NRL 2019 season preview: Penrith Panthers

By Scott Pryde / Expert

The Penrith Panthers have made the second week of the finals three years in a row, and 2019 under a new coach has to be the time for the club to take it to the next level.

Some off-field turmoil has enveloped the club in the last week or so and that’s certainly not the best way to prepare for the season, but with the names released so far, there would be hopes from outside the camp that it won’t affect those inside the camp too greatly.

Despite all that, the Panthers are a team with a stack of youth throughout, but also enough experience that they should be able to get through the season just fine.

Ivan Cleary comes in as coach, and that in itself is an interesting discussion point. He has had success, and is rated as a good coach, but this is a team he needs to take the journey at some point in the next two or three years, more to prove himself than anything else.

Of course, he also has the dynamic of coaching his son, which will be an interesting one to follow throughout the year.

Still, this Penrith side are likely to play an exciting, high-pace brand of footy with plenty of depth, and they should be well and truly a top eight side, unless something goes badly wrong.

Club fact file

Colours: Black, red, yellow, white
Home grounds: Panthers Stadium, Penrith
Premierships: 2
Minor premierships: 2
Best finish in last five years: 2014 – fourth place, third week of finals
2018 finish: 5th place – second week of finals
Coach: Ivan Cleary
Captain: James Maloney

Squad

James Maloney (c), Caleb Aekins, Waqa Blake, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Jed Cartwright, Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Wayde Egan, Kaide Ellis, James Fisher-Harris, Tyrrell Fuimaono, Tim Grant, Jack Hetherington, Sione Katoa, Viliame Kikau, Moses Leota, Jarome Luai, Nick Lui-Toso, Josh Mansour, Liam Martin, Tyrone May, Sam McKendry, Tyrone Phillips, Paea Pua, Hame Sele, James Tamou, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Dean Whare, Isaah Yeo

Changes
Ins: Tyrell Fuimaono (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Tim Grant (Wests Tigers), Hame Sele (St George Illawarra Dragons), Malakai Watene-Zelezniak (Wests Tigers)
Outs: Tim Browne (retired), Christian Crichton (Canterbury Bulldogs), Corey Harawira-Naera (Canterbury Bulldogs), Adam Keighran (New Zealand Warriors), Trent Merrin (Leeds Rhinos), Tyrone Peachey (Gold Coast Titans), Maika Sivo (Parramatta Eels), Corey Waddell (Manly Sea Eagles), Peter Wallace (retired)

The Panthers have lost a lot more than they have gained ahead of the 2019 season.

Tyrone Peachey is the biggest loss, with the utility, who filled every position over the last couple of years, leaving to join the Gold Coast.

His loss is almost matched by that of Corey Harawira-Naera, who burst onto the scene in stunning fashion as a second rower last year.

In the forwards, they also lose Trent Merrin, Tim Browne and Corey Waddell.

Winger Christian Crichton has left the club, leaving them with a little bit of a depth issue on the wing, while Maika Sivo has done the same.

Their biggest gain is young second rower Hame Sele, who was discarded by the Dragons, while Tim Grant adds plenty of experience to the ship.

Malakai Watene-Zelezniak joins Dallin at the club, while Tyrell Fuimaono is another good signing.

Spine
The Panthers have an exceptionally talented group of players to fill the spine.

After missing some of last year through injury after bursting onto the scene, Dylan Edwards will be back in the number one jersey.

The youngster, who has the potential to be one of the game’s best fullbacks in the years to come, has vision, defence and a great ability to run the footy.

The other lesser-known member of the spine, if you could term it as that, is Sione Katoa.

He will play hooker, and own that position with the retirement of Peter Wallace, although there could be an argument for Wayde Egan to play there. Regardless, neither are 80-minute players, and so will share the duties throughout 2019.

Both have plenty of spark, and on the back of a strong forward, will be incredibly dangerous around the ruck, especially when on fresher legs approaching halftime, or just after the main break.

The halves combination of course, will once again be James Maloney and Nathan Cleary. The pair had a stellar first half of 2019, capped with leading the Blues to an Origin success.

Following Origin though, they both tended to fall away a little bit, as the Panthers as a unit did, and that’s something which must be addressed if they want to be at the top end of town.

Nathan Cleary of the Panthers celebrates with teammates after scoring a try. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

Backs
The Panthers backline depth looks good before the season starts, with Malakai Watene-Zelezniak and Tyrone Phillips both set to miss out on a gig in the top 17.

And that’s hardly a surprise when you look at the calibre of players named.

Josh Mansour had stamped his authority as one of the best wingers in the game before he spent a large chunk of last season on the sidelines.

Back at his best though, he is a damaging ball-runner, who gets sets off to a great start, and knows how to find the tryline.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will provide similar outputs on the other side of the park for Penrith, while the centres are also solid.

The centres are also strong. Dean Whare continues to develop as a player, while Waqa Blake has a mountain of potential, some of which, in attack at least, is beginning to be realised.

Blake needs to improve his defence, no question, but if he can do that, the Panthers have one of the stronger three-quarter lines in the competition.

Forwards
The Panthers might be just a little bit short on forward depth if and when injuries strike, as they have done during the pre-season.

Villame Kikau, while not missing huge chunks of time, could be out for up to the first six weeks, and it leaves them a little vulnerable.

While the starting pack is strong – Reagan Campbell-Gillard and James Tamou both have Origin and international experience – while Isaah Yeo has turned into one of the most solid, consistent back rowers in the competition.

He almost does his job without anyone realising it’s being done, but poses a constant threat on the left edge.

James Fisher-Harris rounds out the pack, with the Kiwi lock putting in some strong performances last year.

Origin impact
There are plenty of Panthers players who will put their hands up for Origin selection this year. James Maloney is an almost certain starter for New South Wales, after being apart of the series-winning side last year.

James Maloney of the Panthers. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)

Nathan Cleary is less certain, but could grab the Blues No.7 jersey again if Penrith are playing a strong brand of footy.

Josh Mansour missed out through injury, but will make a case for selection, while Reagan Campbell-Gillard is also likely to grab a start.

Likely best 17
1. Dylan Edwards
2. Josh Mansour
3. Dean Whare
4. Waqa Blake
5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
6. James Maloney
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9. Sione Katoa
10. James Tamou
11. Villame Kikau (injured through Round 7)
12. Isaah Yeo
13. James Fisher-Harris
14. Moses Leota
15. Wayde Egan
16. Kaide Ellis
17. Hame Sele

Keys to the season

Can Ivan Cleary get the Panthers through the turmoil?
This is a huge year for Ivan Cleary. He has had previous stints at the Panthers, and at other clubs, guiding the Warriors to a stunning grand final in 2011.

Since then, his stints in charge of the Panthers and Tigers haven’t been all that good, although he never had the squads to really challenge for premierships.

This time around though, he does, and he needs to prove once and for all that he is a good coach.

The faith in him from Phil Gould by signing to a long-term contract was staggering, especially given Cleary has been booted from the club previously.

As mentioned, there are some off-field issues threatening to de-rail the Panthers. Ivan also has to coach son Nathan, while taking a youthful team through a tough season, with high expectations.

It’s going to be a challenge, but anything less than perfection won’t be tolerated by Penrith fans for long.

Ivan Cleary at Penrith. (Photo: Renee McKay/Getty Images)

Can Nathan Cleary get the kicking game right?
One of the problems the Panthers faced at the back end of last year was some of the kicking options of Nathan Cleary.

There were times where he simply seemed to get into a rut, going back to the same option over and over again.

He needs to be able to mix it up, and while there are no problems with his effort and running game, if Penrith are to avoid the second half of the season fadeout again, Cleary needs to be helping Maloney steer the ship around the park.

Will the forwards provide enough?
As talked about enough, there are some depth issues in the Panthers forwards.

The loss of Kikau for the first six weeks of the season is huge. The second rower was dominating last year, and even playing partially injured during the finals, seemed to deliver huge performance after huge performance.

It’s up to Reagan Campbell-Gillard to lead this pack week in and week out. While the man known as RCG made his Origin debut last year, and injury curtailed his season early, he needs to go to the next level.

He is always good for a big run or tackle, but the stats suggest he needs to do it more consistently. 97 metres per game isn’t nearly good enough for a starting prop, but you get the feeling if he leads the way and sets the tempo, the rest will follow.

Fixtures

Round Date Time (AEDT) Opponent Venue TV
1 Sun Mar 17 4:05pm Parramatta Eels Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
2 Sat Mar 23 5:30pm Newcastle Knights McDonald Jones Stadium Fox
3 Sat Mar 30 7:35pm Melbourne Storm Carrington Park, Bathurst Fox
4 Fri Apr 5 7:55pm Wests Tigers Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
5 Fri Apr 12 6pm Gold Coast Titans CBus Super Stadium Fox
6 Thu Apr 18 7:50pm Cronulla Sharks Shark Park Nine/Fox
7 Fri Apr 26 7:55pm South Sydney Rabbitohs Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
8 Sat May 4 3pm Canberra Raiders McDonalds Park, Wagga Fox
9 Fri May 10 6pm Wests Tigers Suncorp Stadium Fox
10 Fri May 17 6pm New Zealand Warriors Panthers Stadium Fox
11 Thu May 23 7:50pm Parramatta Eels Western Sydney Stadium Nine/Fox
12 Thu May 30 7:50pm Manly Sea Eagles Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
13 Sat Jun 9 4:05pm Sydney Roosters Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
14 Sat Jun 15 5:30pm South Sydney Rabbitohs ANZ Stadium Fox
15 Sun Jun 30 2pm New Zealand Warriors MT Smart Stadium Fox
17 Fri Jul 12 6pm Gold Coast Titans Panthers Stadium Fox
18 Fri Jul 19 7:55pm St George Illawarra Dragons Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
19 Sun Jul 28 4:05pm Canberra Raiders Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
20 Sat Aug 3 5:30pm Canterbury Bulldogs Western Sydney Stadium Fox
21 Thu Aug 9 7:55pm Cronulla Sharks Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox
22 Fri Aug 16 7:55pm Brisbane Broncos Suncorp Stadium Nine/Fox
23 Fri Aug 23 6pm North Queensland Cowboys 1300 Smiles Stadium Fox
24 Sat Aug 31 7:35pm Sydney Roosters Sydney Cricket Ground Nine/Fox
25 Sun Sep 8 4:05pm Newcastle Knights Panthers Stadium Nine/Fox

The quick breakdown
Teams to play twice: Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers, Gold Coast Titans, Cronulla Sharks, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors, Sydney Roosters
Best home run: Round 10 – Round 21 (seven out of 11)
Worst away run: Round 5 – Round 9 (four out of five)
Five-day turnarounds: 1

Fixture analysis
The Panthers have an amazing run through the middle third of the season, which should give them all sorts of momentum, and, if they are good enough, there will simply be no excuses, fixture-wise, for not finishing at the top end of town.

Between Rounds 10 and 21, they play seven out of their 11 games at home, but it’s where their away trips are which potentially makes this the friendliest part of any schedule for any club in 2019.

In 11 games with a bye in the middle, this is a club who will play two of those away games at Western Sydney against the Eels and Bulldogs, while they also have South Sydney at Homebush, with their only trip out of the state being one to Auckland.

That’s a stunningly good run, and no matter the sides they are playing, the Panthers are expected to be up and around the top four, so there are no excuses for not building momentum and racking up serious victories.

Of course, they do have some other rough away runs, but the worst of the lot sees them play the Sharks, Raiders, Tigers and Titans – all winnable games, at least, for now.

Their start to the season also featured the Eels, Knights, Tigers and Titans within the first five rounds, and while they also host the Storm in Bathurst, it’s one of the easier starts to the season floating around.

Their finish, featuring the Broncos, Cowboys, Roosters and Knights in successive weeks is far less simple, and again, momentum heading into that off their middle stretch is going to be crucial.

Prediction

The Panthers are a team I’ve moved everywhere between second and eighth when I started putting this series together in December. What that tells you, first and foremost, is that they definitely should be in the top eight.

Not for a moment have I thought they would miss that.

However, with all that’s happening and still a lot of youth in the squad, plus a new coach, a couple of losses at the start of the season might be enough to just see them miss out on the top four.

Fifth.

Tomorrow, we head into the top four. Without wanting to give away what team it is, I’ll brace for the reaction, shall I?

The series so far

16thParramatta Eels
15thCanberra Raiders
14thManly Sea Eagles
13thNew Zealand Warriors
12thCanterbury Bulldogs
11thCronulla Sharks
10thWests Tigers
9thGold Coast Titans
8thBrisbane Broncos
7thNewcastle Knights
6thNorth Queensland Cowboys

The Crowd Says:

2019-03-08T21:33:30+00:00

Bonza

Roar Rookie


Have had a soft spot for the Panthers ever since Roycie's double in the 91 GF. However they're a tad overrated for me. An aging Maloney, Mansour and Tamou, no more Peachey or Harawira-Naera and Cleary and RCG are yet to convince me they're game winners. They can be lethal and with Kikau back they should easily make the 8. Waqa Blake and Fisher Harris are two of my fave players in the NRL - Blake can even push for Origin. They were like deers in the headlights against the Sharks in last year's final and seem a weaker team since then. Prove me wrong Panthers.

2019-03-07T05:10:50+00:00

Hard Yards

Roar Rookie


My tip is that the Panthers will generate more positive and negative comment than any of the other sides this year. Very good starting line up, but they start to run a bit thin after that. On paper they should have a monster of a year. But they’ll have injuries, suspensions and probably a couple of off field antics with blokes wearing the red nose and the big floppy shoes. They have a pretty kind start to the season but Melbourne will hurt them in round 3. Souths and Cronulla will hit them hard a couple of weeks after that. How they handle those sides early will set the tone for the season. They have Promise dripping off them, but I feel next year will see a more accomplished playing side than this year. Hope I’m wrong: it’s good for the Comp to have Penrith going well.

2019-03-07T04:54:16+00:00

The Barry

Roar Guru


Big fan of Hetherington...chip off the old block. I know what you mean about Tyrone Phillips...all the individual elements are there - size, speed, footwork - he should be a better player than he is but just rarely gets it all together on the same day. Good luck for the season...

2019-03-07T04:49:53+00:00

The Barry

Roar Guru


I didn’t...

2019-03-07T04:49:01+00:00

The Barry

Roar Guru


Yeah...sorry if it sounded like it but not pinning the semi final loss entirely to Katoa’s door and not writing his whole game off...but his service from dummy half was awful last year. The impact of a first receiver having to turn to catch the ball on his inside shoulder then turn again to pass can’t be over stated. The whole backline has to stutter and loses timing of their runs. If he’s improved there he might be a really good player but he won’t be until he has. Agree about DWZ. Edwards is a top shelf talent.

2019-03-07T03:58:20+00:00

Penrith Punter

Roar Guru


Forgot to add - the primary reason I'd have hope as a Panthers fan is because they didn't play anywhere near their potential (for at least 50 minutes of most games) for a lot of the season and still finished in 5th. There's a lot of improvement left in this squad, it's a matter of whether they can capitalise on it.

2019-03-07T03:44:15+00:00

Nat

Roar Guru


Fair call. I made the 2-3 players comment based on game breakers and since the Peach is now sunning himself on the GC I'd be looking toward Jimmy, Blake and Kikau. I'm not sure Cleary is there yet and DWZ can finish well but (IMO) not quite the game breaker.

2019-03-07T02:50:30+00:00

BA Sports

Roar Guru


You are probably right on the balance thing. I saw plenty of Edwards in Holden Cup, so I know how good he can be, I feel like he didn't reach my expectations (early days of course), but maybe that is just tyranny of time since it has been a while since we saw him play.

2019-03-07T02:12:06+00:00

Penrith Punter

Roar Guru


Good summary Scotty and great series so far - thankfully you haven't overreacted like Sam Thaiday has and come out predicting a spoon for Penrith after the past week's debacle. It is certainly destabilising. Perhaps given it is pre-season they will be more desperate than ever to get out there and play but we'll find out Round One I guess. Penrith's forward depth is quite strong - it was something I was worried about but there's plenty of good back-ups in Lui-Toso, Jed Cartwright, Fuimaono, Grant even potentially Shawn Blore as a smokie. The backline depth is solid but they don't have the same power and strength that Mansour and DWZ have in starting their sets. Cleary isn't a fan of two hookers on the bench so I'm thinking Katoa plays 80 minutes. He has a long-range kicking game there that has potential but he just needs to simplify things more because too often, similar to what Segeyaro did, he jigs around in dummy-half before passing. With a massive forward pack quick service out of dummy-half is a must. In terms of top 17, I'd say: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Waqa Blake 5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6. James Maloney 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Sione Katoa 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Villame Kikau 12. Isaah Yeo 13. Hame Sele (I like Sele as a ball-playing lock with JFH size up front) 14. Moses Leota 15. James Tamou 16. Jed Cartwright (versatility) 17. Jack Hetherington

2019-03-07T02:01:23+00:00

Paul

Roar Guru


The problem is though, if the Panthers don't perform, they won't boot Gus, he'll no doubt find a scapegoat and boot them!! Wanna bet a Cleary or Maloney aren't with the Panthers by seasons end if things go bad?

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:50:55+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


It's a fair point Paul. Gould needs success under his watch this year.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:50:34+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


As I mentioned in my prediction - I've had them everywhere between second and eighth since December. Can't work it out, but I think, for the moment, fifth seems about right.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:50:01+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


Good sum up Albo.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:48:59+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


That first face is born out of a depth issue. To be fair, I think they have more than two or three players to hinge hopes upon, but you're right, a couple of injuries and the hammer will drop. Still, we said the same think about the Roosters last year and look at where they ended up.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:47:59+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


Good call BD.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:47:51+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


Oh... Oh no...

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:47:02+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


It's a reasonable point regarding DWZ BA, but in terms of team balance, doesn't it work a lot better to have them both playing in positions they are accustomed to? I quite like Egan, and wouldn't be surprised to see that flip around at some point during the year.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:45:59+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


Albo - I fear Penrith will lose Caleb Aekins. He needs game time. Going to be a very good footy player.

AUTHOR

2019-03-07T01:44:33+00:00

Scott Pryde

Expert


Yeah TB - absolutely agree about the Panthers starts. They need to be better, but a lot of that might be on RCG getting the pack going. If he is starting games, then you turn to him for big runs, big tackles, good plays. He didn't do enough of it last year, as the numbers would point out. I reckon the two are linked in a big way. I think outside St George, it's Penrith, Newcastle and the Gold Coast I'm most looking forward to watching play this year. So many talented youngsters.

2019-03-07T01:36:11+00:00

Paul

Roar Guru


Scott, the elephant in the Penrith room surely has to be Gus Gould. I look back at the rubbish he inflicted on Wests last year so he could get back Ivan Cleary, the same bloke he punted not so many seasons ago. He's also the bloke who has let go at least one or maybe two first grade side's worth of talent from this Club over the past few years. If Penrith don't get off to a flyer and stay there throughout the season, all eyes will turn to Gould to see what's going to say and do. That has to put huge pressure on the coach and indirectly on the coaches son to really perform and I'm not sure either are up to it. If Ivan gets it right and the Panthers perform, there's no reason why they can't play in the Grand Final. If he get's it wrong, watch out for Gus!

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