Extra Time June 23 2023 (Round 17 - Panthers v Knights)

life of moses

PANTHERS ENFORCER ON FOOTY, LIFE AND HIS NEW BABY MOSES LEOTA INTERVIEW: SEE PAGE 31

MASKED PANTHER

SEE PAGE 29

PETER LANG

SEE PAGE 35

MATT RUSSELL

SEE PAGE 36

the final word v

Ihave to admit I feel a bit sorry for Knights coach Adam O’Brien and the club’s fans.

They sit in 14th spot on the NRL ladder yet the bounce of a ball or a bit of luck could have changed that dramatically. They’ve lost a bunch of games late, or fallen just short – like against the Broncos and Roosters in recent weeks.

It goes to show just how fragile this competition can be, and for O’Brien such heartbreaking defeats could ultimately result in his services being no longer required at some stage in the not-too-distant future.

The counter-argument is that the good teams always find a way to win in those circumstances, and Penrith perhaps proved that when these two sides met earlier in the season and the Panthers walked away winners in Golden Point despite producing one of their worst performances of the season.

This Saturday evening’s clash at BlueBet Stadium is an intriguing one; but could well come down to just how many of Penrith’s State of Origin players back up from Wednesday night’s clash at Suncorp Stadium.

The brutality of Origin is well known and with a trip to Melbourne next Friday night, nobody could blame Ivan Cleary if he was a little cautious and rested a couple of players – even though they’d all want to play if they can.

Last Friday night’s game against the Cowboys in Townsville ended in disappointing fashion but take nothing away from the less experienced players who filled in for the Origin stars – they all held their own, it was just a bit of inexperience and game management that cost the Panthers in the end.

Had leaders like Nathan Cleary or Isaah Yeo been there, the Panthers likely would have closed out the game and built on their half-

time lead so there’s no need at all to hit the panic button.

The Knights probably should have beaten the Roosters given the amount of ball they had close to the line and it is failing to capitalise on those opportunities that likely frustrates O’Brien the most. You work hard to get your chances, so walking away with nothing is bitterly disappointing.

While the Knights have been thrashed a couple of times this year, they’ve been competitive in most games and I expect that to be the case again on Saturday. I certainly think the Knights are better than their ladder position shows and they came pretty close to toppling competition leaders Brisbane a fortnight ago at Suncorp, so a confronting away trip doesn’t phase them.

Kalyn Ponga will be the key here – he really stood up against the Roosters and Newcastle

looked a lot better whenever he had his hands on the ball. If he can keep up his touches and involvement on Saturday, he could well cause some headaches for the Panthers.

Without Cleary, the Panthers lack a bit of creativity and the end result is less points. That opens the door for the Knights, but they need to take those opportunities.

One thing is for sure: You won’t catch Penrith conceding close to 30 points two weeks in a row so if you’re going to beat them, you need to be pretty tight in defence. That’s where I’m less convinced about the Knights. I think this current Penrith side has one or two more tries more in them than Newcastle and it should be enough to get them across the line.

All of that said, beware a team with nothing to lose – and we’re getting to the point of the season where it’s do-or-die for the Knights.

Tip: Panthers by 8.

Dylan Edwards in action against the Cowboys.

Photo: NRL Images.

nrl ladder & fixtures

ROUND 17

47 600 700 WW50628

EXPERIENCE PENRITH’S LEADING GYM 7 DAY FREE PASS

NAME: JAYDE AGE: 18 SUBURB: HAWKESBURY the western weekender • extra time » 28 Friday, June 23, 2023

face in the crowd What do you love about being a Pantherette? I love our training sessions every Wednesday, I look forward to it all week! If you were stranded on a desert island, which other Pantherette are you bringing with you? Ava T.

panther rumblings

PAY DAY LOOMS FOR EDWARDS

! Edwards deal looms: The Panthers are not expecting any huge difficulty in retaining fullback Dylan Edwards, despite his upcoming new contract set to be the biggest of his career. The 27-year-old is off-contract at the end of next season but is unlikely to go to the open market in November. He’s keen to stay at the Panthers and they’re equally keen to keep him. Don’t be surprised if a new deal is announced well before the Finals – negotiations have only recently started but both parties want the same outcome.

! Marley’s call-up: Penrith youngster Marley Cardwell has been named in the NSW Women’s Under 19’s squad for the upcoming clash with QLD on Thursday, July 13 in Redcliffe. The NSW Women’s Under 19s team has not been beaten since the concept first started in 2019, winning every year apart from 2020 when the game was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cardwell recently won the Player of the Year award for the Panthers’ Tarsha Gale Cup team.

bad look, both for Nine and the Bulldogs, and surely doesn’t help Cameron Ciraldo.

! Spotted: Nathan Cleary throwing the footy around with some fans in the hotel pool at Townsville last week. The kids were absolutely blown away by Cleary’s engagement.

! Spotted: Before heading up to the coach’s box to watch the Panthers v Cowboys clash, Nathan Cleary kept working on his newly found photography skills pre-game.

close to the Cleary family. Brother Taylan May is currently contracted to the Panthers until the end of 2024.

! Continuous Call Team’s big day: 2GB’s Continuous Call Team will broadcast the entirety of their show from the broadcast box at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday. Mark Levy and the crew will kick-off their Saturday show at 1pm and deliver four-and-a-half hours of fun and footy talk before calling the Panthers v Knights game from 5.30pm.

! Spotted: Panthers stars Jarome Luai and Brian To’o finding a unique use for advertising signage at Blues’ training earlier this week (pictured below).

! Golden record: Penrith and North Queensland added another chapter to their

Golden Point rivalry last Friday night. It took only a few months following the introduction of Golden Point in 2003 for the Cowboys and Panthers to fight out extra minutes, with the Panthers winning 28-24 at Dairy Farmers Stadium courtesy of a Joe Galuvao try. They were at it again at the same venue in 2008, with Jarrod Sammut kicking a match-winning field goal. The Cowboys finally got the chocolates last Friday night, when Scott Drinkwater scored a try to break the deadlock. And here’s another piece of trivia – nobody has played more Golden Point matches than the Panthers and Cowboys. Penrith has now played 23 games, while the Cowboys have gone to extra time 24 times.

! Get in touch: Got a story to share? Let me know about it! Send an email to maskedpanther@westernweekender.com.au.

! New addition: Congratulations to Panthers enforcer Moses Leota and his partner Stella on welcoming a new baby into the world late last week. Kyrie adds to a very busy Leota household!

! Nine’s bad call: Channel Nine have a huge array of commentators at their disposal, so it defies belief that they’d allow Phil Gould to be involved in the coverage of the Bulldogs v Sharks clash last Sunday given he is General Manager of Football at Canterbury. Bulldogs fans are now experiencing the highs and lows of Gus that Penrith supporters endured over the years. Gould essentially giving a blow-byblow account of Bulldogs’ performance was a

! May in line for return: Former Panthers Premiership-winner Tyrone May looks set to return to Australia, with reports again linking him to Canterbury. I mentioned back in January that May was likely to reunite with some former teammates at the Bulldogs in the near future. Any chance of May returning to Penrith appears to have disappeared – there’s no appetite from the current Board to welcome him back into the fold, even though he remains

Dylan Edwards.

JENKINS IS A COUNTRY BOY AT HEART

coming from a town with a population of 2000 people,” Jenkins said.

“But I guess Penrith is like a big country town and that’s why I love it.”

After getting plucked almost out of nowhere, NSW Cup try-scoring machine and NRL rookie Thomas Jenkins pinches himself every day that he gets to call himself a Panther.

Born and raised 30 minutes outside of Young, in the small town of Boorowa, the 22-year-old outside back is the latest in a long line of promising Panther prospects from country NSW. While Jenkins always dreamed of playing in the NRL one day, he never thought he’d ever be discovered living in such a remote part of southern NSW.

In 2019, Jenkins was playing for the Bidgee Bulls, a representative team and feeder club for the Canberra Raiders. Jenkins and the Bulls travelled to St Marys one afternoon to take on a Penrith Panthers development side – catching the attention of Panthers scouts almost immediately.

“When the Panthers came knocking, I was so stoked,” Jenkins told Extra Time

“Getting signed was a pretty quick process, and I was so happy. Being from Boorowa, you don’t really expect it. It’s that bit harder, and you just have to try and grab those opportunities when you can.”

Towards the end of that year, Jenkins made the big move to Penrith, sharing a house with other prospects that had relocated from the country.

“It was a big move and a massive transition

Unfortunately, the cancellation of the state representative competitions in 2020, due to the pandemic gripping the nation, saw Jenkins return home to play Group 9 first grade for his junior club, Young Cherrypickers.

When rugby league was back up and running again by 2021, Jenkins began making his mark –scoring try after try in both the Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup competitions.

In 2022, Jenkins continued his strong run of form and, in Round 25, he made his NRL debut on the wing against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville.

Last Friday night, Jenkins made his longawaited return to the top grade for the first time since his debut. Up against the Cowboys for a second time, Jenkins made the most of his next opportunity – scoring his first try in the NRL.

“I was so shocked… I didn’t have to do too much. There was so much work from the boys inside of me and they did all the tough yakka, but to get the first one was very special,” Jenkins said.

“I was so stoked because my Mum and Dad were up there watching as well. They were so excited for me and now hopefully I can get a few more.”

Off-contract at season’s end, Jenkins is hoping he can remain at the foot of the Mountains longterm. With positions in the backline becoming available next year, he knows they are there for the taking if he wants it badly enough.

“I love playing in the centres and that spot is opening up next year with Critta leaving, but I’m just focused on playing good footy this year and if that opportunity does come next year, I’ll

be ready to grab it,” Jenkins said. “There’s so much talent here… and it’s not a spot you fall into, it’s a spot you have to earn. If it comes to that, I’ll be ready.”

Thomas Jenkins scores his first NRL try last week. Photo: NRL Images.

NATHAN TAYLOR

SPECIAL REASON LEOTA MISSED GAME

the moon there’s finally another man in the house.

“With three girls at home already, I’ve finally got my sidekick,” he said.

Penrith prop Moses Leota missed his first game of the season last weekend, but it was for a very special reason.

The 27-year-old and his wife Stella welcomed a brand-new member into the Leota household – baby Kyrie, who’s the spitting image of his loveable, Premiership-winning dad. With the Panthers due to play the Cowboys in Townsville on Friday and the side already down on troops due to Origin and injury, Leota said it was important for him to remain home in Penrith ahead of the birth of his third child.

“The week before I spoke to coach about bub coming the week after, which was against the Cowboys, and I really wanted to be there for my partner to help her through the pregnancy,” he told Extra Time

“If he was born earlier in the week, I would’ve went up, but because of flights it was a bit of a pain in the ass.”

Leota’s first son was born at Nepean Hospital a couple of days prior to the clash in North Queensland. Weighing in at a whopping 4.5kg, Leota said baby Kyrie was named after his favourite NBA player, Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving.

“We were halfway through labour, and we said to each other, ‘we don’t even have a name!’ – it was crazy,’

Leota explained.

“I was tossing it up beforehand… Kyrie Irving, because that’s one of my favourite players. So, we just named him Kyrie and that was it.”

With his daughters Aiva and Aria obsessed with their new baby brother already, Leota said he’s over

“They came home two days after giving birth. Mum and the bub are travelling well and they are all healthy and settled in.”

And as for that Panthers game Leota missed playing in last Friday night, he did manage to watch it in the comfort of his own home with his new little mate alongside him.

“He watched it with me!” Leota said.

“That was the first night they came home, so we all just made it home before the game.

“It was me and him together watching the boys, so it was good.”

Leota has been named to return to Penrith’s starting side for this Saturday night’s match against the Newcastle Knights at BlueBet Stadium.

After one of the biggest weeks of his life, the St Marys junior said he can’t wait to swap changing dirty nappies for bone crunching tackles on home turf.

“I only had a week off but I’ll be focused and ready to go,” Leota said.

“If everyone just sticks to what they need to work on and what they need to do for the team then come game day, it should all flow and be good.”

Moses Leota, his wife Stella and new son Kyrie.

Moses Leota with his new baby.

NATHAN TAYLOR

Penrith is very much regarded as a developmental club with an outstanding junior pathways program, which basically means they don’t have to go out to market very often when it comes to signing players. However, there is still the need to recruit a few ‘value players’ from outside the club every season.

This type of recruitment gives the young players in the system a chance to mature longer without the pressure of calling them into first grade before they’re 100 per cent ready.

Now I’m not talking signing ‘marquee’ players such as Matt Lodge from the Roosters or Ben Hunt from the Dragons. They’re out of the club’s price range when it comes to players the club can afford plus Penrith already has more than enough marquee players that they’re trying to fit under the salary cap without adding any more to the list.

The players I’m referring to are ones with first grade experience but who fall within the price range of $120,000 to $250,000.

Players like Jack Cogger, Zac Hosking, Luke Garner and Tyrone Peachey for example, fit this criteria perfectly.

For season 2024, I’ve identified three players which I believe represent value for money and

can make a serious contribution if given an opportunity in the top grade. The first player I’d go after is Daine

never lost his love of the local area. He can also play fullback, centre and wing comfortably and at 23 years of age, still has plenty to offer.

The second player I’d try and get back is another local junior and current Tiger Shawn Blore.

Blore is another talented backrower who has had a bad run with injuries but seems to be over them now and could be a very handy pick-up for Penrith. In the same ‘value’ mode as Zac Hosking, he would be another great option for a backrow position.

Finally, a youngster who is currently playing for Parramatta in the lower grades but who also comes with huge wraps is halfback Ethan Sanders.

There is unconfirmed speculation that Penrith are already in negotiations with the talented halfback who was identified as a star of the future years ago.

WHO SHOULD BE ON TARGET LIST? lang on league

With his pathway to first grade at the Eels seemingly blocked after both Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown signed long-term contracts with Parramatta, Sanders could find himself in the top grade alongside Nathan Cleary in 2025 if the Panthers are unable to secure the long-term signature of Jarome Luai beyond 2024.

Good halfbacks and five-eighths are hard to find and even though Saunders is untried in first grade and has several other clubs chasing his signature, at the right price he could well be worth the punt. See you next week.

Could Daine Laurie return to Penrith? Photo: NRL Images. with Peter Lang

THE VALUE OF EDWARDS

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has often said he wouldn’t swap Dylan Edwards for anyone. Not Tedesco or Trbojevic or Latrell or Walsh. No one.

It seems every week Edwards provides further evidence why.

The league’s leading running man is fresh from his season high 333 metres in North Queensland.

The league’s leading tackle breaker had a season high 12 against Brisbane this year.

matt russell

Add four tries against Manly, two try assists versus Souths and all-round leadership in a complete performance against the Roosters.

This Saturday at home against Newcastle he’ll be at it again. Opposite Kalyn Ponga. Head-to-head as opposing fullbacks for only the fourth time. As it stands, Edwards leads 4-0… 3-0 as fullbacks.

What a treat it will be to see such elite, form players at either ends of the field.

We seem to say that week after week, game across game, such is the talent

of the current crop of fullbacks.

They come in different shapes and sizes, bringing different skills and appeal, each of them.

Edwards is a classic stats accumulator but that doesn’t mean there is any fake polish to a supreme player and competitor. He has three Grand Finals, two Premierships and last year’s Clive Churchill Medal to prove it. And a win percentage above 76 from his 119 games across eight seasons.

It nearly didn’t happen for the now 27-year-old, who came down from the Bellingen Magpies to sit on the bench and a wing, at times, in Penrith’s representative age teams. He could have slipped through the cracks had veteran talent spotter Jim Jones not applied his acute eye and made sure everyone believed in ‘the kid’s’ potential. Then Edwards made himself one of the fittest men at the club. His quiet demeanour and boyish face no doubt fooled a few who didn’t apply due respect. That doesn’t happen

anymore. Hopefully, still in the first half of his career, who knows how his resume will read when his playing days are done. The fact he hasn’t cracked a representative team is Penrith’s gain. James Tedesco has only just turned 30. Reece Walsh is 20. There are a host of other

rep options born in the decade between.

In the meantime we get to admire his stellar form at club level.

This week against a man who, in three games back in the number one jumper has run quickly, freely, confidently and creatively

hidden panther

for the Knights. Edwards v Ponga. What a match-up. So far the Penrith star enjoys a commanding advantage on the stats sheet and scoreboard (136-36). It’s one of many reasons, Ivan wouldn’t swap his man for anyone.

Dylan Edwards has become invaluable at Penrith. Photo: NRL Images.

PANTHERS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK lower grades

The Penrith Panthers Knock-On Effect NSW Cup winning run is over, falling 30-16 to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Belmore Sports Ground.

The Bulldogs started quickly, racing to a 10-0 lead after 13 minutes through tries to Jordan Samrani and Joseph O’Neill.

The Panthers started to get a bit of momentum behind them when a Kurt Falls kick was knocked on by the Bulldogs. A shift to the left from the ensuing scrum saw Daeon Amituanai open the Panthers’ account.

A 40/20 from Falls shortly after put the Panthers in attacking range again, before Eddie Blacker crashed over from dummy half.

lower grades report

An obstruction penalty denied the Panthers an attacking opportunity and proved costly late in the half when Eli Clark capitalised on the penalty to score, giving the Bulldogs a 16-10 half time lead.

Several sets attacking Canterbury’s line came to nothing for the Panthers when they failed to score. Instead, an intercept by Clark saw him race 90 metres to score down the other end.

Another try soon followed when Hayward backed up a break to score under the posts.

Blacker scored his second try in the 58th minute to cut the margin back to 10, however two late penalty goals gave the Bulldogs the 30-16 win.

It was a disappointing result for the Jersey Flegg Panthers, going down 26-0 to the Bulldogs at Belmore. It was a defensive grind for much of the match, with the Panthers lacking the polish they needed to break through. Sione Moala opened the scoring for the hosts in the 17th minute, before they struck a double blow late in the half to advance to 14-0 at the break.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Penrith failing to capitalise on opportunities and eventually being made to pay.

Jonathan Sua scored with 20 minutes remaining, followed quickly by Danny Gabrael as the score ballooned to 26-0.

The Panthers did well to prevent the score from getting any worse, however they were thoroughly outclassed in the big loss. In Round 17, the Panthers are back home for a Saturday triple header against the Knights at BlueBet Stadium.

Kurt Falls produced a solid performance against the Bulldogs. Photo: NRL Images.

WARRIORS DOLPHINS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITS

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WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS SEA EAGLES TITANS COWBOYS

WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

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WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS SEA EAGLES TITANS COWBOYS

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WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

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WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS SEA EAGLES TITANS COWBOYS

WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS SEA EAGLES TITANS COWBOYS

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WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS COWBOYS

WARRIORS DOLPHINS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

WARRIORS EELS PANTHERS STORM BRONCOS RABBITOHS

RAIDERS

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