It’s been a long while coming, but the Penrith Panthers finally look like a premiership threat again.
I’ve been hesitant to call it too early in the past few weeks, but after Thursday night’s strong-armed victory over South Sydney in the Round 7 opener the mountain men don’t look far away from challenging the top sides once more.
They have spent some years in the doldrums despite their immense talent, but now it finally looks like they have the right mix of junior talent that the club have nurtured and built on and experience across the park to pose more than a small chance.
Of course catching the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels, who are the undoubted competition favourites to this point, will pose a challenge, but the Panthers, Newcastle Knights, Melbourne Storm and – if they can get back to full strength – Manly Sea Eagles and Canberra Raiders, appear to be in the next group of sides who are within striking distance.
And while a victory over South Sydney may not be the best guide given the struggles Wayne Bennett’s side have faced – and let’s be real, they are struggles – Penrith have been superb since coming out of lockdown.
Ivan Cleary (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
For the time being they sit outright top of the table with five wins and a draw to their name. Since returning to play they’ve drawn with Newcastle and beaten the Warriors, Storm and Rabbitohs, with a loss to the Eels in between after having pushed one of the competition favourites all the way to the finish line.
It’s impressive by any stretch of the imagination, but when their Round 1 win over the Sydney Roosters is added in they look like a team that’s going to be more than just a potential roadblock come September and October.
And it’s their situation in the halves that should be taking all the limelight.
Sure, they have talent all the way across the park and their forward pack heralds some of the most underrated big boppers in the competition, but it’s Nathan Cleary’s team.
That right there is the sentence that was always going to and will continue to define what the Panthers can make of this season.
For the last couple of years Cleary has been forced to play almost second fiddle to James Maloney, and at times he has looked barely apt in doing so. Too often Cleary and Maloney seemingly had no structure, no dominant half and very little in the way of a running game or creative.
Now, we fast-forward to Round 7 in the new season without the French-departed Maloney and suddenly Cleary is leading this team around the park like he’s a veteran in his 30s and not just a kid who is still only 22 years of age with the NRL at his feet.
While Jarome Luai also played well in the win over Souths, it was Cleary who interestingly ran the ball a lot, taking the line on at every opportunity but also kicking for almost 600 metres throughout the contest.
That backs up his season average, which stood at almost 500 kicking metres per game before Thursday’s clash. Seemingly, having Luai – who comes up with the odd moment of brilliance but is still finding his feet in first grade – playing next to him allows Cleary to go work and control the side.
He is backed up by a successful spine in Penrith product Dylan Edwards at the back, who continues to go from strength to strength and ran for 172 metres against the Rabbitohs, and a man who could be the signing of the year, Apisai Koroisau, who made 52 tackles and played excellently out of dummy half.
So in the Penrith spine there’s this excellent mix of young Penrith talent out of their enormous junior nursery, which somehow hasn’t produced a premiership for nearly 20 years, and a veteran hooker who is known for his spark and leadership.
It’s a superb combination, with the platform being laid in the middle third by a stable of players who have that same mix of youth and experience, Penrith or not.
Nathan Cleary. (Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Players like Isaah Yeo (25), James Fisher-Harris (24) and Liam Martin (23) have been simply outstanding in laying the platform for Penrith. Yeo and Martin are both Penrith juniors, while Fisher-Harris hails out of New Zealand but has been with the Panthers since 2013 when he played SG Ball at the club.
None of that trio are heralded as superstars, and at their age it’s not a surprise, but fans of almost every other club in the competition would have no problem if one of them happened to be one of their big signings in the near future.
Meanwhile, players like James Tamou were all but written off but have made a resurgence, with Ivan Cleary seemingly getting the best out of him.
Then there are the outside backs. Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton are the headline names, aged just 21 and 19 respectively.
Penrith seem to have a way of sneaking under the radar, and when you run through their team on paper at least, with the average age and experience, it’s little surprise that’s what they are doing once again in 2020.
And yet they lead the competition with no signs of slowing down. For a team supposedly going to battle to make the eight – and I wouldn’t have been alone in writing that during the preseason – they could well be the first team with a finals spot all but secured given their upcoming draw features the Tigers, Sharks, Cowboys and Titans in the next four weeks. They are all games in which Penrith will be favourites.
And while, yes, Souths have urgent work to do in terms of the number of errors they are making as well as the speed they play their footy at in the middle third, nothing can be taken away from Penrith and what they are building.
The junior base at Penrith has always been noted as ridiculously strong, but it looks like they finally have held onto the right players to make something special happen.
And if they do, it will truly be a Penrith victory. One for the fans, one of the administrators who have put time and effort into the junior system, and one for the players who have stuck loyal at the foot of the mountains.
One for the true believers of Penrith. It’s coming. It might not be this year, but it’s coming.
The pieces to hit the go button are finally in place at the foot of the mountains.
Albo
Roar Rookie
He is too good a player to be sitting on the bench. Hopefully , he gets a spot soon. I would have him in the centres instead of Whare, whilst waiting for halves run.
Davico
Roar Pro
He may wear the 6 but Keary is already the games best Halfback by a mile on form. And I am far from being a Roosters fan.
steveng
Roar Rookie
The Bunnies couldn't beat their way out of a paper bag, their performances have been very average and their discipline has been even worse. The Panthers if they are premiership contenders?Should have beaten the Bunnies by at least 35+ considering the possetion they had!
Rob
Guest
I’ve always believed a team that had 75% of juniors been with under 20 and bought into top squad with 75% of squad also aged between 23-28 was a perfect balance. Players at the peak of their physical ability with experience and the desire to play for their mates and club. Gould got Kikau at the right time and the juniors are all ready to fire. They just need to stay healthy. The Panthers could be in for a big year with Nathan Clearly starting to shine.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
Souths made a lot of errors, but the Panthers were more controlled and kept going forward. The score line flattered Souths with Cleary missing those conversions. I like the balance in the Panthers team and they are on the improve.
Joe
Roar Rookie
I think in that Eels game the ex-Panther Waqa Blake had a point to prove. Crighton would have learnt a lot from that game.
armc2906
Roar Rookie
I have to say as a Panthers fan from way back I'm genuinely excited about where they can go this year. And while I start most years like that, seven rounds in, it's still pretty exciting. Looking at who they've already played and to be sitting on top is an impressive platform to build on for the rest of the year. One point about the Panthers attack, while they've struggled to put teams away, 5 of their 7 games have been played at night. I'm looking forward to seeing them again on a dry track in the sunshine.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
This time last year this mob was effectively equal last with the Titans and the `rebuilders`. Gus had been punted out the front door after the board had Ivan ushered in through the back door . Going nowhere and the big money risk looking shattered,James was cut loose, RCG moved on and a super number 9 fortuitously snavelled..little bit of this and a little less of that and now they`re leading the comp.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Interesting to see where Mat Burton fits into the mix. Is he going to be on the bench, or only start through injury or loss of form. Burton is not a bad player, and if other clubs are short on halves, they could give Penrith a polite enquiry about Burton.
Randy
Roar Rookie
The Bunnies were well off their game last night, I wouldn't be reading into that result too much for the Panthers. Not to say they haven't been impressive but I still think the Roosters, Eels, Sea Eagles will get the better of them come finals. I am not sure about the Raiders, they are well off their game atm like the Bunnies.
Albo
Roar Rookie
They are conceding an average 14 points per game so far against quality teams of the calibre of the Roosters, Newcastle, Storm, Eels & Souths, and they are completing at 80% plus. That will win more matches than they lose , as per their 5 / 1 / 1 record.
Albo
Roar Rookie
They were lucky to catch the Chooks in round one before they really got going. It was their win against your Storm boys, Joe, that really excited we Panther supporters who have suffered years of that hoodoo team, who we could never beat. This followed on from a strong showing against the Eels where they controlled the game for all but 5 minutes where they tossed a win away with a couple of missed tackles. They played a similar game against Souths last night with a couple of lapses but generally in control. They need to keep improving to eliminate those lapses , to be serious contenders.
Andrew
Guest
I don't see how they can be rated a premiership threat yet. Heading into last night they were 7th for tries scored this year despite having more ball in the opp 20 and higher completion rates than any other team. And while they scored 4 tries last night, 2 were form kicks which should have been cleaned up and one was while the defence were down to 11 tired men in the 77th minute. Their attacking woes go back to last year. Now, through their last 31 games they have only scored more than 21 points 7 times.... compare that to the benchmark (Roosters) who have scored more than 21 points 18 times in their last 30 regular season games. Maybe it starts to click with confidence, but right now, there is still no fluency to what they do.
Big Daddy
Guest
Penrith have been known not to perform in clutch matches and have proved this year the are a force to be reckoned with. With wins against East's and Melbourne and strong performances against Newcastle and Parramatta they are right in the mix. Inconsistency particularly against lower teams is their Achilles heel but you can't criticize their performance so far.
kk
Roar Pro
I hope they go the distance for you Albo.
Albo
Roar Rookie
The Bunnies were well off their game. Seems there are a few out there with distractions away from footy. I would take away their iPhones for a start. Apart from some strong efforts from Su'A & Murray, the Panthers had little trouble controlling Souths attack. Cook was targetted up the middle to run him ragged, so he had little to offer in attack, whilst Cleary took care of Walker and Mitchell was 'elsewhere' .
Albo
Roar Rookie
As per most seasons there are guys fronting up for matches carrying & "managing" injuries each week . Kikau has an ongoing shoulder issue, Api is carrying a few bits & pieces, Martin has a shoulder, Cleary should probably not have played. But its the same for most clubs. Only the real serious injuries keep players on the sideline. It would be nice to give players a spell to recuperate , but with the competition for spots in the 4 or 8 so tight, clubs won't risk too many key players the luxury of a rest.
Joe
Roar Rookie
They have been impressive. I still think the first game win against the Roosters was the most impressive they've been.That win showed they could match it at a high level for 80 mins. Some of the games since than were okish including last nights but snagging the Ws is what matters at this stage. Koroisau I feel is one of the most important buys of the season. He makes a huge difference to their attack as he is a constant threat and unpredictable and provides great service to his halves. They also seem to have depth across the park including the halves with Burton on standby and not having a place for Brent Naden who I rate quite highly. Still a long way to go in the season though but for me they've already passed a few big game tests.
Adam
Roar Guru
The Rabbitohs couldn't catch a cold (covid-19 - too soon??) last night. That said, the Pennies play a nice type of football that I wish more clubs played. Up tempo with the forwards and backs hitting the ball at pace. It sure is pretty
Sydneysideliner
Roar Rookie
Not sure. Don't want to downplay Penrith's performance, but their attack was bumping around like a pinball at times, the pitch was slippery as hell and Souths' defence was sometimes non-existent (Gagai's wing in particular). Getting the feeling a lot of teams are still playing pre-season footy, and we won't see their true form until late July/August.