Sydney Football Stadium pitch a much more mature looking team than the one that tasted heartbreak on the very same turf 12 months earlier.

So many things went against Penrith in the big one – Mark Geyer was sent to the sin bin, the Raiders scored a try off a controversial refereeing decision, and Mal Meninga was having a stellar game.

At half- time, with his side down 12- 6, Penrith coach Phil Gould delivered an almighty spray to his players. Rumour has it the speech finished with the words: “Are you going to be losers?”

The second half was terrific from Penrith, but with 10 minutes to go, the scores were locked at 12-all and it was anyone’s game.

Then, the man they call Brandy stepped in.

Greg Alexander potted a 38 metre field goal that would give Penrith a 13- 12 lead and the advantage heading into the final stages of the game.

Back in the dressing room, the Panthers celebrate the 1991 Grand Final victory.

The Panthers built pressure and the rest is history – the forced line drop- out, the short restart, the Geyer run, the Simmons try – magic.

Alexander confirmed victory with a sideline conversion that gave the Panthers an unassailable 19-12 lead.

“They worked really hard for that – right from the Grand Final day the previous year,” Gould told the Weekender years later.

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“It was a wonderful day for the club, it was a wonderful day for the city and it really put Penrith on the map.”

Back at Panthers Leagues Club, the party was epic.

A huge blow- up Panther had guarded the club for much of the week, welcoming fans on Grand Final day who watched the match on 55 screens throughout the club.

A Grand Final Disco was held at Reactor One.

One of the big talking points out of the Grand Final was the awarding of the Clive Churchill Medal to Canberra’s Bradley Clyde.

Royce Simmons would tell the Weekender years later who he believed should have been handed the prestigious prize.

“Greg Alexander was the player of the match. His kicking game was outstanding and his leadership was fantastic,” he said.

– Troy Dodds

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 22, 2020

1991 Grand Final

IN PENRITH, DREAMS DO COME TRUE “30 years is a long time in anyone’s life and a lot has happened in everybody’s life who played in that game let alone just the Panthers players,” Geyer said.

“We’ll get together I think. Something will be planned for the 30th anniversary of the first victory that Penrith ever had.”

Geyer knows, however, how close Penrith came to losing the 1991 decider.

Anyone who watches the replay back recognises just how good Canberra were, particularly in the middle part of the match.

“We let our emotion get in front of our ambition and the things we were doing well in the first 20 minutes we got away from. All of a sudden the Raiders went bang, bang and it was 12- 6 at half- time,” Geyer said.

But it was clear in the sheds at the break that Penrith weren’t going to be losers.

“Royce Simmons made a passionate plea to us at half-time and Gus was more animated than usual about the cause. I think deep down we knew we were in a situation where we could win this one more than the year before... we were the best team in the comp all year and it would have been a crying shame if we’d lost back to back,” Geyer said.

The rest is history.

– Troy Dodds

The front page of the Telegraph Mirror the day after the Grand Final.

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hen was the last time Mark Geyer watched the historymaking 1991 Grand Final?

“About three weeks ago,” big MG says with a chuckle.

The timing is purely coincidental. Geyer sat down to watch the game when Fox Sports broadcast it with new commentary as part of its Fox League Classics series.

“The good part about it is the result doesn’t change,” Geyer said.

Geyer played a key role in the 1991 decider, won 19-12 by Penrith – the club’s first premiership.

Sin- binned in the second half, Geyer came back like a man possessed and dominated the battle up front. The vision of him taking a short drop-out and setting up Royce Simmons for a crucial try in the corner is iconic, and embedded in the memory of every Panthers fan.

“I still get goosebumps,” Geyer tells Extra Time, reflecting on his recent re-watching of the game.

“I always remember how bad it was the year before.

“I think that’s why we were so jubilant after we won it.”

Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the Grand Final that will forever mark the day Penrith grew up, not just as a football club but as a city.

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Friday, May 22, 2020  the western weekender • extra time

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 22, 2020

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A GRAND NIGHT IN PENRITH HISTORY P

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

Despite finishing the regular season as Minor Premiers, Penrith still went into the decider against the Roosters as underdogs.

It was no surprise, perhaps, given this Penrith side had finished last just two years earlier, and didn’t make the Finals in 2002. Many simply didn’t believe the Panthers had what it took.

But in front of a crowd of 81,166 at a very wet Telstra Stadium, the ‘men in black’ were simply superb and produced memories that will last a lifetime.

The game – which is regarded by many as one of the greatest rugby league Grand Finals in history – produced highlight after highlight, with Scott Sattler’s remarkable try-saving cover tackle on Roosters winger Todd Byrne still talked about to this day.

Penrith winger Luke Rooney won the hearts of many on the back of his twotry performance, while eventual Clive Churchill Medallist Luke Priddis not only set up two tries that evening but bagged one himself in an heroic effort.

Fan favourite Ryan Girdler, who limped off injured in the second half, summed up

Members of the 2003 Grand Final team, many with kids of their own, gather at Panthers Stadium in 2016. Photo: Megan Dunn. the enormity of the occasion on behalf of all Panthers players and supporters.

“We’ve been here through the bad times, and that’s what makes it so special,” he said.

Interviewed by Channel Nine’s Andrew

Voss as the siren sounded in the background, coach John Lang declared: “I just hope I don’t wake up tomorrow and it’s still Sunday”.

Penrith partied for days following the club’s second Grand Final win, and

thousands turned out on November 28 to celebrate one last time with a victory parade through the city’s streets.

Most recently, the team got together for a reunion in 2016.

– Troy Dodds

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Friday, May 22, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

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2003 Grand Final

PRIDDO’S MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE T

o go right or left? That was the question champion Panthers hooker Luke Priddis pondered before he put winger Luke Rooney over for his second Grand Final try, sealing Penrith its first NRL Premiership since 1991.

With his side leading the Roosters 12- 6 and the clock winding down, Penrith were on the attack 11 metres out from the tryline.

Priddis, fresh from scoring his own try just minutes earlier, is at dummy- half following a sensational charge from prop Martin Lang.

He turns his head right and sees his halfback and skipper, Craig Gower, in prime position for a field goal directly in front of the posts.

Instead Priddis had another, perhaps riskier, idea – completely fooling the Roosters and his very own teammates in the process.

He picked the ball up, scampered to his left before throwing the perfect cut out pass to Rooney on the wing for the matchwinner.

Speaking with Extra Time nearly 17 years later, Priddis said his decision to go left instead of right could’ve backfired immensely but he’s relieved it didn’t.

“I was probably the only one that knew

Luke Priddis with the premiership trophy in 2003.

I was going to make that play. We were setting up for the field goal but I saw the opportunity and took it,” he said.

“I’d formed a strong partnership with Roons (Luke Rooney) all season. The blokes on the short- side always knew

their role when I was the hooker – they were trained to stay aware.”

Less than a minute before Rooney’s second try, Gower attempted a field goal from 30 metres out but it was charged down by Roosters forward Mick Crocker.

When Penrith retrieved the ball back, Priddis contemplated going to Gower for a second shot at goal.

“Gowie was practicing field goals all week at training and never really hit one, so I wasn’t confident he was going to put it over,” he laughed.

“I’m sure if I passed it to him he may have slotted it, I guess we’ll never know. I still think mine was the bigger percentage play.”

Priddis would go on to win the Clive Churchill Medal for his incredible performance – the only hooker in rugby league history to win the coveted award.

The now 43- year- old said his instincts well and truly paid off that night.

“I suppose there’s too many players these days that don’t take their own instincts into the play and get very robotic,” he said.

“When you make the call and get it right, you get all the glory. If you don’t, you cop the flack.”

So, what was Gower thinking when Priddis chose to go left instead of right?

“Don’t worry I wanted to give him a huge spray but that’s the thing about the game – you come up with the right plays at the right time and you take your opportunities,” Gower said.

– Nathan Taylor

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 22, 2020

2003 Grand Final

2003 Grand Final

LOCAL BUS DRIVER SAVES THE DAY J

ust when you thought you knew everything there was to know about the 2003 NRL Grand Final… think again.

Premiership - winning captain and Panthers legend Craig Gower has revealed an incredible tale about how he and his champion teammates convinced a local bus driver to change his route, to help get them to a fan meet and greet the next day.

Following Penrith’s 18- 6 triumph over the Sydney Roosters on Sunday, October 5, players returned to Panthers Leagues Club as heroes later that night with around 10,000 people cramming in to celebrate with the team.

Ryan Girdler shrugged off his calf injury from a few hours earlier and was spotted crowd surfing, while ecstatic supporters were climbing over furniture and each other just to get a glimpse of the players.

But did you know there was an after party after the after party?

“Following the celebrations at the club we didn’t go to bed, we ended back up at my mate’s house in Werrington – there were about 60 blokes back there,” Gower told Extra Time.

“The club gave us some alcohol to take with us because they didn’t want us going all crazy inside the club.”

The next morning (or was it?) was when things got really interesting for Gower, his bleary- eyed teammates and a local bus driver.

We’ll let Gower take things from here.

“The next morning we were on Greenbank Drive in Werrington when we hailed a Westbus down,” he revealed.

“This bus was en route going to Werrington Station and I said to the bus driver ‘you’ve got to take us to the pub, we’re running late’. He said ‘I can’t, I’m en route’. I said to him ‘mate you’ll be right I promise you, you won’t lose your job’.

“So, we all got on the bus – the whole team – and he drove us back up to the Pioneer pub before we had to go to the ground to meet all the fans.”

Gower, who was 25 at the time and sporting a busted eye from the game, said the team weren’t charged a fare and there were no other passengers on board.

“We didn’t have to pay, we all just jumped on. The driver was a champion bloke,” he said.

“There was no one on the bus at the time so it worked out well. The driver said ‘OK boys, let’s go’. It was pretty cool.

“I don’t know if the driver knew who we were, but he was just a Good Samaritan that looked after us.”

Former Panthers captain Craig Gower in 2016. Photo: Megan Dunn.

However, post Grand Final celebrations may have gone on a bit longer than the now 42-year-old can recall because keeneyed fans would remember that the meet and greet at Penrith Stadium actually took place on Tuesday, October 7 and not the

next day (Monday, October 6) like Gower thought.

But he helped deliver Penrith its second NRL Premiership, so we’ll let him get away with that one.

– Nathan Taylor

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Friday, May 22, 2020 « the western weekender • extra time

panther rumblings

WITH THE MASKED PANTHER

IVAN BACK IN TIGER TOWN !

It’s safe to say Ivan Cleary didn’t expect to be back in the home coach’s box at Campbelltown Stadium any time soon, but strange times call for unique solutions. The former Wests Tigers coach will call Campbelltown home again, with Penrith to host games at the venue until at least Round 9. It’s understood Panthers Stadium was considered to be a host venue, but the NRL eventually settled on Campbelltown Stadium, Bankwest Stadium and Central Coast Stadium to house the Sydney clubs.

Nathan Cleary arrives at training on Monday.

Isaah Yeo arrives at training on Monday.

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It’s good to see the players still in good spirits despite the very different situation they find themselves in at present.

On Monday, players arrived at the Rugby League Academy in dress-up – adding a bit of Hollywood and international sporting flair to the day’s work. Some of the best were posted on Instagram. I’m told James Fisher-Harris spearheaded the fun idea.

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Could Panthers captain James Tamou be heading to England next year? Stories emerged this week that the 31-year-old was in the sights of Super League club St Helens. Penrith’s General Manager Matt Cameron was remaining tight-lipped when asked about the rumours on Tuesday. “I did see that article and James is off-contract at Panthers this year but we don’t comment publicly on recruitment and retention matters. James has been fantastic and has really grown as a leader the last couple of years and assumed that role of team captain really well,” Cameron said.

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Last week I told you about Paul Kent’s reporting on the Nathan Cleary saga, and suggestions that Cleary had not been at home when his infamous TikTok video was recorded. Kent was wrong, and The Daily Telegraph quickly changed his story online and caught it in time for the major print run. Now, the ‘NRL 360’ co-host has apologised. In a column last weekend, he said: “It was wrong. The story was caught and corrected but not before it was online for an hour and hit the first edition. So I apologise.”

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Fox League will return to normal programming next week, with ‘NRL 360’ to spearhead its restarted coverage of rugby league at 6.30pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. ‘Fox Theatre’ will air at 7.30pm on Monday, ‘The Fan’ continues on Tuesdays while ‘The Matty Johns Podcast’ is back on Wednesday before Fox airs all eight Round 3 games live next weekend. Matty Johns’ Thursday and Sunday programs also roll on, while ‘The Big League Wrap’ is back Sunday nights from 9.30pm.

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I’m told the staff at Big League are

extremely doubtful the magazine will return next year, after it was officially shelved for the rest of 2020. It’d be a shame to lose the publication, which provides a largely positive coverage of the game and has been around for a century.

But the NRL’s cost cutting (head office pays News Limited to produce the publication) combined with the current print landscape makes the path to returning a very difficult one.

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The TAB has installed Penrith as favourites for next weekend’s clash against Newcastle, despite Nathan Cleary

being stood down. The Panthers are $1.67, while Newcastle are $2.20. Meanwhile, the Panthers are $13 to win the premiership. Canberra remain the competition favourites at $5.00.

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With so many major sports around the world on hiatus, the NRL will be beamed into more international lounge rooms from next weekend. Sky Sports UK will now broadcast all eight NRL games in Rounds 3 and 4 live, while France’s BeIN Sports has increased its coverage to four live games per weekend. ESPN is believed to be looking at taking the NRL in the US.

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with Peter Lang

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winning try, being two of them. Let’s also not forget Balmain coach Warren Ryan benching gun forwards Steve Roach and Paul Sironen just before extra time.

Enough said!

ith the 2020 rugby league season only one week away, I thought it might be interesting to list my top five Grand Finals of all time. How did I rank the games?

Let’s go through each selection with a short explanation.

4. Newcastle Knights 22 def ManlyWarringah Sea Eagles 16 (1997). Now this match will be long remembered for Knights winger Darren Albert scoring the premiership winning try with only seconds left on the clock. However there’s no doubt the hero of the game was 23- year- old halfback Andrew Johns who set up that memorable try and played champagne football despite coming into the game with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

1. Penrith Panthers 19 def Canberra Raiders 12 (1991). Even if you’re not a Panthers fan this game was an absolute cracker. A close scoreline throughout the match, the sin-binning of firebrand Mark Geyer, a terrific try saving tackle from Mal Meninga, a try double to retiring Penrith hooker Royce Simmons and a clutch field goal by Brandy Alexander made this Grand Final compelling viewing. The fact that it was also Penrith’s maiden premiership after 25 years made the victory that much sweeter.

2. Penrith Panthers 18 def Sydney Roosters 6 (2003). From the cellar to the penthouse in 12 months, Penrith defeating the 2002 Premiers was quite simply a modern day coaching miracle. Panthers coach John Lang had to bite his fingernails for the majority of the match as both sides traded blows on a wet and windy night.

The Roosters were no pushovers and they fought hard but some individual pieces of brilliance by Scott Sattler, we all know

Penrith coach Phil Gould with the 1991 premiership trophy. what he did, and hooker Luke Priddis (Clive Churchill winner) in the end proved the difference.

3. Canberra Raiders 19 def Balmain Tigers 14 (1989). The first Grand Final to

go into extra time was one for the ages.

It literally had everything. Tigers hooker Benny Elias’ field goal bouncing off the uprights and Raiders forward Steve Jackson coming off the bench and then busting tackle after tackle to score the match

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 22, 2020

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My top five Grand Finals of all-time

5. North Queensland Cowboys 17 def Brisbane Broncos 16 (2015). The game was close throughout but it really came to life when the Cowboys scored an equalising try by Kyle Feldt in the corner with the fulltime buzzer going off in the background.

Jonathan Thurston’s agonising failed conversion to win the game was matched only minutes later when Broncos half Ben Hunt dropped the ball from the kick off in extra time. One minute later Thurston would not be denied and he nailed the premiership winning field goal from right in front.

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