Panthers on verge of history with hot start to title defence but biggest test awaits

Penrith have become just the third team in the NRL era to start a title defence with four straight wins as they make a stirring start to their bid to become the second side to successfully defend their title.

With the struggling Bulldogs up next on Sunday before home clashes with Brisbane and Canberra, they are a decent chance of becoming the first premiers to win eight straight at the start of their title defence.

After upsetting Parramatta in the 2001 grand final, the Knights won six straight to start the next season before a loss in Brisbane while Melbourne’s 2012 team backed up the following year to win seven on the trot before going down in a 24-20 upset to Canberra with Blake Ferguson scoring two tries and four goals for the Raiders.

The fact that the Panthers have beaten three 2021 finals teams in the first four rounds, plus the Dragons, and were without star halfback Nathan Cleary until last weekend makes their hot start even more impressive.

They are 19.5 point favourites to account for Canterbury, who have recalled halfback Kyle Flanagan for the first time this season after their 44-0 thumping at the hands of the Storm in Melbourne last weekend.

While the Panthers are purring along, the club’s deputy chairman and legendary halfback Greg Alexander said the real test of their title credentials will come later in the season.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

When there are injuries, Origin unavailability or a drop in form, will the Panthers be able to summon that something special like last year when they were upset in the first week of the playoffs but then ground out a hat-trick of narrow wins over Parramatta, Melbourne and South Sydney to lift the premiership trophy for the first time since 2003.

“They’ve just got to make sure they get through to the end of the season still playing good footy and individuals are motivated, young players are developing. All those things – there’s a thousand things that need to go right to win a competition,” the Fox League commentator said.

“The coaching staff need to make sure none of those key areas slip. What made them the side they were in 2021, they need to maintain that. Whether that’s with a new approach. If their motivation requires something different I’m sure the coaches will identify that.

“We’ve seen defending premiers start the season really well in the past and for some reason, that intensity, that extra 1% that sees you win a competition, that drives you to win, can somehow disappear.

“That’s the key to going back to back. Because it’s such a rare thing, it does show how hard it is.

“They’ve got to be as desperate to win in 2022 as they were in 2021.”

Cleary’s late start to the season after off-season shoulder surgery has almost been an afterthought for Penrith with his fellow co-captain, Isaah Yeo, building on his ball-playing dimensions at lock, picking up a perfect 12 Dally M votes from four outings to sit atop the leaderboard.

Penrith missed the finals, finishing ninth, after their first premiership win in 1991 and after upsetting the Roosters in 2003, they returned to the playoffs the following year before bowing out in the grand final qualifier at the hands of eventual premiers Canterbury.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Flanagan kerfuffle

Canterbury’s decision to bring Flanagan back into the No.7 jersey after being in the NSW Cup for the first four rounds has generated plenty of debate. 

Alexander, a premiership-winning halfback at Penrith in 1991 who also represented NSW and Australia, said he thought it was a relatively straightforward case of Trent Barrett dropping a player to third in his pecking order and then giving them a go after the other two options didn’t work out.

Jake Averillo spent the first two matches at halfback before Brandon Wakeham was given a run over the past fortnight. Alexander believes Flanagan has the potential to lock down the role but cannot be expected to perform miracles after Canterbury have been a long way off the pace in recent weeks.

“I tell you what he’d rather be playing first grade than running around in NSW Cup again. He might have come into this season wondering whether he would get another crack having not been the first choice or the second choice,” he said.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“He gets another chance, as simple as that. You try and grab it. Christ, that’s opportunity – sometimes it arises in strange ways but what’s he going to do? Say no thanks, I’m not ready? That’s how absurd it seems when you think about it. He’s no different to any other player who’s sitting in reserve grade and through injury or poor form he gets an opportunity.

“He’s a big boy, he’s played 40-odd first-grade games. That’s the game, that’s sport in general.

“He just has to play a solid game. Last year when he played 12 first-grade games he was playing in a side that didn’t score many points, didn’t have a great season full stop. It’s very hard as a halfback to play well in that situation. In the end, you’re out there as one of the 13 players and it’s up to you to play well. Barrett will have his ideas about what he needs to do to play well and that would revolve around kicking well and getting the team where it needs to be.”

Alexander sees similarities to Kevin Walters at Brisbane last year when he cycled through several halves combinations before the club decided it needed to bring in a marquee recruit like Adam Reynolds.

Canterbury have solved part of their halves dilemma with the signing of Panthers premiership winner Matt Burton but Alexander warned he was never going to be a chief playmaker.

“I can sympathise with Barrett trying to make a decision on those three because there’s failings with all three of them in what they bring to the side at seven,” he said.

“Ivan Cleary wasn’t sure last year who to play at halfback when Nathan was out – do I play Burto or Jarome Luai? Their skill set didn’t lend to being a natural selection. It’s not easy sometimes. Kevvy found that out last year and Trent’s finding that out now.”

Grand final hangover or carryover

Premiers in NRL era after four rounds the following year

1998 Broncos in 1999: 0-4
‘99 Storm: 0-4
2000 Broncos: 3-1
‘01 Knights: 4-0
‘02 Roosters: 3-1
‘03 Panthers: 3-1
‘04 Bulldogs: 1-3
‘05 Tigers: 2-2
‘06 Broncos: 1-3
‘07 Storm: 2-2*
‘08 Sea Eagles: 0-4
‘09 Storm: 4-0*
‘10 Dragons: 3-1
‘11 Sea Eagles: 2-2
‘12 Storm: 4-0
‘13 Roosters: 2-2
‘14 Rabbitohs: 3-1
‘15 Cowboys: 2-2
‘16 Sharks: 2-2
‘17 Storm: 2-2
‘18 Roosters: 3-1 (went back to back)
‘19 Roosters: 2-2
‘20 Storm: 2-2
‘21 Panthers: 4-0