Considering Phil Gould was meant to bring some stability and composure to the Panthers, it’s ironic that the current Michael Jennings situation is nothing but a confusing mess.
Michael Jennings was picked from reserve grade to play for NSW in game one. Some said this is crazy, being the first reserve grade selection in 29 years.
Jennings was always going to be picked. Ricky wanted to ‘pick and stick’ as much as he could from the 2011 squad, and Jennings was one of the Blues best last year in game one, before being injured. He missed the remainder of the series.
And to be honest, NSW are short on centres.
Does the fact he was dumped to Windsor reflect a poor attitude from Jennings? Or poor form? On the surface, I can’t figure out what he has done that is that bad. He had two beers on ANZAC day while recovering from an injury. He has scored six tries from eight games this year.
However, we will never know what his is like at training or as a member of the team. A deeper insight is unavailable for the casual fan. We can only speculate that all is not well.
At the start of the year, reports ran about how Jennings had learnt the lessons of the past and realised 2012 was the year to make the most of lost opportunities. He was to give proper focus to his game and realise his potential.
Now it seems the Panthers are trying to in-directly force Jennings away from the foot of the mountains. Ivan Cleary and Phil Gould both play their cards close to their chests, but Cleary’s comments at press conferences have been bizarre.
Gould’s talk that slips via the back door into the media sometimes seems disrespectful of his men.
One gets the feeling that these two NRL ‘poker-playing’ figures are trying to use some reverse psychology on their main man. Although displaying actions that may support the idea that he is being shopped around may not work with Jennings, a member of Generation Y.
In previous eras, if a player was to hear that he is not wanted at the club because he is not performing to his potential, it would more than likely have been a kick-into gear. However in today’s age, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him spit the dummy and walk straight out. Hell, it looks like Michael Gordon has.
The Panthers are obviously in financial trouble from the pre-Gould management of the salary cap and Jennings is reportedly on $600,000 without third-party arrangements. The figure set to rise to $700,000 next year due to a back ended deal.
It’s understandable for Gould and Cleary to be disappointed with Jennings’ performance. But why give Jennings the cold shoulder? His only a centre and the club were the ones who offered too much cash in the first place.
Gould is not new to rugby league and one cannot doubt his knowledge of the game but he is new to the financial management of the salary cap. Never before at a club has he been involved in the financial arrangements of contracts.
Gould will probably try and sign a team of old-school solid ‘tradies’ that can be a ‘champion team, not a team of champions’. I get this feeling from his singing of Clint Newton, a premiership winning player who is a family man with no baggage. But is he really that good of a player? And surely there would have been a reserve grader who could have filled a second-row spot?
Blake Austin has made the jump up from the juniors and looks sensational.
Penrith need Michael Jennings more than ever. To ship him off would be a disaster in a number of ways. Financially it might give them some room to move, but who are they going to sign? They will still have to pay Luke Walsh’s contract if they sign another playmaker.
The solution is to wait it out. In two to three years all contracts drawn-up by past administration will be finished. Sign Jennings for 300K on the cap when his renewel comes up. Do the same with all the other players on overs.
Penrith’s situation in the condensed rugby league market of Sydney is interesting. They sit far enough away that you sometimes forget about them, which isolates them from alliances that other clubs like the Dogs, Tigers, Rabbits and Roosters have formed to share marketing and promotional strategies.
With expansion on the cards and the un-written idea that one Sydney club might not survive one day, Penrith’s isolation might be viewed as concerning. But Gus knows this is actually their strength. His on record as saying he wants the ‘Panthers’ brand to be one of the most recognisable in Australian sport in 10 years. Gould has even gone as far as registering names like ‘Western Sydney Panthers’ with trademark agencies.
Also, it looks like suburban stadiums won’t be used in the future with a similar AFL style set-up with 2 stadiums for all the clubs. However, Penrith’s little bit of isolation may see them become like Geelong in Melbourne, who are the only team in Victoria to not play at the 2 big grounds. GWS entered the Sydney sports scene this year and being the furthest team west, the Panthers appear to be putting up a one-club fight against the AFL.
The A-League will even enter a new team this year. This is why Jennings is vital for the success of the Panthers. He is worth more to the club promotionally than any other player on their books.
He’s come right through the club’s junior system. He’s lived in St Marys his whole life. He has two brothers in the Panthers system right now.
He is the ideal man to be the face of a club, promote everything it represents and importantly for the NRL and Panthers, fight the other codes off in the west. He is almost like the Izzy Folau of the Panthers, appealing to those of Pacific Islander background and those who live in the district who can see anyone can make it to the big-time, no matter what socio-economic background one comes from.
Jennings current exile from the Panthers could be the best thing to happen to him. He was suspended after his Origin haymaker and missed the weekend’s game against Manly. He won’t play before game two because Penrith have the bye next week.
His Origin episode showed a man frustrated with his critics, but with a willingness to prove himself. He wants to prove he is a team player and has the right attitude. Possibly, Ricky is providing him with such a close, tight-knit family environment in the Blues camp, that it will be the only place he feels comfortable right now.
I say start the camp this week Ricky, get the fellas that don’t play next weekend into camp now. Jennings is being banished from his club team, so stuff it he says, “I’ll just play for the Blues”. They’re my team, there my mates, they like me and stick up for me here.
If Ricky makes it a safe-haven for Jennings, and if he takes this attitude, he will be man-of-the-match in game two at ANZ stadium.
Luke Lewis’ stripping of the captaincy is a head-spinner in itself, but his comments on the Jennings saga show some possible player discontent at the head-honcho partnership of Cleary and Gould. He identifies the problem saying “They should tell all the boys so everyone knows what’s going on, especially Michael Jennings”.
Speaking with honesty and sending a clear message he says, “I think it’s all talk, but where there’s a spark there’s a flame” and showing his support for his Blues brother and Penrith partner, “I will go into bat for Michael Jennings a million times over, I don’t want him to leave, he is one of my mates and always will be and if he needs me to go down fighting with him I will.”
The pressure is sure to intensify on the Panthers as Parramatta can only cop it for so long. The bye might save them some grilling but I predict there will be some media presence around Mulgoa Road this week.
Gareth
Guest
Even if Michael Jennings wasn't a rocks/diamonds player with a questionable attitude and a host of off-field issues, it is absolutely *insane* to have a centre on your books for $600k-$700k for another four (!) seasons. I mean a centre is essentially fixed to one side of the field, relies on quality ball from their inside men, and in today's structured game, is there to exploit opportunities, not create them. So I can understand when Jennings is on the way out. What remains to be seen is how they reinvest that cap space. They're not going to chase fullbacks, since they just offloaded one of the better fullbacks in the comp, and I can't see them looking to replace Kingston who is an underrated dummy half. Luke Walsh is off contract this year though, and they don't really have a genuine five-eighth. The could probably use a bit more sting in their back row too. Their workmanlike three quarter line has been surprisingly good in their last few games. It's not necessarily surprising, given Cleary's time at the Warriors, and the common inclusion of back rowers masquerading as centres. There's every chance he's consciously stacking dependable types out there in favour of flashy speed men. Mansour in particular has been a revelation, making a lot of metres when working out out from their own half and outshining the entire forward pack in most of his games.
maximus182
Roar Guru
Hey Christo where are my spelling errors? lol.
maximus182
Roar Guru
Hey mate yerh made the solution commment mainly due to the fact a clear out of players would look terrible for the Panthers considering there's quite a few locals in there. Seems like alot of players' are just on overs... But 2-3 years is a long time and fans would want quick results. Yerh Rothfield does hold a few grudges and is the most biased man in the world to the Sharks!
maximus182
Roar Guru
Hey guy's am just a random blogger that likes to write some opinions every now and then. No background in writing/journalism... To be honest was a terrible writer at school! So please excuse any grammer errors. This is the first time I've put something on The Roar.. The moderators did change a few things on me though which made some things quite confusing.. Original is here: http://maximus182.blogspot.com.au Also not having a go at the Panthers here or trying to kick a team when it's down! Although any feedback is appreciated! Cheers, Max.
Coasty
Guest
I recall several months ago reading in press releases that the Panthers would have two hard years,being 2012 & 2013 before things would improve. I took that to mean that the Leagues Club were responsibly keeping a tight control on their total annual salary levels paid to players; in other words the football club is operating on a salary cap that is well below the NRL maximum salary cap allowed. One would think so given some of the lesser-credentialled performers in first grade. Since last week , suddenly it is announced that the Club is now faced with salary payment obligations in 2014 onwards. However I cannot see this as a problem when you look at several other Clubs and their player rosters. It must be interesting accounting practices, in particular for St.George's highly-paid squad as well as Manly, Souths,Gold Coast,Wests,Melbourne and now the new spenders Cronulla. Apparently the players at those clubs accept less than if they were contracted at lesser-light clubs. I just don't believe that spin; it is a professional sport & players will get similar deals at most clubs. Clubs like Penrith & Canberra(without all those queenslanders they once had) often find it hard to get top players and have to develop thier own players particularly Penrith & even Parramatta. . Jdubya, I don't know what Junior League that the Broncos are responsible for, it sure aint the whole of Queensland. They just appear to cherry-pick older teenagers from the various junior league areas around the State and give them scholarships. Penrith's junior league area runs from Blacktown westwards along the richmond railway lines to Richmond & the western line up to Katoomba. That is the towns that enter the junior league competitions on weekends from about under 7s up to adults in A Grade. Canberra actually get a lot of young players from the south-western towns that are not in their junior league as such .
jdubya
Guest
Give them time mate. I find it absurd that people are putting the boot into teams like Penrith, Newcastle and Easts when they are clearly in rebuilding phases and fielding weakened teams. Penrith will be the Brisbane Broncos of NSW within the next 20 years - they have the juniors, the stadium and facilities and coaching staff and management needed to make it happen.
Pat Chomsky
Guest
Well said Patrick Angel, you summed the situation up well. Jennings runs hot and cold at Penrith, a lot of the time sitting out on the wing doing nothing. He needs to step up and be consistent. We all know he can be a match winner, but when he isn't up for it, he simply goes missing. Your comment re Rothfield is spot on. What a turn around from "Buzz" to last year. Rothfield loses credibility with each new article he writes. I get the impression he writes to deliberately provoke scandal to boost his ratings with no care for consistency, as well as bringing a truckload of personal animus towards verious League personalities to his columns. Vindictive is the word for it.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
It's becoming fairly clear that Penrith has not been particularly well run for quite some clear (not that they're on their own in that regard...). As such, it will take quite some time to 'right the ship'. And there will be some disgruntled people who will be jettisoned along the way. In this day and age, they will take their sense of entitlement to the nearest media outlet and vent. And when you have muppets like Rothfield and Weidler in the 'journalism' game, they will always run with 'syz club is in crisis' type reporting. I suspect Gould has been in the game for long enough to not worry about it.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
I can only presume there was no editing done whatsoever. Never mind the grammar - what about the spelling errors?!?
Patrick Angel
Roar Guru
1. Michael Jennings is taking up a whopping amount of the salary cap and he hasn't been performing. 600k is what you would expect to be paying one of the better halfbacks in the competition, not one who at club level is about average. Your looking at a player who is taking up around 7% of their total cap spending 2. Gould/Cleary aren't signing honest toilers because they think it will be great fun, their cap is completely buggered because the previous administration thought it would be a great idea to give reserve graders massive contracts and first grade spots and massive 5 year contracts to the players they want to hold on to. When they cut these blokes, the difference in their salaries at Penrith and their next club generally comes out of their cap for the length of their contract. They need to free up room to sign all of their Under 20's stars in the future and this isn't going to happen when players like Jennings are getting paid 600k to float around the field not pulling their weight. 3. "The solution is to wait it out. In two to three years all contracts drawn-up by past administration will be finished. Sign Jennings for 300K on the cap when his renewel comes up. Do the same with all the other players on overs." They can't wait it out because by that time all of the players they are trying to bring through will be poached as they won't be able to give them first grade contracts, and they'll be back to paying overs for whoever is left. In two years there will be 5 players taking up half their cap. Your talking about three years of at best mediocrity followed by the same issues they had before. The only reason all this stuff is getting so vicious is because Rothfield is the man writing the articles and he hates Phil Gould and is trying to put the boot in. The same guy who supports the Sharks, and believed that Todd Carney deserved a stint in gaol until he signed for them and is suddenly a genius signing and great piece of business.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
I think Jennings problem is his inability to motivate himself at present. The Panthers were struggling and he was being targeted as the scape goat becuase of his high profile and pay packet just like Jarrod Hayne imo. When they both got into SOO they were able to concentrate just on footy becuase they were playing with players of equal profile in a team where they were underdogs and. Maybe the problem is Man management which is why bennet has been so succesful and Cleary as a new coach has to impose himself as the man in charge, which i think can be hard to do when some of your players (employees) earn more than the man in charge, hence making it hard to have authority becuase those players are seen as more important to the club than the coach. Also why bennet has been succesful, he is more important to a club than any player.
Big I
Guest
Not completely across the situation at the Panthers, so will avoid commenting on that topic. Just wanted to say this article was a bit difficult to read at times in terms of grammar, and could have benefitted from some sub-editing.