We continue our preview of the 2011 NRL season with a look at the boys from the base of the Blue Mountains in outer Sydney
Team: Penrith Panthers
Homeground: Centrebet Stadium (22,500)
Coach: Matt Elliott
Season 2010: Second (P24, W15, L9, 154 pts)
2011 squad: Matthew Bell, Travis Burns, Petero Civoniceva, Lachlan Coote, Sandor Earl, Brendon Gibb, Michael Gordon, Yileen Gordon, Tim Grant, Masada Iosefa, Michael Jennings, Kevin Kingston, Daine Laurie, Luke Lewis, Sam McKendry, Joseph Paulo, Junior Paulo, Nigel Plum, Frank Puletua, Adrian Purtell, Nafe Seluini, David Simmons, Nathan Smith, Arana Taumata, Brad Tighe, Luke Walsh, Trent Waterhouse, Dayne Weston, Tim Winitana, Michael Worrincy.
Ins: Arana Taumata, Michael Worrincy, Dayne Weston, Nafe Seluini, Brendon Gibb, Junior Paulo, Tim Winitana, Yileen Gordon
Outs: Shane Elford, Wade Graham, Frank Pritchard, Gavin Cooper, Maurice Blair
Season preview: There’s no chance of Matt Elliott’s Panthers flying under the radar again this season. The boys from Penrith played out of their skins in the first half of 2010, and ended in a position that was arguably more generous than their late-season form deserved.
The kicker in getting the Panthers that high on the ladder was their kicking game: with flyers like Michael Jennings and Brad Tighe, and Michael Gordon’s point-scoring landslide, the Panthers aimed for the air, notched up an imposing points differential and hung on for an impressive finish.
Utility Luke Lewis was a stand-out man, and his informal leadership was justly rewarded with a Dally M Award for Lock of the Year.
But their dominance and their kick-based attacking game petered out as the season went on, and opposition teams wised to their pet attacking plays. Injuries to key players like Frank Pritchard, Lachlan Coote and Trent Waterhouse also helped to cripple their finals campaign.
Michael Jennings, Lewis and Kevin Kingston should continue to improve into this season and the club will take a huge boost from the return of fullback Coote, but their halves are still an Achilles heel. Luke Walsh has been consistent, but after that top two regular season finish, the NRL knows the Panthers’ abilities and they’ll need to vary their attack to achieve the same results a second time against clued-in defenders.
Arana Taumata is undoubtedly talented, but there’s no guarantee that it’ll be seventh-club lucky for the NRL’s biggest nomad. And with Wade Graham moving to the Sharks, the five-eighth cupboard is looking bare. Big unit Frank Pritchard also leaves big shoes to fill in the forwards.
With a new weight of expectation, it will be harder than ever for the Panthers to repeat history and put themselves in the finals race.
X-Factor: Aussie NRL fans are spoiled for choice in brilliant running fullbacks. Injury held Lachlan Coote back last season, but he’s bulked up in the last few years and looks to have lost none of his natural ball-running skills and none of his speed. He’s a vital spark on the field for the Panthers.
Main man: Luke Lewis comes into this year with a swag of awards, ten first-grade seasons under his belt, representative validation and no sign of winding down. His form and consistency have made him one of the Panther’s biggest assets.
Predicted 2011 finish: 10th
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