LEOTA A PANTHER UNTIL END OF 2027

“This re-signing means everything because this club is home to me,” the St Marys Saint said.

Penrith’s fearsome forward pack will remain rock solid for many more years to come after one of their most underrated players inked a new deal this week.

On Monday afternoon, the Panthers announced the re-signing of Kiwi representative prop Moses Leota until the end of the 2027 NRL season.

Already signed for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the 27-year-old saw the value of recommitting to the back-to-back Premiers for a further three years.

Born in Auckland and growing up in New Zealand, Leota moved to Australia and progressed through the Panthers junior development pathways and was a member of the club’s premiership-winning NYC side in 2015.

A Penrith local junior, Leota made his NRL debut in 2016 and has gone on to play 128 games for the Panthers, playing an influential role in the club’s recent Premierships in 2021 and 2022.

A representative player, Leota made his Test debut for Samoa in 2019 and has played three Tests for New Zealand.

From washing cars for $15 per hour at a local dealership to playing on the biggest stage in rugby league, Leota said he can’t believe how far he’s come.

“I never thought I’d be in this situation, so I’m grateful to re-sign with the Panthers. It will be great to stay with the club for the rest of my career.”

Leota’s contract extension ensures a key group of Panthers players – including Brian To’o (2027), Nathan Cleary (2027), Isaah Yeo (2027), James Fisher-Harris (2026) – will remain together on long-term deals.

Panthers Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron congratulated the man they call ‘Tank’ on his new contract.

“Everyone at the club is pleased to see Moses commit to the Panthers until the end of the 2027 season,” he said.

“Moses embodies the qualities that we hold at our club and has consistently demonstrated his strong work ethic.

“We take pride in the fact that Moses has progressed through the ranks at the club and will now continue his journey in Panthers colours.”

With his front-row partner in James Fisher-Harris sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury, Leota will be tasked to lead Penrith’s engine room for their upcoming stretch of games.

Leota stepped up in a big way against Canberra, punching out 162 running metres, 60 post contact and racking up a whopping six tackle breaks over 47 minutes of action.

POSITION: SECOND ROW | NRL DEBUT: V STORM, MAY 2019

WEIGHT: 1 03KG |

HEIGHT: 183CM |

DOB: 05/03/97 |

Over the last three years the Penrith Panthers have broken plenty of records. They set a ‘new record’ last Friday when they became the first team in rugby league history to defeat a side with a scoreline that read 53-12.

Granted, it’s a bit obscure but it got me thinking, just how many club records has this team broken since 2020 and what other records may tumble over the next few years?

First up, we have the record of most consecutive wins with 17 in-a-row between June 19 and October 2020. What a run that was and ironically win number 18 would have, in fact, been a Premiership as Penrith fell short 26-20 to the Melbourne Storm in the decider.

The longest winning run up until that point, was eight games between April 19 and June 7 by the Premiership winning 2003 Panthers side.

Another impressive record by this team since 2020 includes the Longest Winning Away streak of 14 from round 8 2020 until round 11, 2021. Individually, it seems only a career ending injury can stop co-captain Isaah Yeo from playing the most games for the club. Yeo has just notched up game number 200 and has a minimum of four years to pass the legendary Steve Carter, who is currently number one with 243 games.

Another individual club record which will fall in the next two seasons is most points scored for the club. Nathan Cleary, who is currently on 1232 career points, is only 340 behind the number one points scorer Ryan Girdler on 1572. This one also seems a formality.

However the one record that this team would love to match and then break is held by the powerhouse Parramatta Eels side of the 1980s which not only won three Premierships in-arow (1981-1983) but another one in 1986 to notch up four premier ships in a decade.

Admittedly these records have only stood since 1981 but they would still be nice ones to break. Right now they are still a long way off. Which shows you just how impressive they are and just how good the Eels were in the 80s. There’s a quote by former great American basketball coach Red Auerbach who once said; “All records are made to be broken”.

Just how many individual and team records this Panthers team of the 2020s will eventually break, remains to be seen. But the ride over the next seven years, is going to be a doozy!