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.
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.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sorry mate - didn't want to give the impression that I'm a Soward supporter - just wanted your thoughts. You're being harsh in the kick against Parra. It was a beautifully weighted, perfectly placed banana kick. Credit where it's due. His tackling has never been strong but it's laughable now. His grabbing effort against Holmes would have earned a six year old a kick in the pants. He was side on against a winger and instead of going low he waved his arms up high and Holmes pushed him away and burned past him. Bad luck about Whare. He's a very good player. Spends a bit of time on the sidelines though.
Albo
Guest
Baz , you can't give him credit for getting them the Parra win. It was a "hail mary" bomb on the bell that the bloke with the worst hands in the team actually managed to hang onto and then pass perfectly off to Cartwright to score. It was a miracle ! And as for his sublime kicking in the last 10 minutes against the Roosters, I do agree there ! But he had to be sublime for a few minutes, did you see the rest of his game that day including his speed hump impersonations to allow them two of the softest tries this season ? Against St George, he missed an easy kick for goal, again gave up a couple of 7 tackle plays, and allowed in the winning try to Dugan on the bell to go down by 2. The Raiders game I can forgive for it was the first game of the season but the Panthers still led mid way through the 2nd half and lost. Just heard that Dean Whare has done his ACL at training and is gone for the year ! That's two of our good ones gone for the season this week ! Surely not another one of those years developing again ? Makes those 5 early losses even more drastic now in the scheme of things.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Cheers Albo - good to get a fans summary. As well as his liability in defence Soward doesn't run the ball at all now so it's pretty easy for defenders to sit back and pick off his runners. Interesting to hear your perspective on the game management. He got you over the line in the Parra and Roosters wins - his kicking v the Roosters in particular was sublime. Against the dogs he put a grubber dead in the 77th minute - giving them 20 metres, 7 tackles and ultimately the game. I think under the seven tackle rule trying to run the ball on the last in those conditions is often the best play. You guys were pipped at the post v dragons and raiders. Was game management an issue in those losses? I don't remember.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Panthers are this seasons Raiders... almost good enough so many times, but just not finishing off games.
Albo
Guest
Baz, there is no whinging about injuries out Penrith way this year , .....well at least not yet !. There were plenty of injury excuses the previous two seasons however. Right now, just the one big injury blow is the loss of young Martin for the season . He was just settling into the big time NRL till that nasty shoulder fracture last week. That will severely limit their attacking potential and throws it all now back onto Moylan and makes him an even bigger opposition's target in the weeks ahead. Just as the Bulldogs attacking potential is limited without Brett Morris , the Panthers cant afford to lose any key attacking weapons. The main beef I have and I guess many other Panther fans might have, is that our key game manager in Jamie Soward has just not been managing games very well at all, and yet he has been kept in the role despite butchering a number of potential victories. He is a noted liability in defence, so he is targeted by all opposition attacks, and so his few pros versus a number of cons are severely biased to the wrong side of the "fans being happy" ledger over these first 8 games, that have yielded the sub par result of 3 wins / 5 losses from 8 match winning positions ! The loss of Martin now probably gives him a reprieve, but without some dramatic improvement in both his game management consistency and his defence, I cannot see the Panthers being any chance of making the finals this year. And this would be a shame as I can see that a number of weaker teams will leap frog them into the 8, solely through better game management in holding onto their wins as they arise.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Agree with Max that theyre good to watch but gee the Panthers are quick to throw out an excuse these days. Have they really had the wretched run of injuries we're led to believe? Segeyaro and Whare have been out for an extended period but other than that it's the usual week here, two weeks there injuries isn't it? I'm sure there'll be a list here shortly. By comparison the Dogs have had Brett Morris out for the entire season so far, Lichaa was injured in round one and has only been back a couple of weeks. Stanley has been in an out with injury. I haven't heard one whisper from Belmore that injuries are to blame for a so-so start to the season.
MAX
Guest
The Cowboys and the Broncos hold the spotlight, but it is the Panthers 2016 that light my fire. Mr Griffin has them playing a style of Rugby League that passes the ultimate test. The 80' go faster than the clock. PP are the best entertainment in town. The close calls are a huge disappointment to supporters but that will soon turn into 2 points with a dose of smart thinking. With my team Canterbury treading water with some pedestrian performances this season, it is a great pleasure to see how the Panthers are building to be a major force for a long time. Other than when we clash I am drawn to cheer them home... the Panthers are coming! As for Jamie. The Panthers hardest marker 'Albo' set me straight with some statistical conformation as to why he is arguably more liability than asset. Correction required.