Extra Time April 13 by Western Sydney Publishing Group

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TITANIC BATTLE t i ta ns ne x t on pa n t he rs’ hi t l is t MASKED PANTHER > P36 The latest on Waqa Blake’s injury plus the sad loss of a Panthers icon

HOW THE WEST WAS WON > P40 We look back at Penrith’s second big victory over Parramatta this season

HERE’S CHEERS > P44 Every week we meet another talented member of the Penrith Pantherettes

Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

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THE FINAL WORD

SUNDAY, APRIL 15 • 2.00PM | PANTHERS STADIUM | REFEREES: CHRIS SUTTON & CHRIS BUTLER

PANTHERS 1

Dylan Edwards

2 Josh Mansour 3 Isaah Yeo 4 Dean Whare 5 Christian Crichton 6 Tyrone Peachey 7 James Maloney 8 Trent Merrin 9 Peter Wallace (c) 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11 Viliame Kikau 12 Corey Harawira-Naera 13 James Fisher-Harris 14 Wayde Egan 15 Kaide Ellis 16 Moses Leota 17 James Tamou 18 Jarome Luai 19 Nick Tui-Toso 20 Sione Katoa

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

MATCH PREVIEW

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TITANS

FOX LEAGUE

Isaah Yeo in action last weekend. Photo: Megan Dunn

TROY DODDS @troydodds

fter three weeks on the road, Penrith return to Panthers Stadium on Sunday afternoon with plenty of intriguing storylines surrounding the clash against the in-form Titans. The obvious one is the return of Bryce Cartwright to the foot of the Mountains for the first time since his pre-season departure to the glitter strip, and right on cue he found some impressive form against the Sea Eagles last weekend. While the terms of his departure in no way left bad blood between he and the club, there is no doubt Cartwright will be keen to put on a good display against his old team at the ground he once thought would be his home forever.

Same goes for Titans coach Garth Brennan – he has been nothing but positive in his talk about the Panthers but there would be a little bit of extra excitement surrounding the prospect of coaching against his old team for the first time and potentially drawing first blood. Nobody can deny that Brennan is doing great things with the Titans. Apart from a major misstep in round three against the Dragons, his team have been competitive in every game and managed to secure wins against Canberra, Brisbane and Manly to find themselves in the top eight after the first five rounds of the competition. There is nothing particularly convincing about the way the Titans play but there’s no doubt that they’re willing to throw the ball around and never give up on hunting down a result. The side is right up there with the best in the competition as far as offloads (fourth), try assists (fourth),

2GB 873 ABC 702

intercepts (second) and kick return metres (fourth), proving that one thing the Titans won’t be doing in 2018 is playing conservative footy. Nothing seems to get them down either – they’ve come from behind more than once this season to claim victory. Penrith produced a gritty performance against the Eels last weekend and while they only crossed for one try, they repeated their defensive effort from the week before against North Queensland and seemed to find energy from their time without the ball. Such strong defence will be a good quality against a Gold Coast side that will throw everything at the Panthers on Sunday. The Titans are without Ryan James for this clash after he found himself in trouble with the match review committee during the week, while the Panthers will be missing the speed and strength of Waqa Blake

Michael Gordon

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18

Anthony Don Dale Copley Konrad Hurrell Phillip Sami Kane Elgey Ash Taylor Jarrod Wallace Nathan Peats Max King Kevin Proctor Will Matthews Jai Arrow Mitch Rein 15 Morgan Boyle Bryce Cartwright Jack Stockwell Leilani Latu 19 K Hipgrave

who will be sidelined due to an ankle injury. Coach Anthony Griffin has shifted second rower Isaah Yeo into the centres to cover for the loss of Blake. Penrith will again rely on James Maloney to steer the ship, but Tyrone Peachey got more involved last week and will continue to grow in confidence in his temporary posting in the halves. Some Peachey magic wouldn’t go astray against the Titans on Sunday because there’s no question that 12 points or one try won’t be enough to win this one. I’m tipping a high scoring encounter. With both sides high on confidence I wouldn’t be surprised if this one goes tryfor-try for a good 50 or 60 minutes, before the better side eventually pulls away. On paper, Penrith have the Titans covered and back at Panthers Stadium I’m tipping the big cats will roar home late. Tip: Panthers by 12.

Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

PANTHER RUMBLINGS

with the Masked Panther

WAQA JOINS INJURY LIST » The Panthers have been dealt yet

» Sam McKendry has declared he’ll be

another injury blow with star centre Waqa Blake ruled out for the next eight weeks with an ankle injury. The 23-yearold suffered the high grade syndesmosis injury late in the game against the Eels on Sunday and missed the final stages of the contest. It was initially hoped he would only miss four weeks but as it turned out, surgery was required.

Waqa Blake

» I’m hearing a former Panther is really

struggling to win over officials at his new club. In fact, rumour has it he’s recently started hanging around people he would be wiser to avoid. It has real potential to end in tears.

back from a third straight knee reconstruction. There were fears the 28-yearold would be forced into retirement after again breaking down with an ACL tear in the clash against the Rabbitohs earlier this season, but the big fella says he has unfinished business in the NRL. “I’ve done it before, so I know what I’m in for. I’ll get back to playing next year,” McKendry told Fairfax Media. “I was pretty devastated at the time. Especially after all the hard work I put in to get back, to finally play first grade and be back in the team. But that’s part of footy, that’s life.”

» A shout out to Panthers centre Dean

Whare, who I’m told is an avid reader of the Weekender and Western Property.

» Sad news this week with the passing of

former Panthers gear steward Jeff Smith. Mr Smith, who was also on the Board of the Penrith District Junior Rugby League Club, passed away aged 72 last weekend following a long illness. He was the club’s gear steward for the 1991 premiership year and held the role for six seasons.

» I always love to hear about players do-

ing good things in the community. Last week at the Glenmore Park Brumbies season launch, James Tamou’s autograph and photo were in hot demand. One of the kids in attendance asked Tamou if he could have his hat, and the former NSW forward had no issue in handing it straight over to the youngster. Word quickly spread, and Tamou suddenly found himself handing out plenty of bits and pieces. From what I understand he’s lucky he didn’t leave in just a sock for modesty.

» The NRL has issued Banning Notices

to two spectators who made offensive remarks towards South Sydney Rabbitohs Captain Greg Inglis at Panthers Stadium in round 2. The Notices ban the two individuals from attending NRL events until they can establish that they have taken sufficient steps to address their behaviour, including apologising and completing approved cultural training and education.

» Parramatta may be struggling to record

a victory on the field, but they’re struggling to win many fans behind the scenes either. The media team at the club constantly ignores requests from journalists and it’s a growing problem. It appears the club really needs to get its house in order. With only 10,000 fans rocking up to a Sunday afternoon game at ANZ Stadium against arch rivals Penrith on Sunday, you would think the Eels would want all the publicity they could get.

» I’ve questioned Dally M judge Joe Galuvao’s awarding of points in Penrith games

in the past, and again I can’t fathom how he came up with his decision in last week’s Panthers v Eels match. He gave Nathan Brown from the losing Eels three points, James Fisher-Harris two points and Josh Mansour one point. Nothing for James Maloney despite an outstanding performance including a try assist and a brilliant try-saving run. Last year Galuvao

produced one of the stranger Dally M lists when he judged the Panthers v Roosters game at Panthers Stadium, giving Luke Keary three points despite an ordinary performance and failing to award a single Penrith player a point even though the home side was in front for most of the game. What’s going on, Joe? Something doesn’t seem right.

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

FEATURE

FORMER PANTHERS RETURN HOME NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

enrith fans will welcome back some familiar faces this Sunday afternoon when former Panthers lower grades coach Garth Brennan and his Gold Coast Titans come to town. Usually a match-up between the Panthers and Titans wouldn’t create a ripple of excitement amongst the fanbase, but things will be very different on this occasion. Not only do the Titans have former Penrith mentor Brennan as coach but they boast a huge number of former players including Bryce Cartwright, Leilani Latu, Mitch Rein and Michael Gordon. To make the game even juicer, Panthers five-eighth Tyrone Peachey will also come up against his future club for the first time this season. Speaking with Extra Time on Tuesday, Penrith backrower Corey HarawiraNaera isn’t quite sure what reception his

former teammates, in particular Bryce Cartwright, will receive from passionate Panthers supporters on Sunday. “I wouldn’t have a clue… I think they’ll support him, they should be happy for him. He played well for the Titans last week,” he said. Penrith centre Dean Whare was also unsure when asked how the crowd will react when his former teammates return to Panthers Stadium. “I wouldn’t have a clue… everyone left on pretty good terms,” he said. “I don’t think the crowd will have a sour taste in their mouths, it shouldn’t be too bad for them.” The Titans are currently sitting inside the top eight, with three wins and two losses to their name. They enjoyed a strong victory last week, defeating Manly 32-20 in Gladstone. Harawira-Naera said he’s been keeping a close eye on the Titans this season. “I’m not really surprised they’ve started this well,” he said. “I played under Brenno a few times and I

Dean Whare says the Panthers need to be on high alert against the Titans this Sunday highly rate him as coach. He’s done a good job with them up there and has the young halves playing really well.” This Sunday’s match will be a danger game for Penrith. While all signs point to them being clear favourites, Brennan will be out to expose any weaknesses the Panthers may have. “He’s got ‘half’ our team up there playing with the Titans now and I’m pretty

sure they know how we like to play,” Whare said. “I think Brenno will be trying to get his boys up for this game as well seeing as some of them come from here,” HarawiraNaera added. “We know it will be a tough game, it will be a war in that first 20 minutes. “As long as we can hold them out we will do well.”

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Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

FEATURE

PANTHERS WIN WITH DEFENCE NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

enrith has proven in recent weeks that if you’re going to beat them, you’re going to be very sore as a result. Despite a barrage of attack last Sunday from a desperate Parramatta side, Penrith were barely troubled, managing to stop just about everything the Eels threw at them. During the Panthers’ previous match against the Cowboys, the hits were so hard up in Townsville that they could be heard in people’s lounge rooms right across the Penrith LGA. One could describe their defence as being as strong as the wrought iron walls of the Victoria Bridge. Panthers centre Dean Whare said his side’s ‘D’ has been months in the making. “Defence isn’t built overnight, it sometimes can take weeks or even months to get combinations going. I think we are slowly getting there,” he told Extra Time. Panthers backrower Corey HarawiraNaera said the side is taking their defence much more seriously this season as opposed to recent years.

Penrith’s improved defence has been a key this season. Photo: Megan Dunn “I think we just take more pride in it these days. We lacked that last year and lost some games because of it,” he said. “Our middle and edge guys have also taken it personally – it’s just an attitude thing, it always has been.

“The last few games we’ve had to win the game without the ball and the boys have been turning up for each other.” The Panthers didn’t concede a point in the second half of their first three games this year and have conceded just 68 points

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all season. Harawira-Naera and Whare both credited Penrith’s coaching staff for putting together strong defensive strategies each week. “Our coaches have done a good job getting our big guys to target opposition playmakers by putting a bit of heat on them,” Harawira-Naera said. “I think the way teams attack these days you have to get in their face and take the momentum off them – that’s what we try and do,” Whare added. Meanwhile, Harawira-Naera has opened up about starting the season off Penrith’s interchange bench. The 22-year-old Kiwi enjoyed a stellar debut season last year, starting the majority of his 22 matches and winning the club’s Rookie of the Year title. However after a disruptive off-season that saw him undergo a shoulder reconstruction, Harawira-Naera is just grateful to even have a place in Penrith’s first grade squad. “I’m still slowly coming back from the shoulder reconstruction, so wherever the coach needs me to play I will,” he said. “My shoulder is sweet now, it’s just about getting my confidence back. As long as I’m helping the team win games, I’ll be happy.”

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Tries are out, stubborn defence is in

WARREN SMITH T

hink back to the pre-season. It wasn’t that long ago, but it’s worthwhile looking back because it gives us a clue as to why we should throw our club-coloured crystal balls out the window. It wasn’t really any different to any other pre-season. There was a lot of talk about what Matt Moylan’s departure to the Sharks would mean for the Panthers’ attack, and whether James Maloney could be as productive a playmaker as Moylan was when he was at his best. There were plenty of people wondering if the Tigers had pulled the wrong rein in bringing Benji Marshall back to the club for one last go-around when it looked as though his best attacking days were behind him. Blake Green’s switch from the Sea Eagles to the Warriors was seen as a positive move for the perennially under-achieving Auckland-based outfit, but it was viewed through the prism of the control he would bring to the Warriors’ attack and how it would let Shaun Johnson play his natural, free-running game. All the previews – all the theories on why

teams will move up the ladder or slide down the snakes – are centred on one thing: attack. And you can understand why. There’s a sub-conscious bias towards thinking about the prospects of sports teams in terms of their attack, because when we watch sport we’re predominantly looking at the team with the ball, and the team with the ball only. But if you look at the NRL ladder after five rounds, the top of the table is chockfull of the best defensive teams in the competition. The top four teams – Dragons, Warriors, Panthers and Tigers – are second, third, fifth and first respectively in the defensive rankings. The Tigers attack is five points per game worse than it was on average in 2017, which would be a huge concern if their defence hadn’t improved by a truly remarkable 13 points per game. That’s a massive difference for a team that has made leaking points an artform for the best part of a decade. The Warriors are 11 points better defensively per game than they were last season, the Dragons are seven points better, while

the Panthers, on average, are conceding a converted try per game less than they did in 2017. By comparison, the bottom two teams on the ladder, the Bulldogs and the Eels, are both eight points worse defensively this season than they were last season.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

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In February, it’s difficult to imagine how much teams will improve in the season ahead when they don’t have the ball, but the oldest statistic in the game, for and against, doesn’t lie – the easiest way to fast track a move to the top of the table is by getting serious with your defence.

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Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

IN PICTURES Photos: Megan Dunn

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

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Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

Let’s hope the surprises keep coming

JAMIE SOWARD E

veryone’s pre-season top eight is busted at the moment, but who really cares! This is the most exciting competition ever and what’s transpired over the first five rounds is really healthy for the game. Every expert, including myself, didn’t have some of these teams in their top eight let alone at the apex of the ladder. For me, while I had the St GeorgeIllawarra Dragons (currently 1st) scraping in at eighth spot, I had the New Zealand Warriors (2nd) and Gold Coast Titans (6th) finishing 15th and 16th respectively. The Warriors are playing really good, smart footy and have a nice mix of attack and defence, while the Dragons have been playing very similar also. If both teams remain undefeated this week, it will shape up to be an amazing contest in Round 7 when the Dragons take on the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium. If Ben Hunt and Shaun Johnson stay fit, these two sides may well continue their form through to September. The Wests Tigers (4th) have also been surprisingly impressive to start the year

and are playing completely different to both the Warriors and Dragons. The Tigers are building their wins off the back of defence, and so are the Penrith Panthers (3rd), who have also found that throughout the last two weeks. While Melbourne (9th), Brisbane (12th) and the North Queensland Cowboys (14th) are currently out of the top eight, I don’t believe for a second that their run has ended. Keep an eye on those teams to improve in the coming weeks as they get over the World Cup hangover and get used to how the game is being officiated at the moment. Two teams I would pull out of my preseason top eight if I could would be the Canberra Raiders (13th) and Parramatta Eels (16th). While the Raiders have been playing OK and could have potentially been 4-1 right now, the Eels aren’t playing good footy at all. Parramatta aren’t out of form like some teams out of the eight right now, they are just plain bad! The Eels have a chance to restart their

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

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Could Shaun Johnson guide the Warriors to their first ever title? season this Saturday night against the Raiders and I’m tipping they’ll do just that. But they have a long way to go if they are going to be back in my top eight by

season’s end. It’s certainly been an amazing first five weeks of the competition and I really hope the surprises continue.

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Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

NRL LADDER AND FIXTURES PD

+/-

PTS

Dragons

154

+94

2 Warriors

124

+59

3 Panthers

105

+37

4 W. Tigers

+13

5 Roosters

110

+40

6 Titans

104

136

-32

7 Knights

124

-40

8 Sea Eagles

130

101

+29

9 Storm

+21

10 Rabbitohs

100

+12

11 Sharks

-8

12 Broncos

102

-33

13 Raiders

117

122

-5

14 Cowboys

123

-43

15 Bulldogs

130

-54

16 Eels

134

-90

CLUB

Round 6

/ / / / / / / /

FACE IN THE CROWD

Thursday, April 12 7.50pm Allianz Stadium

Friday, April 13 6pm AAMI Park

Friday, April 13 7.50pm WIN Stadium

Saturday, April 14 3pm Mt Smart Stadium Saturday, April 14 5.30pm 1300 Smiles Stadium Saturday, April 14 7.30pm Canberra Stadium

Sunday, April 15 2pm Panthers Stadium

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HERE’S CHEERS!

STEPHANIE

WW33117

Nickname: Steph Age: 22 Occupation/studying: Nursing Years as a Pantherette: Four Favourite player: Peter Wallace Best thing about being a Pantherette: Being out on the field with the amazing atmosphere and the sea of supporters Favourite song to dance to: ‘Came Here

For Love’ – Sigala, Ella Eyre Biggest guilty pleasure: Arnott’s chocolate mint biscuits My dream job: Midwife Biggest influence: My boyfriend, Jamie, who is a cancer survivor One thing people would be interested to learn about me: I’ve been in a KFC television commercial

SCOREBOARD

LACK OF INJURIES HELPS DRAGONS TO TOP SPOT

NRL PANTHERS 12 EELS 6

» The Dragons lead the competition

ISP NSW

after five rounds and it’s no coincidence that they’ve had a blessed run with injuries. Incredibly, coach Paul McGregor has used just 18 players so far this season and has nobody on the sick list heading into tonight’s clash against Cronulla.

PANTHERS 36 MOUNTIES 22

JERSEY FLEGG

» Manly coach Trent Barrett says Daly

Cherry-Evans (pictured right) deserves to wear the number seven jumper for Queensland this year, despite the Sea Eagles’ inconsistent form. “He’s been one of our best players all season and I think his leadership this year and last year has been second to none,” Barrett said.

a great job in helping out members of the rugby league community who have fallen on tough times.

» The Men of League Foundation is

» Fox League would be very happy

looking for a new CEO. The new leader of the organisation will be responsible for driving the overall strategy and direction of the Foundation and building and maintaining close relationships with the Foundation’s staff, committees and stakeholders. The Foundation does

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

EXTRA MINUTES

MOUNTIES 32 PANTHERS 10 and it’ll obviously pick up more viewers on re-runs.

» Panthers legend Greg Alexander has

bravely questioned whether or not Johnathan Thurston has played on one season too long at the Cowboys. Thurston has been down on form this year but is largely untouchable by many in the media. Brandy backed himself in making the comments and it’s up to Thurston to prove him wrong.

with the ratings for Sunday night’s premiere of ‘Kokoda’, a documentary that followed Nathan Hindmarsh, Bryan Fletcher, Jess Yates and The Professor on the tough and gruelling Kokoda Trek. 68,000 viewers tuned in to watch the program on Sunday night

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The Primary Classroom Program at Panthers on the Prowl has been running continuously for 16 years. We serve local primary schools to assist in the development of social and emotional learning targeted at small groups. Each week, thanks to Hertz, we nominate a student of the week from a participating school to highlight their efforts. s.

s i k e e w e h t f o t n e d Stu Madaline Fraser

The student of the week this week is Madaline Fraser. Madaline attends Bennett Road Public School and has been a determined member of our group this term. One of the key aims of the Panthers on the Prowl Classroom Program is to develop student confidence. This involves providing opportunities for students to succeed but also pushing them beyond their comfort zones. Madaline has particularly enjoyed participating in gymnastics and fitness sessions at Penrith YMCA where she has proven to herself that she is capable beyond her expectations. In our recent fitness testing, she improved her 500m time trial time by over a minute. This is a testament to her hard work and positive attitude. The student of the week is brought to you by

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Friday, April 13, 2018 « the western weekender • extra time

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 13, 2018

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WHAT’S ON workersclub. at the

WORKERS BLACKTOWN

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book online today www.workersclub.com.au

FREE SCHOOL HOLIDAY FUN

AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE THURSDAY 19 APRIL FROM 10.30AM WORKERS SPORTS CLUB

LEGO WORKSHOP THURSDAY 26 APRIL FROM 10.30AM WORKERS SPORTS CLUB

JOIN IN THE FUN @ HUBERTUS

CINDERELLA’S DANCE PARTY DOORS OPEN 10.30AM WORKERS BLACKTOWN SUNDAY 22ND APRIL TICKETS $5 EACH

(INFANTS UNDER 12 MONTHS FREE) Cinderella’s Dance Party is about more than giving kids a good time. Self-image is important for children and Cinderella provides a great role model of what happens when you act in positive and loving ways. The show sparkles with interactive fun, captivating comedy and a message of hope that if you believe in your dreams hard enough, you can make them come true! Treasure it …

MAYFEST CELEBRATIONS SATURDAY 5TH MAY Workers Blacktown 55 Campbell Street, Blacktown 2148 (02) 9830 0600

GOT TRIVIA NIGHT

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Happily ever after! Suitable for children 3 to 8yrs old.

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