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Earlier this week, Panthers coach Matthew Elliott made the startling claim that he would rather see his side miss the NRL finals if it meant avoiding being cannon fodder for either the Dragons or the Bulldogs in the first week of the playoffs.
Indeed, Elliott’s comments came as a great surprise, considering the fact his side was a hot favourite for this season’s wooden spoon.
No doubt if someone told him that his Panthers would make the top eight this season, let alone be in fifth position with five rounds remaining, Elliott would have taken it in a flash.
Elliott and the majority of Panthers fans must still be blinking their eyes as to how such a young side can sit just outside the top four on the eve of the finals.
After a lacklustre start to the season, Penrith managed to turn their year around when they beat reigning premiers the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval on Monday night in the early stages of the season.
It was a 12-6 victory that gave young Panthers stars such as Wade Graham, Lachlan Coote and Jarred Sammut the necessary confidence that has seen them play an integral role in guiding their side into the top eight.
After performing a Houdini-style act, which saw the Panthers come back from 26 points down to salvage a draw against the Warriors last Saturday night, Matthew Elliott’s men now face the table topping Dragons at home.
Judging from Elliott’s comments earlier this week, he will no doubt be treating this game like an NRL grand final, considering they come up against a Dragons side who are on a six match winning streak and looking like premiership certainties.
The Panthers have a terrible record against Wayne Bennett’s men, losing their five previous clashes against them, including a comprehensive 38-10 loss earlier this season.
Despite playing in front of what should be a sold out home crowd, the Panthers will still approach this game as considerable outsiders.
Although it will be far from mission impossible for the Panthers, Elliott’s men really need to play a disciplined brand of football if they are to upstage the Dragons.
The return of star player Luke Lewis will help the Panthers immensely, considering he was in terrific form before injuring his foot.
Panthers captain Petero Civoncieva however, remains on the sidelines and the Dragons have the potential to make Penrith really feel his loss.
It is in these types of games that Civoncieva really produces the class and effort that has seen him become one of the NRL’s most resilient forwards, alongside Maroons Origin team-mate Steve Price.
Regardless of Civoncieva’s absence, his two seasons at the Panthers have seen the team develop a belief and character that somewhat rivals the transformation the Dragons have undergone under Wayne Bennett.
If the Panthers somehow do manage to conjure up a victory against the Dragons, they will look back on that result as the key factor to perhaps replicating their 2003 premiership fairytale where they upstaged then NRL powerhouse the Sydney Roosters to clinch the title.