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At the start of the season I placed a bet on the Penrith Panthers to be minor premiers. The squad looked good and fresh, and I thought that, for the generous odds on offer, they might be worth a punt. But I never really thought it was much of a chance.
I never really thought they were a chance, but then in May I drafted an article for The Roar stating that the Panthers were premiership contenders.
They had just thrashed Parramatta, albeit a Jarryd Hayne-less Parramatta, and were flying high at the top of the ladder. I was going to tell you all about my bet, and how smart I was. Josh Mansour and Matt Moylan were both playing like Blues bolters, and Jamie Soward was starting to come into the form he is in right now.
They looked good. Damn good.
But I didn’t submit the article. Because deep down, in my heart of hearts, I couldn’t actually see them lifting the trophy come October.
Come finals time, I couldn’t see them beating Manly. I couldn’t see them beating Souths. The Roosters were looking pretty average back in May and I couldn’t even see the Panthers beating them.
I wanted to believe. I wanted so badly to believe in fairytales.
And as the season wore on, as the Panthers kept taking on all comers and finding bewildering success, I started to believe a little more. Despite an injury ward that refused to ever stop filling, the Mountain Men fought on.
They were entertaining. They were fun. They were surprisingly tough. James Segeyaro had all the energy of a puppy on Viagra, and he led out of dummy half better than any hooker has this year. Soward just kept getting better, which as a Dragons fan annoyed the crap out of me. Mansour grew facial hair at an alarming rate. Tyrone Peachy, pre-injury, was spectacular.
And yet I still couldn’t see it happen. I couldn’t see how a team without a State of Origin or Test star to be seen could beat the big guns. How a team with an injury list that, when typed in size 10 font, couldn’t fit on Josh Mansour’s beard, could beat Manly, Melbourne or Easts.
So now that I’ve seen the Penny Panthers grind out a brilliant victory over the minor premiers and defending premiers, can I finally believe?
They made the top four. They beat the Roosters and earned the week off. They’ve done everything right. But when it comes down to grand final day, do they really have what it takes to be the best?
After Saturday night’s victory, it is now clear that not only do they deserve their spot in the top four, they can challenge for the trophy. I’ll even put my (perfectly reasonable) bias against Jamie Soward aside and say I hope they win it.
And I really want to think that they can win it. Maybe I can believe in fairytales after all. All I know is that Saturday night was the best game I’ve seen all year, and the Panthers came out on top.
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