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A sweet and Soward start to the Panthers season

The Panthers are destined for greatness. Eventually.(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Roar Guru
26th April, 2016
7

The Panthers, everything going to plan, will line up full strength against the Raiders in Bathurst this weekend.

It is the first time in recent memory that the Panthers have had their best 17 on the park. This statement may cause some angst against Panthers fans who believe Elijah Taylor and Te Maire Martin would usurp some of those picked.

Nothing typifies the Panthers’ start to the season more than Jamie Soward. The diminutive half has had a mixed bag over the opening third of the competition that has seen him make big contributions to Panthers wins but also fail to nail some clutch plays that might have earned them a couple more victories.

He failed to kick two goals against the Broncos for the lead, a game the Panthers went on to win thanks to the Te Maire Martin. He also failed to lock the game up against the Eels before redemption on the buzzer with a lovely banana kick that set up Cartwright for the match-winner.

Then there was a masterful kicking game against the Roosters a fortnight ago that won them the game in the dying stages. However his defence was at times awful.

The missed conversion against the Sharks on Sunday was a continuation of the Panthers heart-in-mouth theme, outscoring their opponents try-wise, but both Soward and Moylan missing crucial goals.

A missed conversion cost them against the Dragons too. A late try to the Raiders, Bulldogs and Cowboys also sealed their fate in close affairs.

But with their full cohort back on deck, some great individual performances in the opening rounds, and the confidence that in the dying stages they can come up with the plays to win games the Panthers will look for finals or bust.

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It has been a challenging start but many good judges have attested that the Panthers are playing much better football than their position on the ladder suggests.

They will not want to get to the end of the season and look back with regret on some games that had just a missed goal in it. While the claims of inexperience are somewhat correct, the Panthers and Soward in particular will be dirty that they have just missed out in plenty of their games.

The experience is good for a team full of skill and youth but they don’t want to get to the end of the season and be saying the same things, they will want to learn quickly from these lessons now.

The Panthers play three consecutive home games in the next three rounds, all at different venues for commercial reasons. These are against the Raiders in Bathurst, the Warriors in New Zealand and the Titans at Pepper Stadium.

While no game is certain in the NRL it is a good run to have at this time and one they need to take advantage of. The Raiders have been a bit Jekyll and Hyde, the Warriors similarly so while the Titans have been solid without being outstanding.

The Panthers need to get their campaign back on track sooner rather than later. Close enough will not be good enough as the season wears on and the Panthers need to be more sweet than sour in some big weeks to come.

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