Extra Time April 26

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Malakai Watene-Zelezniak.

Photo: NRL Photos

SEASON DEFINING IT’S CRUNCH TIME FOR STRUGGLING PENRITH PANTHERS

PANTHERS V SOUTHS > P29 Troy Dodds previews a Friday night blockbuster at Panthers Stadium

MASKED PANTHER > P30 The truth about Wayne Bennett plus Penrith’s Harold Matthews success

CELEBRITY TIPSTERS > P32-33 Not sure who to tip this weekend?

Follow some of Penrith’s brightest minds

Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

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So much potential, so much disappointment

CLINTON MAYNARD H

eading into 2019 three clubs promised so much – Brisbane, Newcastle and Penrith – but it’s clear after six rounds their seasons are on the line in the coming weeks.

With the most talented young forward pack in the competition, many tipped the Broncos to be Premiers.

No club has recruited as well as the Knights in recent seasons and a top four finished looked a possibility.

With the addition of Ivan Cleary the Panthers appeared prime to take that extra step.

However just six rounds in these three teams appear miles away from reaching their promise.

With one win from six the Broncos shape as the most disappointing team of 2019.

New coach Anthony Seibold was meant to bring a new tactical edge to the team, but with Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima in the halves the side lacks direction.

While their pack is stacked with young talent, the forwards lack an experienced hard head and releasing Josh McGuire appears to be one of the worst decisions by the club in some time.

Newcastle added Test prop David Klemmer to their roster, recruited experienced Origin player Tim Glasby and secured a potential rep centre in Jessie Ramien.

That’s on top of their brilliant recruitment of recent seasons highlighted by the addition of the best young talent in the game Kalyn Ponga. I predicted they’d make the top four, however their five losses straight prove you can’t ‘buy’ your way to success in the NRL. More troubling is talk some players weren’t as ‘committed’ as they should be during the pre-season.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment so far is Penrith. I wasn’t alone in tipping them to win the Premiership and it’s not too late for the team to gel. There were encouraging signs against the Sharks last week. Switching James Maloney and Nathan Cleary’s positions on the field gave them a much more cohesive attack in the first half. The worry for Panthers fans is the team that last year could pull a rabbit out of the hat and run teams down in the second half has lost that magic.

There is still time for these three teams to turn their seasons around but it needs to start now.

The Broncos have had a disappointing start to the season. Photo: Megan Dunn

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THE FINAL WORD

FRIDAY, APRIL 26 • 7.55PM | PANTHERS STADIUM | REFEREES: A KLEIN, Z PRZEKLASA-ADAMSKI

PANTHERS 1

Caleb Aekins

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Josh Mansour Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Waqa Blake Malakai Watene-Zelezniak James Maloney Nathan Cleary James Tamou (c) Wayde Egan Tim Grant Viliame Kikau Isaah Yeo James Fisher-Harris Sione Katoa Liam Martin Moses Leota Reagan Campbell-Gillard Jarome Luai

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 26, 2019

MATCH PREVIEW

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Nathan Cleary flies high against Cronulla last Thursday night. Photo: NRL Photos

TROY

DODDS It’s been quite a week in the world of the Penrith Panthers, but despite all the goings- on behind the scenes, there’s a pretty important game of football to be played on Friday night.

In fact, this clash against Wayne Bennett’s South Sydney Rabbitohs could well be season defining for Ivan Cleary’s side. Lose this and the Finals start to look like an unachievable goal.

Last week’s loss to Cronulla was bitterly disappointing given the Panthers twice held a 14-point lead, but overall there was some positive signs that things are starting to shift for the men in black.

Dean Whare’s hamstring injury really hurt Penrith on the night, forcing Ivan Cleary’s interchange plans to be altered

and exposing a worrying lack of fitness in his troops.

That fitness issue has been hovering for a few weeks now and it’s something that has its roots in the pre-season, and unfortunately is not quickly fixed.

With Whare out this weekend, Cleary has opted to move Dallin Watene- Zelezniak into the centres – his third position in seven matches this season – while Caleb Aekins earns another shot in first grade at fullback, with Cleary resisting the temptation to bring Dylan Edwards back into the top team.

Aekins is a solid performer but Penrith’s backline is now looking somewhat patched up and unlike what we expected at the start of the season; we can only hope it all starts to click given time is quickly running out for the team to find some much-needed consistency.

The Panthers looked much better with

2GB 873 ABC 702 Wayde Egan starting at hooker last week and Cleary has again opted to go with that structure, with Sione Katoa to come off the bench.

Penrith’s service out of dummy half has been a concern all season and most feared it would be the case given the club had no real obvious replacement for Peter Wallace, who was forced to retire midway through last season. Egan looked promising last week however and should improve with more game time.

Souths on the other hand certainly have no problem with the #9 jumper, and Penrith will have to be on high alert for Damien Cook who has had more line engagements than any other player this season.

Souths were far from impressive against the Bulldogs last Friday and in fact I dare say are not going as well as their top four position would suggest.

1

Alex Johnston

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Corey Allan Kyle Turner Dane Gagai Campbell Graham Cody Walker Adam Reynolds George Burgess Damien Cook Thomas Burgess John Sutton Sam Burgess Cameron Murray Tevita Tatola Mark Nicholls Ethan Lowe Liam Knight

They really struggled to put the Dogs away, should have lost to the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast, lost to Manly in Golden Point and almost got beaten by the Titans. They were outstanding against the Roosters and Dragons in the opening rounds but it wouldn’t surprise me to see things start to fall apart as the season drags on.

The forward battle on Friday night will be crucial. We know the Burgess brothers are going to run hard and have plenty to offer, and how Penrith respond to that could be the game’s determining factor.

Viliame Kikau and James Fisher- Harris have been superb in recent weeks but need to go up another gear on Friday.

After a turbulent week off the field, Ivan Cleary has now been given the clean air he desires. Let’s hope it somehow filters down to the players.

Tip: Panthers by 8.

29

Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

PANTHER RUMBLINGS

with the Masked Panther

NO WAYNE DEAL  It’s time to set the record straight on

the whole Wayne Bennett to Penrith story. The truth has been stretched significantly since the media got hold of this yarn a few weeks back, and has been incorrectly reported as one of the key sticking points behind Phil Gould’s departure from the club. The truth is that Phil Gould never presented the club’s Board or management team with a proposal that involved Bennett joining Penrith.

Gould mentioned the ‘handshake deal’ with Bennett casually, but the club never fully explored it. To suggest that Gould was not across Chairman Dave O’Neill’s approach to Ivan Cleary is incorrect. In fact, he was supportive of it. It makes for great headlines that this whole thing was a Gould v O’Neill battle with Cleary and Bennett as the prizes, but it’s simply not true. A deal with Bennett was far from being formal. In fact, one could probably ask, was there ever really a handshake deal with Bennett or was it one big myth?

 Word started leaking out about Phil

Gould’s future at Penrith over the Easter weekend. By the time Monday rolled around, a meeting had been arranged between Gould, Chairman Dave O’Neill and CEO Brian Fletcher for the Tuesday morning. I’m told the meeting was amicable and quickly turned to the terms of Gould’s departure rather than the decision to part ways. The line being sold about Gould determining his role was redundant isn’t the whole truth, but you don’t have to be Einstein to work that out.

In the end, Gould was losing the support of O’Neill, Fletcher and the Board. The public backing would have remained but Gould knew what was coming.

 The critical nature of Penrith’s on-

field situation seemed obvious at the club’s training session on Monday. Media interviews were delayed while coach Ivan Cleary addressed the entire first grade team and his staff, clearly laying down the law ahead of what’s seen as a season defining match against Souths.

 Penrith’s NRL team may be strug-

gling but the big story in the club at the

Penrith’s Harold Matthews Cup team after last weekend’s big win. Photo: Penrith Panthers moment is the success of the Harold Matthews Cup side. The Under 16’s team demolished Manly 44-6 in a shock result on Good Friday, and now face Minor Premiers Newcastle at St Marys Leagues Stadium this Saturday from 12pm. Hopefully a few Penrith fans will head to St Marys to support this team – something special is building.



Spotted: Liberal Candidate for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh cheering on the Panthers alongside Sharks fan Scott Morrison at PointsBet Stadium last Thursday night.

 I can reveal that former Penrith coach

Anthony Griffin is very keen to replace the struggling Nathan Brown as coach of Newcastle. In fact, Hook may have already made a quiet approach to the club.

 Don’t be surprised if there’s some

player movement at Penrith before June 30. It’s important to remember that coach Ivan Cleary inherited the entire playing squad and had no say in its development or structure for 2019. It’s no shock that he would have different views to those who put the team together. It also makes for an interesting off-season ahead regarding whether or not Cleary opts to shake things up as far as his staff is concerned.

To suggest Cleary is 100 per cent happy with his off-field team would be foolish given he had no say in its make-up and didn’t bring anyone across from the Wests Tigers. With Phil Gould now gone, Ivan Cleary will get his way when it comes to staffing decisions.

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being in a bad mood given his side’s disappointing collapse against the Sharks – waited for Nine to arrange a different camera so the press conference could continue.

 Discipline is important to Panthers

Scott Morrison and Melissa McIntosh



There was panic during Ivan Cleary’s post-match press conference at PointsBet Stadium last Thursday night. Two minutes into the presser, an NRL official – frustrated at noise coming from outside – slammed a door shut and accidentally cut the cord that was providing the feed to Channel Nine and the NRL’s digital platforms. To his credit, Cleary – despite

coach Ivan Cleary hence why he dumped Hame Sele to reserve grade last weekend after the 2019 recruit slept in and missed a recovery session after the game against the Titans a fortnight ago. Sele still isn’t back in first grade this week, making it a very expensive sleep in.

 Spotted: Panthers winger Josh Man-

sour doing some last minute Easter shopping at Woolworths Penrith on Saturday.

 Gus to the Dragons? I’m hearing a few whispers Phil Gould could be headed to St George-Illawarra in the near future.

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 26, 2019

FEATURE

TG: WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER NATHAN

TAYLOR Panthers forward Tim Grant has hit back at suggestions that his side is struggling with fitness towards the back end of games.

Penrith had a comfortable 20-6 lead over Cronulla last Thursday night, only to be run down in the dying minutes. A similar scenario ensued the previous week against the Gold Coast Titans where they led for much of the match, only to lose deep in the second half.

Grant, who made his long- awaited return to first grade against the Sharks, said errors are to blame for Penrith’s late game struggles.

“Everything you do in a game contributes to your energy levels. If you’ve got a poor completion rate and you have to make more tackles then you use more energy – that’s the equation,” he told Extra Time.

“That’s what happened last week, it’s

not a matter of us not being fit. If you drive a car too hard it runs out of fuel – that’s how it is at the end of the day.”

In the moments following last week’s loss, many fans pointed to fullback Dallin Watene- Zelezniak’s brain snap penalty mid- way through the second half as the turning point in the game. Grant stood up for his teammate saying the defeat was not one person’s fault.

“We’re a team and there are so many little moments in a game that make up a result,” the 31-year-old said.

“To pinpoint one thing is just clutching at straws, it’s looking for a headline. It wasn’t just one thing, it was a collection of things put together and that’s what you get in the end.”

While last week’s game against Cronulla didn’t go Penrith’s way, it was an important one for Grant who made his first appearance in a Panthers NRL jumper since 2014. The former Rabbitoh and Tiger even marked the occasion with a four- pointer, but ultimately he would’ve preferred a win.

Tim Grant scores a try against the Sharks last Thursday. Photo: NRL Photos “Personally it was great to get the opportunity to play but obviously I’m disappointed in the result as well,” Grant said.

“Heading into the season I didn’t really have any expectations to be honest, it’s such a cliché but I’m just enjoying being back at Panthers and contributing where I can.

“I’ve enjoyed playing alongside some of the younger guys coming through in Canterbury Cup but my ultimate goal was to come back and play first grade.”

The former NSW Origin forward has endured some tough times at the foot of the Mountains in his nine seasons at the club, but he doesn’t believe this current period of poor form ranks close to those in the past.

Grant said the side is eager to finally turn things around against joint ladder leaders South Sydney tonight at Panthers Stadium.

“We’re back at home and our loyal fans and sponsors deserve a win,” he said.

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Roosters Storm Bulldogs Panthers

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068

Tigers Broncos Sea Eagles Eels

BILL MCDEED

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Roosters Storm Cowboys Rabbitohs

DONNA HILDON

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LUKE BELOTTI

ALEX MCKENZIE

ANTON HEARN

KIM HORAN

DOUGLAS ELY

STEVE SUTTON

NICK RIGAS

Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

CELEBRITY TIPSTERS

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Roosters Storm Cowboys Rabbitohs

Tigers Sharks Raiders Eels

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Titans Sharks Raiders Eels

Dragons Warriors Cowboys Panthers

Titans Sharks Raiders Eels

Roosters Storm Bulldogs Panthers

Tigers Sharks Raiders Eels

Roosters Storm Cowboys Rabbitohs

Titans Broncos Raiders Eels

Roosters Storm Bulldogs Rabbitohs

Tigers Broncos Raiders Eels

Roosters Storm Cowboys Panthers

Tigers Sharks Raiders Eels

Roosters Storm Cowboys Panthers

Tigers Broncos Sea Eagles Knights

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056

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Titans Sharks Raiders Eels

Dragons Storm Bulldogs Panthers

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Roosters Storm Bulldogs Panthers

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Tigers Broncos Raiders Eels

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Roosters Storm Bulldogs Rabbitohs

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 26, 2019

058

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Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

NRL LADDER AND FIXTURES PD

W

D

L

B

F

A

+/-

PTS

Storm

6

5

0

1

0

132

73

+59

10

2 Roosters

6

5

0

1

0

161

102

+59

10

3 Raiders

6

5

0

1

0

123

66

+57

10

4 Rabbitohs

6

5

0

1

0

142

97

+45

10

5 Eels

6

4

0

2

0

149

97

+52

8

6 Dragons

6

4

0

2

0

120

108

+12

8

7 Sea Eagles

6

3

0

3

0

119

100

+19

6

8 Sharks

6

3

0

3

0

122

110

+12

6

9 W. Tigers

6

3

0

3

0

98

110

-12

6

CLUB

1

10 Warriors

6

2

0

4

0

118

141

-23

4

11 Titans

6

2

0

4

0

104

133

-29

4

12 Panthers

6

2

0

4

0

83

128

-45

4

13 Cowboys

6

2

0

4

0

91

141

-50

4

14 Broncos

6

1

0

5

0

107

141

-34

2

15 Knights

6

1

0

5

0

82

118

-36

2

16 Bulldogs

6

1

0

5

0

70

156

-86

2

Round 7

/ / / / / / / /

FACE IN THE CROWD

Thursday, April 25 4.05pm SCG Thursday, April 25 7.50pm AAMI Park Friday, April 26 6pm ANZ Stadium Friday, April 26 7.55pm Panthers Stadium Saturday, April 27 5.30pm Scully Park Saturday, April 27 7.35pm Suncorp Stadium

Sunday, April 28 2pm Lottoland Sunday, April 28 4.05pm McDonald Jones Stadium

IS THIS YOU? Is this you at a recent Penrith Panthers game? If it is, you’ve won a double pass to the Panthers v Warriors match on May 17! To collect your prize, visit the Weekender office at 2/42-44 Abel Street, Jamisontown and ask for Nathan Taylor.

Extra Time Issue Number 2019-007 PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Clinton Maynard / Andy Raymond SALES DIRECTOR Chris Pennisi / 4722 2998 chris.pennisi@westernweekender.com.au

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 26, 2019

Panther Flashback

SCOREBOARD NRL

SHARKS 24 PANTHERS 20

NSW CUP

PANTHERS 18 JETS 16 Bill Ashurst visited Penrith in 2017. Photo: Melinda Jane An import that left his mark These days we see Sam Burgess and James Graham as the biggest English imports in the game, but back in the 1970s Penrith secured a major coup by bringing Bill Ashurst to Australia.

Ashurst had played with Wigan from 1968 until 1973, and joined the Panthers for the 1974 season. Ashurst was one of the finest players in England, and came to the Panthers with fellow English international Mike Stephenson.

It was big news for the Panthers, and for rugby league in Australia, that two players of such profile would head to the western suburbs of Sydney in the prime of their careers.

Ashurst’s transfer fee was a record for the time – a whopping $27,700.

A second- rower with class and skill, Ashurst was an immediate hit with Panthers fans.

Even though he would only play three seasons with Penrith – leaving suddenly before the 1977 season kicked off – Ashurst left his mark, and in 2006 was named in the club’s Team of Legends.

Former Panthers Chairman, Don Feltis, remembers just what a special achievement that is given his short time with the club.

“For someone to have played just the 46 games with our club and to make the Team of Legends just goes to show what

an outstanding player he was,” Feltis said.

“Back when he played with the Panthers a second row forward chip kicking over the opposition, running around regaining possession and scoring was a very rare achievement. Bill Ashurst did that a number of times.

“He could turn a game in a matter of minutes.”

In the Panthers Men In Black book, Ashurst speaks of his time at the Panthers: “I have wonderful memories of Penrith... the beautiful home we lived in, the super view of the Blue Mountains and the great friends we made during our four years there.”

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Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender • extra time

Brought to you by

Gould leaves behind a special legacy at Penrith

ANDY RAYMOND P

hil Gould’s decision to stand down from his role as General Manager of Football brings an end to an era at the Penrith Panthers.

When Gould took the reins at the Panthers in 2011 he came into a club that wasn’t at rock bottom, but it was in need of help.

From 2005 to 2013, the Panthers made the Finals just once and received the wooden spoon in 2007.

Gould’s arrival at the Panthers started the wheels of success in motion.

There are few people in the game more passionate about the Panthers than Gus. He captained the Panthers as a 20- yearold, won the club their first premiership as a coach in 1991 and then turned the club around as an administrator.

On the field the Panthers have made the top eight four times during Gould’s tenure including a preliminary Finals appearance in 2014.

But it’s what he’s done off the field that deserves the most credit.

Speaking to ‘NRL 360’ this week, Panthers boss Brian Fletcher revealed that the Panthers clubs were $112 million

in debt before Gus arrived, with Gould’s help they’ve managed to cut that debt to around $30 million.

Gould was also responsible for the construction of the Panthers’ $22 million Academy, which is the envy of the majority of clubs in the NRL. The Panthers may not have won a premiership while Gus was at the club, but the structures, facilities and most importantly the roster is where the Panthers need them to be to be a premiership force, it’s now up to coach Ivan Cleary to deliver that premiership.

There’s no doubt that the Panthers coach would be disappointed with how his side is travelling so far this season.

On paper the Panthers are a much better side than what their place on the ladder indicates, but the good news for Panthers fans is that there’s still plenty of time left in the season to turn their fortunes around.

The Panthers learned the hard way last week that rugby league is an 80 minute game and if you clock off at any time during that 80 minutes you’re going to be punished.

Tonight they face South Sydney at home.

Phil Gould’s departure from Penrith marks the end of an era at the club

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 Teams from the Pacific Islands, Europe

and the Middle East will join Australia and New Zealand in the Downer Rugby League World Cup 9s in Sydney in October. The tournament will be played at Western Sydney Stadium on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19. The men’s tournament will feature Australia, New Zealand, England, PNG, Tonga, Fiji, France, Samoa, Wales, Lebanon, Cook Islands and the United States. The women’s tournament will feature Australia, New Zealand, England and PNG.

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, April 26, 2019

EXTRA MINUTES

 Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire is

confident his side can turn things around despite a horror 51-6 loss to the Eels last weekend. “We have to look inside, look at us, we’re the ones out on the field, the players have to be honest with what we expect of each other,” he said.

 Some of the game’s biggest male and

female stars have been announced as NRL Community Advocates, helping support two of the biggest NRL community programs – State of Mind and Voice Against Violence. Michael Morgan, Ruan Sims, David Klemmer, Kezie Apps and Christian Welch are amongst a list of 34 current players that have self-nominated to promote the programs and help shed

The impressive Western Sydney Stadium hosted its first NRL match on Monday more awareness of the positive work being undertaken game-wide.



Awkward! Ray Hadley called the Easter Monday clash between Parramatta and the Wests Tigers at Western Sydney Stadium for Radio 2GB. Fox League’s Andrew Voss and the ABC’s Andrew Moore, both of whom have had significant issues with

Hadley in the past, also called the game.

We hear there was no difficult catch-ups in the elevators, but Moore and Hadley did apparently run in to each other in the media suite and were very civil.

of keen viewers tuned in to watch the historic clash on Fox League. An average of 307,000 people watched the game – a number that would have been significantly bigger had the match been closer.

 Not only was Western Sydney Stadium

Horrible news for the Gold Coast Titans this week with captain Ryan James suffering a ruptured ACL.

packed to the brink for Monday’s game between the Eels and Tigers, but plenty



Every game of every round

LIVE with no ad-breaks during play

I want it all Every game No ad-breaks during play Dedicated channel Entertainment shows 4K Ultra HD*

*Selected matches only. 4K Ultra HD requires iQ4, compatible 4K TV and Sports + HD packs. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

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Friday, April 26, 2019 « the western weekender