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Penrith can lay claim to the best start to an NRL season in defence in 46 years, ending any concerns of a hangover from their 2020 winning run.
The Panthers’ big 46-6 win over Manly on Thursday night kept them on top of the NRL’s ladder, a position they have held for all bar two weeks since last July.
But after a summer where there were fears that there could be some kind of let down at the Panthers, they have firmly brought that idea to ground.
Ivan Cleary’s men have conceded just 16 points across the first four rounds, which marks the least of any side since St George in 1975, according to Fox Sports Stats.
That mark is also the best in the club’s history, having kept North Queensland and Canterbury scoreless while conceding six points to Manly and 10 to Melbourne.
“The first couple of weeks we controlled possession really well so that helped,” Cleary said.
“We just work hard at it, we value it. The boys are proud of what they do in defence, even when the score blows out a bit like it does late in that game.
“But you can see the way they defend late in that game, it means something to them.”
A hangover has never been something to concern the Panthers but their rebound from last year’s grand final loss to Melbourne has still had its challenges.
The Panthers had one of the shortest pre-seasons in history, given the late finish last year, with the majority of their players not back until January.
They also have one of the youngest squads in memory, as the first team not to have a player aged 30 or over in their top squad since Melbourne in 2010.
They’ve also already endured more setbacks than they did last year, with five-eighth Jarome Luai the only member of their first-choice spine to play all four games.
“You are concerned about the short pre-season because we’ve never had one before,” Cleary said.
“Especially with a young group. If you have older guys, they can probably handle that better.
“But we were happy with what we got done.
“In terms of mentally a hangover, I wasn’t too worried. Because you can only see the evidence of what they bring.
“I think consistently for over a year now we have been able to do that. Our challenge is to keep doing that but I think we’ll be okay.”
© AAP
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