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There is no question Penrith Panthers’ star five-eighth Jamie Soward polarises opinion. It seems the premiership-winning pivot is always only one bad game away from public scrutiny.
Like him or loathe him, Soward has been at his resurgent best in 2014. He had a forgettable end to his tenure at St George Illawarra and a less than memorable stint at English Super League cellar dwellers the London Broncos.
But in 2014 he is sitting atop the table with the Panthers.
Chest pounding, obscure post-try celebrations and low fives to the trainer after sideline conversions. Yep, Soward is back alright. The team from the foot of the mountains now have the world at their feet.
The Panthers have been a breath of fresh air this year and continue to silence the critics.
While they’ve done all they can through the first half of the season, a new challenge awaits them and that challenge is the gauntlet of the championship rounds leading into the playoffs.
Penrith, the people’s team from out west, built on the dream of a few continuing to defy the odds of a public eye that hasn’t been trained to take the Panthers seriously, not for a long time anyway. Still with the real battle ahead, they come to the towering gates where only legitimate heavyweights dare trek.
Beyond the gates are rugby league’s best. Defending premiers Sydney, the sheer mass of the Canterbury Bulldogs, the Rabbitohs of South Sydney and the brilliance and tenacity of Jamie Lyon’s Sea Eagles. These are the proven few while the rest scratch and scramble at the gates waiting for their shot.
On Monday, Penrith host the Brisbane Broncos before the real test starts.
The following Saturday at Allianz Stadium the Panthers square-off with the Roosters. It’s their chance to make it through the gates, to the next stage. A loss doesn’t mean much on the premiership table but it doesn’t get them the respect they know they deserve.
And the man that could help steer Penrith to victory on that Saturday is Soward who returns to Allianz Stadium once more to quell the masses. He’s seen it all before as a Dragon helping the Saints to premiership glory against you guessed it, the Roosters.
He’s played State of Origin and won a premiership but Soward has yet another point to prove against his former club. He’s not fighting for the Dragons or himself this time, it’s for the Panthers.
Released mid-season by the Roosters in 2007, Soward was just another young playmaker on the fringe, an afterthought whose career could have gone either way. But Soward persevered.
It seems no matter what Soward does, he will always have a point to prove.
So here is the challenge Penrith, it’s laid out ahead of you in black and white and it starts with a clash against the Roosters. Note the day and note the game, the day the Panthers begin their real tilt or fade back into the pack, Saturday the 19th of July, 2014, at the Sydney Football Stadium.
A venue where Soward once sliced and diced opposing Jersey Flegg teams while legendary Roosters and Penrith number six Brad Fittler’s ghost still lurked. Ironically it was Phil Gould, as coaching director of the Roosters, who helped make the decision to let Soward go.
It seems it was never meant to be at the Roosters, who tossed Soward to the curb looking for the next quick fix.
Perhaps the Roosters will flex their muscle and put Soward and the Panthers back in their place.
Or maybe, just maybe Soward proves us all wrong again and the Panthers make it through those gates and take one step closer to an unthinkable premiership title.
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