Extra Time September 15

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

PANTHER RUMBLINGS

with the Masked Panther

MOYZA STAYS OUT » Matt Moylan is likely to remain side-

lined for the rest of the season even if the Panthers set up a date with Melbourne next weekend. The 26-year-old is still undergoing counselling for personal issues and it’s unlikely he’ll be rushed back into a winning Penrith team.

» Those trying to make an argument

that Moylan’s future at Penrith is clouded because of salary cap space are off the mark with such speculation. Rest assured the Moylan issue is solely about his attitude and behaviour, with a number of team protocol breaches at the forefront of the problem. However, there’s no doubt that Penrith officials now have a significant headache given the emergence of Tyrone May in the number six jumper.

The Panthers can’t necessarily throw big money at May if Moylan is going to return to five-eighth permanently, but on the same token they don’t want to risk losing him to another club. If I had to bet my house on where this all ends up, I’d tip Moylan will be at either Cronulla or Wests Tigers next year and the Panthers will go into 2018 with Dylan Edwards, Tyrone May, Nathan Cleary and Peter Wallace as their spine.

» Spotted: Rather than hide away, Matt

Moylan headed to Allianz Stadium to watch the Panthers do battle with Manly last Saturday night. He was also spotted prior to the game in the company of Panthers welfare officer Glen Liddiard.

» The Panthers will keep working in the

off-season in an attempt to lock up Nathan Cleary long term, but don’t expect any deal to happen overnight. The teenage prodigy is locked into the Panthers until at least the end of the 2019 season and may well be a representative player mid-way through next year – giving him extra bargaining power for his next contract. Nobody can blame the star halfback for looking for the best possible deal and with such a football family around him, the negotiations still have a long way to go yet.

» Those who called for Anthony Griffin’s

head mid-way through the season are looking mighty silly now with the Panthers just two wins away from a Grand Final appearance. Rest assured Griffin’s new deal is just weeks away from being announced – he’ll be at the Panthers until at least the end of the 2020 season.

» After what’s been a rough year away

from the field, Bryce Cartwright still remains off limits to the media. The Panthers held a media session on Wednesday afternoon in which every player who took to the field against the Sea Eagles last week was available to be interviewed, with the exception of Cartwright. The 22-year-old hasn’t spoken publicly since a personal issue was made very public back in round one, and is still working through what’s been an enormous amount of pressure this year. Expect him to have a good break in the off-season and be ready to talk again in 2018.

» Is James Fisher-Harris looking to move on from the Panthers? There’s a whisper doing the rounds linking him to the New Zealand Warriors.

» The Panthers are just one win away

from the ISP NSW Grand Final and will take on the Bulldogs this Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval. The match kicks off at 3.15pm with Fox League taking the game live. Meanwhile, the Panthers take on Brisbane in a Holden Cup Semi Final this Friday at Suncorp Stadium, with kick-off at 5.15pm. Again, the match will be shown live on Fox League.

» While Trent Barrett wasn’t happy with

the referees last week, the Manly coach still took time out to congratulate Penrith on their victory. The former Panthers assistant walked onto the team bus at Allianz Stadium to congratulate the players on the win, and wish them well for the weeks ahead. Panthers boss Phil Gould called the gesture a “class act”.

» Talking of referees, how did they

OF THE WEEK

(and the match review committee) miss Matthew Wright clocking Dallin WateneZelezniak off the ball last weekend? DWZ has a swollen cheek as a result of the nasty hit, which was caught on camera.

» Peter Wallace equals a bizarre record

on Friday night when he joins Isaac Luke as the most capped current first grader to not have played in a Grand Final. Wallace is a 230-game veteran of the NRL but hasn’t been to the big dance – he’s certainly hoping that changes this year or

in what is likely to be his final year at the Panthers in 2018.

» In some off-field news, Luke Janovsky

from the Panthers’ sponsorship team has moved on from the club to pursue a new job opportunity.

» Last week’s Panthers v Sea Eagles

match attracted a great TV audience.

462,000 watched Channel Nine’s coverage while a further 274,000 tuned in on Fox League.

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Panthers captain Matt Moylan

MATCH PREVIEW

PANTHERS STAND UP PANTHERS V BRONCOS | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 7.55PM | SUNCORP STADIUM | REFEREES: GERARD SUTTON AND ADAM GEE

PANTHERS 1

Dylan Edwards

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

Josh Mansour Tyrone Peachey Dean Whare Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Tyrone May Nathan Cleary James Tamou Peter Wallace (c) Reagan Campbell-Gillard Corey Harawira-Naera Isaah Yeo Trent Merrin Sione Katoa Bryce Cartwright Moses Leota James Fisher-Harris Jarome Luai 19 V Kikau

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 15, 2017

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BRONCOS

Dean Whare is back at centre. Photo: Megan Dunn

TROY DODDS @troydodds

T

he real Penrith Panthers have finally stood up – and what a time to do it.

All year we’ve seen glimpses of the Panthers we expected to see in 2017, but it took until week one of the Finals to produce the kind of performance that really instilled premiership belief. Two wins from a Grand Final and the reward for winning this weekend is a daunting trip to Melbourne to face the Storm, but in this great game of ours, anything can happen.

It was Penrith’s defence in the opening 20 minutes that really won them the game last weekend. They managed to stun the

Sea Eagles with an early onslaught they never really recovered from, and while Penrith’s attack was a little clunky at times it was, in the end, a high quality performance from Anthony Griffin’s men.

A similar game plan would be worthy against the Broncos on Friday night – win the early stages and you go a long way to winning the contest.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett admitted his side was poor against the Roosters last week, even though they somehow managed to be in the lead with just a handful of minutes remaining. The super coach made some rather bizarre selection calls for the Roosters game and the scary thing is that Bennett doesn’t get it wrong all too often. With his side’s season on the line and a huge home crowd expected at Suncorp Stadium, the old master will surely have something up his sleeve.

That something could be captain

Darius Boyd, who earlier this week was rated a 50/50 chance of returning from a hamstring injury for the elimination contest.

I really enjoyed seeing Dylan Edwards back in the Penrith team last week – he just adds something at fullback that gives you confidence every time a ball rockets into the air, and to play so well so quickly after a nasty knee injury made his return even better.

Dean Whare back at centre really strengthened that right side defence – between them Whare and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak only missed one tackle last week, while the same side of the field leaked four the previous week. Waqa Blake is a great player but his injury has allowed Griffin to really tighten up that side of the field that has been exploited a few too many times this season.

Teams had pointed to Penrith’s right side

1

Kodi Nikorima

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Corey Oates James Roberts Tautau Moga Jordan Kahu Anthony Milford Benji Marshall Sam Thaiday Ben Hunt Adam Blair Alex Glenn Matt Gillett Josh McGuire David Mead 15 Jai Arrow Joe Ofahengaue Herman Ese’ese Darius Boyd 19 Jaydn Su’a

defence as a vulnerability but with that now erased, the Panthers look stronger across the park.

There’s no Matt Moylan for this game and while his spark would have added something in attack, there’s no doubt Tyrone May, Nathan Cleary and a confident Bryce Cartwright can do the job.

On their best day, I think Brisbane could easily beat the Panthers in this one. But the Broncos’ form over the last month has been far from impressive – a loss to the Roosters last week, an unconvincing win over the Cowboys in round 26, a 52-34 thumping at the hands of the Eels the week before and a win over the Dragons that certainly didn’t set the world on fire.

Penrith showed what they can do when it all clicks last week. If it clicks again, they’ll be heading to Melbourne with the big dance in sight.

Tip: Panthers by 6.

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

FEATURE

finals feeling NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

A

fter a turbulent season on and off the field, rookie Panthers backrower Corey HarawiraNaera has praised Bryce Cartwright for returning to the big stage with a bang last Saturday night.

Cartwright, who has had a mixed year with injury and personal issues, had a hand in all three of Penrith’s tries during last weekend’s Elimination Final win over Manly.

Not only did the 22-year-old rugby league prodigy score a double himself, but he also put in the kick for Tyrone Peachey’s controversial go-ahead four-pointer in the dying stages. Speaking with Extra Time the following morning, Harawira-Naera said it was a real treat seeing Cartwright back and close to his best.

“It was really good to see Bryce back like that. He’s been through a pretty tough year and it was good to see him put that behind him and come up trumps for us,” he said.

“Bryce was really ‘clutch’ last night and he was really confident after the game.”

While Cartwright has been on a media ban since early in the season, HarawiraNaera offered up some insights into how the St Marys junior has been handling a wild 2017.

“He’s still the same Bryce I know,” Harawira-Naera revealed.

“He’s always been quiet towards me but it’s really good to see him happy and enjoying his footy again.

“Bryce really fed off the team’s attitude last night and when he came off the bench, he brought a real spark to the side.”

While Panthers fans will be hoping to see Cartwright light up the Suncorp Stadium turf again tonight, Harawira-Naera knows it’s going to be a mighty tough task.

Corey Harawira-Naera in action against the Sea Eagles. Photo: NRL Photos After playing in his first ever NRL Finals game last Saturday, the 22-year-old said it was the toughest, most tiring game of his short career.

“There was a lot of deep breathing… it was end to end… not many breaks in play – I was just tired the whole time,” Harawira-Naera admitted.

“It was also really physical with Marty Taupau and a few of their ‘benchies’ coming on and running hard at us.”

He said he’s confident a similar attitude from Penrith will give them a real shot against the Broncos tonight.

Harawira-Naera also acknowledged the tight refereeing calls that went against the Sea Eagles last weekend.

“A lot of teams go through that but I guess it was just a bummer it was a Finals game. I do feel for them but we’ve been on the end of some pretty tough calls in the past too,” he said.

Go the Panthers

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CHILDHOOD DREAMS NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

F

or gun Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards nothing would be more thrilling or perhaps awkward than if Penrith played arch-rivals Parramatta in this year’s NRL Grand Final.

While a lot of winning and a pinch of luck needs to happen for the scenario to become a reality, the 21-year-old rising star would be forced to destroy the dreams of the club he once cheered hard for as a youngster.

Speaking with Extra Time ahead of tonight’s do or die Semi Final against Brisbane, Edwards revealed he was a huge Eels fan growing up living in his home town of Dorrigo.

“I followed Parra growing up,” he admitted.

“I didn’t really know the rivalry between Penrith and Parra before I moved down here.”

While Penrith will need to overcome the Broncos tonight and then somehow shock the Storm in Melbourne, Parramatta

would also need to beat the Cowboys this weekend before getting past the Sydney Roosters in week three to set up a salivating Grand Final at ANZ Stadium.

Edwards got his first taste of Finals footy against Many at Allianz Stadium last weekend after successfully overcoming a serious knee injury.

Edwards said while he pulled up “good” apart from a few niggles after the game, he was just proud of the fact that he was able to play a role in this year’s Finals.

“I had a few nerves when I first stepped out onto the field but I tried not to think about it too much,” he said.

“When I first did the injury against the Dragons it did cross my mind that I might not play again this year but I didn’t fully write the season off.

“I was really proud of how our physios got me ready to play. They were really honest with me and worked with me a lot.”

Edwards underwent plenty of treatment to turn a three to four week injury into just two. Not only did he wear a knee brace for all but a few minutes a day, he also asked the club’s dietician if they could recommend any foods that would help him heal quicker.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 15, 2017

FEATURE

Dylan Edwards was an Eels supporter growing up. Photo: Melinda Jane “I slept in my knee brace, which was shocking to sleep in. I probably took it off for five minutes a day,” he said.

“I also asked the dietician and a couple of people around the club if there was anything I could eat or drink to speed up the process – even just a couple of little tricks that might help.”

While there’s still plenty for the Panthers

to improve on if they are going to reach this year’s decider – potentially against the Eels – Edwards is now starting to see the side’s big goal at the start of pre-season is in sight.

“Our goal back in November was to compete in a Grand Final,” he said.

“We didn’t get off to the best start this season but we are here now.”

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

Panthers are firing at the right time of the year

JAMIE SOWARD

A

fter a roller coaster few weeks on and off the field, the Penrith Panthers showed amazing courage to be able to pull out that performance against Manly last weekend.

While they weren’t at their best attacking-wise, I thought defensively they were unreal.

There were times in the game where the Panthers held tough and scrambled, and nothing stood out more to me than that chase on Matthew Wright. I know the Sea Eagles scored a few plays later but that sort of typified the effort that had gone in.

Tonight, the Panthers are taking on one of the best teams in the business at scrambling, desperation and competitiveness in Brisbane.

The key for Penrith will be to remember their last clash in Round 9 where they got blown away early on. The Panthers only started playing footy late in that game.

While it’s another knock-out game for Penrith this week, nothing should change defensively. There’s going to be times early in this game where the Panthers will have to defend and scramble and out Broncos the Broncos.

Wayne Bennett coached sides are always primed for this time of year and skipper Darius Boyd is looking increasingly likely to return after some time off with a hamstring injury.

Playing the Broncos in Brisbane almost gives you an extra lift. Earlier in the year I said playing at Suncorp Stadium is the best place to play rugby league because you know the crowd is going to be feral and they want blood.

I’m really looking forward to the game.

I think Penrith have a very good chance of causing an upset but they can’t let the home side get a sniff early.

For Penrith to win this Final I’d like to see them kick early and use more of Nathan Cleary’s kicking game – I don’t think the side use it enough.

Josh Mansour and Dallin WateneZelezniak are fantastic wingers but just don’t see the ball enough in attacking sets.

Josh has fantastic strength and can use his body really well while Dallin is one of the top leapers in the game.

I also think the Panthers forward pack have an advantage over the Broncos.

A lot has been made over Sam Thaiday and Adam Blair not cutting the mustard

last week but you have to think Wayne Bennett will have them firing for the biggest game of the year.

Matt Moylan also wasn’t named this week and I think that’s the right move for Penrith.

The most important thing out of all of this is for Matt to get healthy first.

As much as you want your best players

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 15, 2017

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out on the field at all times, it’s hard to bring a guy back in after just one week of counselling sessions – especially if the counsellor hasn’t cleared him yet. The Panthers will do just fine with Cleary and Tyrone May at the helm.

I wish Penrith all the best and I really hope they can set up a date with the Storm in one week’s time. Bring it on!

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 15, 2017

FEATURE

BACK TO HIS BEST NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

M

ost players of Dean Whare’s experience kick stones when they are relegated to reserve grade due to poor form but not the former Kiwi international, who admits his time playing in the Intrust Super Premiership (ISP) recently was a blessing in disguise.

Whare returned to first grade in the final round of the regular season when he replaced an injured Dylan Edwards at fullback.

While Whare’s experiment in the number one jersey only lasted half a game, he did return to his more familiar role at centre during last Saturday night’s thrilling win over Manly at Allianz Stadium.

With Waqa Blake out for the rest of the season following shoulder reconstruction surgery this week, Whare has once again assumed a position he – for so long – called his own.

Speaking with Extra Time, the 27-year-

old said he took his recent demotion to reserve grade “on the chin”.

“I knew I wasn’t playing at the best of my ability and I wanted to try to get some confidence back after my knee surgery,” Whare said.

“I think it was a blessing in disguise that I got to play with the boys in ISP. It definitely helped me gain confidence to get back on the park again.”

Whare, who re-signed with the Panthers earlier this season on a whopping new five-year deal, will take that newfound confidence into one of the biggest matches of his career tonight in Brisbane.

If Penrith manage to defeat the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, they’ll set up clash against the Storm in Melbourne for a place in the 2017 decider.

Just like last Saturday night’s performance against the Sea Eagles, Whare is hoping his teammates will once again rise to the challenge of Finals footy.

“From now on every game is do or die.

The talk amongst the boys is ‘give it everything you’ve got because it could be our last game’,” he said.

“A lot of our young guys haven’t played in front of a big crowd before, so it’s going

Dean Whare in action against Manly last weekend. Photo: NRL Photos to be an awesome experience for them.

There’s going to be a lot of energy up there and we’ll try and come out with the same game plan as we did on the weekend.”

Penrith surprised many detractors last Saturday when they disposed of Manly 22-10. Whare said getting flogged by the Sea Eagles the previous week gave his side plenty of motivation.

“We were lucky we got to play them again and make up for that last performance. It was a blessing in disguise,” he said.

“We knew they were going to come out with a similar game plan – hard out of the blocks – and we had to match that.

“We knew if we could stick with them for the first 20 minutes that we could stick it out for the whole game.”

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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The Anthony Griffin gamble that’s now paying off

andy raymond

I

’ll put my hand up, I’ve got no idea about football…

“The people that put that expectation on the side, whether they are punters or tipsters, have got no idea about football”.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.

A comment probably more Peter Griffin than Anthony Griffin (pictured).

But it wasn’t ‘The Family Guy’ at all. It was your Panthers coach, dated July 7, 2017.

After reading that, who else has no idea about football? Hands up.

OK, so that’s most of us.

I was one of those that rated the Panthers as a genuine premiership threat pre-season and nothing has changed my mind. We’re down to the last six clubs, and I reckon they’re right in this.

Forget the tough weeks, the bashings, the negative headlines and the rugby league rumour mill. Concentrate on the now. And NOW they look the goods.

It’s all part of the emotional roller coaster we ride as footy fans every year. There’s good and bad, laughter and tears, jubilation and frustration. It’s why we love it.

Question: What was Anthony Griffin trying to sell with this statement? And

who was he trying to sell it to?

Answer: His players.

For me, it was a very simple “time to pull your finger out” statement.

See, coaches are forever searching for their team’s trigger. Sometimes it’s a private and very quiet conversation.

Sometimes it’s an old school blow-up.

A pat on the back, a cuddle and some positive words. All have been used, all are old too hence the search for something new.

However, rarely do coaches go outside their group in the search for motivation and focus. Anthony Griffin did by questioning his players publicly. He gambled!

Has it worked? 100 per cent it has.

Just look at the numbers. Seven wins from 10 games since and a spot in the eight … make that the six now.

There’s just three games left to win for this year’s Premiers. The Panthers are in a position 10 other clubs would love to be in right now.

Anthony Griffin has got the best out of his side late in the season and perhaps their best is still yet to come.

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SOWARD STEPS UP

NRL PANTHERS 22 SEA EAGLES 10

Jamie Soward. Photo: Penrith Panthers

A

llianz Stadium has become the home of special September memories for the Penrith Panthers, and one of the great Finals moments at the iconic venue came in 2014, when the underdog Panthers upset the Sydney Roosters thanks to a dramatic final five minutes.

The Panthers surprised the Roosters with the opening try through Josh Mansour, but they wrestled back the lead just before half-time when Michael Jennings scooted through two defenders before stretching out to score. It gave the Roosters a 6-4 half-time lead and while things were tight, everything seemed to be going to plan for the Bondi boys.

The Roosters started the second half well and went out to a 12-4 lead when Shaun Kenny-Dowall went over and James Maloney added the extras.

But rather than running away with the game, the Roosters retreated a little and allowed Penrith to regain the momentum, with Matt Moylan delivering a beautiful no-look pass to Dean Whare who touched down, reducing the margin to 12-10. The Panthers would then level the scores through a penalty goal, but the Roosters bagged what most thought was the winning try when Mitchell Pearce fooled everyone by powering over for a four-pointer instead of taking a shot at field goal with seven minutes remaining.

Then, everything changed.

Some quick play the balls took Penrith down field, and Jamie Soward put in a kick on the fourth tackle that appeared to be a little too big for Dallin WateneZelezniak to chase down out wide.

Watene-Zelezniak batted the ball back in as it floated over the touchline, and Dean Whare pounced on it to score – but surely Watene-Zelezniak had gone into

touch? Upstairs we went, and video replays showed the ball – and DWZ – remained in play, meaning the miracle try was legal.

The try still left Penrith two points behind, with Jamie Soward needing to nail a sideline conversion to level the scores. With all of the pressure in the world on his shoulders, he hit it sweetly – and all of a sudden it was game on.

Golden point loomed, but somebody forgot to tell Penrith. With a minute to go, Roosters centre Michael Jennings lost the ball in centre field, giving the Panthers the last crack at victory.

The Panthers worked it up field, and as the seconds ticked down, it all fell on one man – could Soward deliver when it really mattered?

The ball left his boot – and one of the worst field goals of all time wobbled its way over the crossbar and gave Penrith a 19-18 lead and ultimately, victory.

A miracle, and a memory for the ages.

HOLDEN CUP DRAGONS 18 PANTHERS 14

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 15, 2017

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Friday, September 15, 2017 « the western weekender • extra time

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FACE IN THE CROWD

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Thorndale wishes the mighty penrith panthers the best of luck!

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the western weekender • extra time  Friday, September 15, 2017

Towns Cranes Pty Ltd 0487 272 819 E: kane@townscranes.com.au

Kane and the team at Towns Cranes would like to wish the Penrith Panthers the best of luck in their big game against the Brisbane Broncos WW30134

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