home final secured


TYRONE

SEE PAGE 43

SEE PAGE 44
PAGE







SEE PAGE 43
SEE PAGE 44
PAGE
When the 2023 draw was released in November last year, this Round 26 showdown between Penrith and Parramatta had blockbuster written all over it.
And while any clash between these western Sydney rivals is full of spite and high emotions, it doesn’t quite have as much counting on it as initially expected.
The Eels are now out of the Finals race, a mighty fall from grace after the euphoria of reaching the Grand Final last year. The Panthers meantime are racing towards the Minor Premiership after a big win over the Titans last weekend, which secured a home final at the very worst.
Parramatta have the bye in the final round of the competition which means this Thursday’s game is their last hurrah in 2023, and they’d
like nothing better than to stick it to their cross-town rivals as the perfect farewell to an otherwise lacklustre season.
And while Penrith have been dominant against Parramatta when it’s mattered in recent years, the Eels are currently on a three game regular season winning streak against the defending Champions – including that thrilling win at CommBank Stadium earlier this year.
The Panthers came away from the Gold Coast last Saturday with a 40-14 win in their back pocket after what was a far from perfect performance, but one that never really looked like going the other way.
Penrith lacked some critical attention to detail, and there was an uncomfortable clumsiness about the attack at times, but you get the feeling Ivan Cleary’s side is simply cruising through these matches at present, as they wait
for the business end of the year to arrive.
Cleary opted to rest a number of players with niggling injuries last weekend and he may do the same against the Eels, as it becomes more and more evident a mass rest – like what has happened in previous years – is unlikely in the final round, especially if there’s a Minor Premiership to be won.
We could well see some late changes to the side that was named on Tuesday, with the expectation that Dylan Edwards and perhaps James Fisher-Harris will take either this week or next week off.
Surprisingly, there is still no Izack Tago or Mitch Kenny in the line-up, their returns from injury put off for at least another week.
That means another week in the centres for Tyrone Peachey, while Jack Cogger gets another shot at hooker.
Whether we get a decent contest in this Round 26 clash comes down to what attitude Parramatta present with. Are they determined to end their season on a high, with equal parts frustration and determination after a difficult season, or have they essentially called time on their campaign; simply showing up to fulfil their obligations.
I predict a little of both: I have no doubt the Eels will turn up to play, but as the minutes tick on and the reality of the end of the year confronts them, I think the Panthers will begin to seriously get on top and make a little statement heading into the Finals.
I’m tipping a tight first half but the Panthers to really go on with it in the second. Western Sydney bragging rights will remain at the foot of the Mountains – where they belong.
Tip: Panthers by 16.
Seasons as a Pantherette? One.
Favourite food? Sushi.
Favourite TV show? ‘Outer Banks’.
Favourite Panthers player? Nathan Cleary.
Must-follow social media account?
@pennyyjane. Go to pump up song? ‘Blah Blah Blah’ by Armin Van Buuren.
What do you love about being a Pantherette? I love performing and just
PENELOPE AGE: 23 SUBURB: GLENWOOD
being on stage in front of a huge audience. Being a Pantherette will help me come out of my comfort zone more due to not performing six months ago.
If you were stranded on a desert island, who are you bringing with you and why?
I would bring my partner Alex for two reasons. 1. We would probably end up in that situation to begin with and 2. Because I feel he has really good survival skills in case something happens.
! Home Final locked in: The Panthers have secured a home Final at BlueBet Stadium, and the usual ticketing fiasco is about to ensue. As I understand it, the NRL and Ticketek have made no progress on allowing Members to purchase their own seats for the home Final. Surely the two organisations could work with Panthers to ensure their most loyal supporters are looked after. Instead, all Members will be issued a code for a pre-sale and will have little choice over where they sit. This isn’t a Panthers issue – the NRL runs the Finals, and while Members understand they have to pay outside of their package to attend the Finals, all they want is the ability to sit around the people they’ve cheered the boys on with all year. Surely it’s not that hard.
! Shirts on: Make some room in the cupboard because the Panthers will soon reveal their 2023 Finals shirt, along with a new slogan for their Finals campaign. The shirt will likely be available at the match against the Cowboys in Round 27, as well as from the Panther Shop and online.
! Our team, our beer: Talking of shirts, fans were able to get their hands on a rare long sleeve Panthers shirt at BlueBet Stadium for the clash against the Eels. The shirts were free with every four Tooheys New beers purchased.
! Honour for Yeo: Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo’s incredible season has been recognised with a major media award. Yeo has taken out the ABC Grandstand Rugby League Player of the Year Award with two full rounds still to play. Yeo now sits on 31 points – seven clear of Shaun Johnson – putting him in an unbeatable position.
calendar a fair bit over the years, and last year was held between weeks one and two of the Finals. The venue is also changing this year – moving from the EVAN Theatre to the new Western Sydney Conference Centre.
! Spotted: Panthers legend and Director Greg Alexander wearing a Sydney Roosters cap during his SEN radio show last week.
! Merv on the move: The Merv Cartwright Medal is moving back to after the Grand Final this year. Penrith’s end-of-season presentation night will take place on Wednesday, October 4 – three days after the season decider at Accor Stadium. The event has moved around on the
! Not half bad: Former Raiders halfback Brad Schneider is poised for a return to Australia to be the latest back-up half at the Panthers. With Jack Cogger headed to Newcastle, the Panthers are again in the market for a fill-in for Nathan Cleary during the Origin period and to cover for injuries. Schneider, who is currently playing in the UK Super League, would be superb to cover that role. With Daine Laurie also heading back to Penrith next year, the Panthers’ back-up halves combination would suddenly loom better than some clubs’ first choice halves.
! Member concerns: Success can often breed complacency and it would appear a review of how things operate from a Member-
ship perspective is required at Panthers. As the old saying goes, you can’t please everyone. But I’m receiving consistent feedback over a range of issues, relating to everything from Ultimate members feeling unappreciated and value being poor to membership packs and the timing of VIP events. Case in point is the 2020 Members Pledge event – three years in the making yet scheduled at 2pm on a Friday on relatively short notice. That’s pretty ordinary no matter which way you look at it. A few years ago, a committee of members that reported direct to Panthers was quietly disbanded. It may be time to bring it back.
! Push for Atkins: I’m told there was a push in some corners of the NRL for referee Grant Atkins (pictured) to take charge of this year’s Grand Final. Origin referee Ashley Klein would be considered the favourite to take charge of the season decider on October 1, while Gerard Sutton also has big game experience. But Atkins is considered the leader in the next generation of big match referees and some feel it’s time to push the button, rather than wait for Klein to retire. However, the push is likely to be a lot quieter now after Atkins was
axed from on-field duties in Round 26 over that eighth tackle try blunder in Newcastle last weekend. Still, it’s worth noting there’s a push for a new era to begin as far as big games are concerned.
! Spotted: Panthers legend Mark Geyer soaking up plenty of memories at North Sydney Oval last weekend. He was there to watch son Mav go around in the NSW Cup clash against the Bears.
Fans at BlueBet Stadium for the Finals last year. Photo: NRL Images.Liam Martin’s NRL debut in 2019 wasn’t the prettiest of occasions.
It was a chilly March evening in Bathurst when the boy from Temora entered the playing field in jersey number 21 after 31-and-a-half minutes.
37 seconds into his debut game, Martin made an error and Penrith’s opponents that night, the mighty Melbourne Storm, ran riot on their way to a convincing 32-2 victory.
“I think the first six NRL games I played I lost, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh Jesus, is this what it’s going to be like for the rest of my career?’,” the 26-year-old said on Tuesday. Fortunately for Martin, he was wrong… very, very wrong.
In fact, since that challenging 2019 season, where the Panthers finished outside the top eight, Martin has only lost nine games whilst playing for Penrith.
Nine.
In his debut season alone he tasted defeat 10 times.
“Fortunately, we turned it
around pretty fast, so I’m very lucky to be here,” Martin said.
Lucky, indeed.
Martin played his 100th NRL game on Thursday night when the Panthers tackled old foes Parramatta at BlueBet Stadium.
Extra Time caught up with the NSW Blues and Australian backrower in the lead up to his milestone match, reflecting on the journey he’s been on since that Round 3, 2019, fixture at Carrington Park.
“It’s gone so quick! It feels like yesterday that I played the first one in Bathurst and they’ve just flown since then,” Martin said.
“I’m just grateful for everyone that’s helped me along the way. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without a lot of people. I’m just thinking about all the support I’ve had over the years.”
Martin said his mum Maxine and his late brother Jarred are always on his mind whenever he’s out on the pitch, giving it his all whether it be for Penrith, his state or his country.
“Most games I just play footy but milestones like these give you an opportunity to think about loved ones, like my mum and how much she sacrificed
for me and my brother,” Martin said.
“Playing for those sorts of people is the reason why you play footy.”
It’s hard to find many players who have enjoyed a century of games quite like Liam Martin. He’s played in three Grand Finals, won two Premierships and, although they don’t count towards his tally, played in nine games for NSW and won a World Cup with Australia.
“My proudest achievement so far is definitely the back-toback premierships – that’s what everyone dreams of,” Martin said.
“There’s a lot of players that play 200, 300 games and don’t even get one. So, to have two by 100 [games] and be in contention for another is pretty incredible.”
Last month, Martin re-signed with Penrith until the end of 2027, meaning his next century of games will be with his beloved Panthers. He believes his best is yet to come.
“I’m so grateful for what this club has given me so far and hopefully I can repay them with even better footy in the coming years,” Martin said.
HEIGHT: 183CM |
08/08/91 |
Caddens
Caddens News (Caddens Corner)
Clementine’s Café
Woolworths
Cambridge Gardens
Coles
Mcdonald’s
Overlander Hotel
Cambridge Park
Cambridge Park Newsagency
Cellarbations
Friendly Grocer
Castlereagh
Ampol Service Station
Claremont Meadows
Iga Claremont Meadows
Colyton
Colyton Centre Pharmacy
Colyton Friendly Grocer
Colyton Hotel
Colyton Newsagency
Hewitt Street Takeaway
Cranebrook
Aldi Cranebrook
Cranebrook Community Health
Cranebrook Village
Mcdonald’s
Mother Earth Nursery
Plus Pharmacy
Woolworths Cranebrook
Emu Plains
Chambers Cellars
Lennox Centre Newsagency
Mcdonald’s
Penrith Regional Gallery
Woolworths Lennox Village
7/11 Emu Plains (Great Western Highway)
7/11 Emu Plains (Old Bathurst Rd)
Emu Heights
Super Save Compounding Chemist
Erskine Park
Ashcroft’s Iga
Erskine Park Ctc
Glenmore Park
Coles
Mags News
Mcdonald’s
Medi Advice Pharmacy
Woolworths
Jamisontown
Abcoe
Abel Street Eatery (Happy Harrys)
Batt Street Take Away
Grey Gums Hotel
Harvey Norman
New On York Takeaway
Parrabey Gourmet Kitchen
(Penrith Homemaker)
Salt Cafe (Penrith Homemaker)
Shell Service Station
The Coffee Club Nepean River
Three Sugars Café
Western Weekender
York Takeaway
Zoo Fitness
7/11 Jamisontown
Jordan Springs
Brooks Tavern
Jordan Springs Newsagency
Woolworths
Kemps Creek
Caltex Service Station
Kemps Creek Bowling Club
Kingswood
Barista Bar Coffee Shop (Nepean Private Hospital)
Country Brewer
Hallani’s
Kingswood Hotel
Kingswood Newsagency
Kingswood Smash Repairs
Kingswood Sports Club
Penrith Gaels Club
Radhe Indian Grocery Store
Volunteers Desk Nepean Hospital
7/11 Kingswood
Leonay
Emu Sports Club
Grow Café (Formerly Willow Tree Café)
Llandilo Iga
Londonderry
Londonderry Liquor Store Shell X Roads
Luddenham
Ampol
Australia Post Iga Luddenham
Minchinbury
Mcdonald’s
Minchinbury Fruit Market
Mount Druitt
Westfield Mount Druitt
Mulgoa
Glenmore Heritage Golf Club
Mulgoa Newsagency
Mulgoa Pharmacy
The Bunker
North St Marys
Boronia House (Retirement Community)
Mfc Food Stores
Orchard Hills
Flower Power
Oxley Park
Morris Care & Advice Pharmacy
Penrith
Aldi
Astina
Atmosphere Gym
Australian Arms
Borec Road Takeaway (Valley Café)
Brisket Boys
Café Fred
Caltex Coreen Avenue
Coles Penrith (Nepean Village)
Coles (Westfield Penrith)
Crescent Mini Mart
High Street Pies
Hoyts Westfield
Joan Sutherland Arts Centre
Lemongrove Community Health Centre
Liquor Stax Peachtree
Mcdonald’s High Street
Mcdonald’s Panthers Leagues
Mcdonald’s Peachtree
Mercure Hotel
Museum Of Fire
Nepean Aquatic Centre
Nepean Motor Group Café
Nepean Rowing Club
Nepean Village Coffee Club
Nepean Village Newsagency
Nextra Westfield
Office of Karen McKeown MP
One Point Health
Panthers Leagues Club
Peachtree Hotel
Penrith Bowling Club
Penrith Cbd Corporation
Penrith City Council
Penrith City Library
Penrith Golf Club
Penrith Hotel
Penrith Paceway
Penrith Rsl
Penrith Senior Citizens’ Centre
Pioneer Tavern
Re/Max
Sittano’s Restaurant
Tattersalls Hotel
The Chicken Run
The Heritage Terrace Café
The Log Cabin
Westfield World Gym
7/11 Henry Street
Regentville
7/11 Regentville
Ropes Crossing
Coles
Ropes Crossing Newsagency
Silverdale
Iga
The Chemist Shop
South Penrith
Budget Service Station
Fish Fish
Friendly Grocer
Grose’s Pharmacy
Southlands Newsagency
Southlands Takeaway
South Penrith Neighbourhood Centre
Woolworths
St Clair
Blue Cattle Dog Hotel
Foodworks
Melville Road Takeaway
St Clair Library
St Clair Shopping Centre
7/11 St Clair
St Marys
Andrew’s Corner Store
Ampol Foodary
Astley Pharmacy
Cassandra’s On Queen
Guido’s Hair Care
Jayam Supermarket
Mcdonald’s St Marys South
Monfarville Corner Store
Queen St Newsagency St Marys Band Club
St Marys Fish Market
St Marys Leagues Club
St Marys Library
St Marys Pharmacy Queen St
St Marys Pizza Hut
St Marys Rsl
St Marys Village
Wagon Wheel Hotel
Walter’s Newsagency
Thornton
Petramart
Thornton Community Centre
Wallacia
Wallacia Golf Club
Wallacia Hotel
Wallacia Post Office
Wallacia Takeaway
Warragamba
Warragamba Sports Club
Werrington
Colonial Hotel
Crossroads Convenience Store
Dirani’s Mfc
George’s Charcoal Chicken
Henry Sports Club
Mcdonald’s
Supa Iga
The Foodary
Werrington Newsagency
If you’re a player looking to lift your value on the open market and want to learn and become a better player in the process, you could do worse than join the back-to-back Premiers for a year or two.
Over the last four years the Panthers have become something akin to a ‘hit music factory’, because playing with the Premiers certainly has its benefits.
Young players come to Penrith to increase their profile, some older players to resurrect their careers.
Youngster Matt Burton came through the Panthers system and while he played a few games in the halves at Penrith, his career really took off when he played centre in Penrith’s premiership victory of 2021.
Burton however wanted to play first grade in the halves and so took a great offer from the Bulldogs at the end of the 2021 season.
Kurt Capewell, on the other hand was an older player who was known as a ‘solid first grader’ when he joined Penrith for the 2020 season. Two years in the Panthers system, a Grand Final appearance and premiership ring later, Capewell left to take up a far more lucrative contract with the Brisbane Broncos from 2022 onwards.
With a genuine shortage of quality halves on the open market,
the Panthers have already helped re-launch the careers of two journeymen.
After playing only one season as understudy to Nathan Cleary, these two boys have virtually been able to write their own ticket.
Dolphins half Sean O’Sullivan joined Penrith in 2022 and played 11 games as Cleary’s understudy. By the end of the season he was
signed by the Dolphins on a threeyear-deal as their starting halfback. At the beginning of this year, not many fans were familiar with Jack Cogger either. Cogger, at 25, was bought back from the UK Super League to fill the void whenever Cleary was on representative duties or injured. Fast forward a few months and Cogger now has a three-year deal with the Newcastle
Knights starting in 2024, quite the move.
A quick rundown of other players who have benefited from playing with the Panthers over the last four years include Jaeman Salmon, Jack Hetherington and Thomas Jenkins, who is rumoured to be heading to the Newcastle Knights next season. Meanwhile, journeyman Scott Sorensen came to the Panthers on a wing and a prayer at the start of 2021, looking for an opportunity and recently re-signed for a further three seasons but not before being approached by several NRL clubs including Newcastle. Whether it’s the culture at the Panthers, the system, the players, the recent premierships or a combination of all four, playing for Penrith, once not considered an ideal destination for players to progress their career, has become a place where players want to go. Or in the case of Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Moses Leota, Liam Martin and Brian To’o, want to stay. As for the money, well that’s not bad either at the Panthers but there’s no doubt a lot of players who stay take less than they could at another club, but as prop James Fisher-Harris said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last week, “It’s not all about the money bro!” Indeed it isn’t.
When Reuben Garrick came crashing back to earth in Auckland last weekend, the impact was enough to fracture one of those boney protrusions that extend off your vertebrae like the limbs of a tree.
The contact with Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, ending with Garrick free-falling onto his back from an uncomfortable height, was a freakish coming together that happens, thankfully, extremely rarely in a game that has high-impact collisions at its essence.
Remarkably, Garrick is a chance of playing again before the end of the minor premiership, and may even take the field against the Bulldogs this Sunday.
That’s a great outcome for an eye-popping moment, especially so when you hear the words ‘fracture’ and ‘vertebrae’ used in the same sentence.
Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold was understandably beyond upset that the onfield officials, with the help of the Bunker, found no fault with the contact from Nicoll-Klokstad, which to Seibold was a double whammy when he realised that Garrick’s injury would incapacitate him for the rest of the game.
And, as usually happens with a moment like this, fans watching
the game were instantly split into two camps – those who thought Manly was at least entitled to a penalty and that the Warriors fullback should probably be placed on report, and the viewers who saw the whole thing as one of those rugby league accidents the game produces on occasion.
If Nicoll-Klokstad did nothing wrong by the rules then the rules should be changed, say the fans and pundits who fall into that first group.
The problem with that, however, is the prospect of bringing into play a range of situations that aren’t remotely likely to lead to injury that would suddenly result in penalties having to be blown and changing
the fabric of the game. What would the new rule say? That you can’t tackle or make contact with a player who has the ball when his feet are off the ground in any situation?
Or should it state that the referee should be able to use his discretion to penalise defenders if the contact results in a ‘dangerous’ situation?
Nobody wanted to see Reuben Garrick injured, but the fact is he’s very unlikely to ever be placed in the same situation again.
Should the NRL try to tweak the laws of the game to catch all incidents where players are injured, well, rugby league would look a lot different to what it currently does.
Retroactively changing the laws following moments like the one
we saw is like trying to remove that bubble in the lounge room carpet that’s been bugging you ever since it was first laid.
You can flatten it out and make it smooth in one corner, only to turn around and find that the bubble now appears right next to the coffee table.
When the NRL introduced the set-restart rule to keep play flowing instead of blowing a penalty, nobody could foresee that teams would instantly start giving away an extra six tackles to make sure their defensive line was set when under pressure in their own red zone. Bubble. Carpet.
The game is fine. Accidents will happen.
grades
Astirring second half comeback has seen the Penrith Panthers upset Minor Premiers North Sydney 26-18 in the penultimate round of the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, keeping their Finals hopes alive. The Panthers trailed 18-8 at half-time, with Sam Walker creating three tries for the Bears from kicks, while Jesse McLean and Isaiah Iongi
scored tries for the visitors at North Sydney Oval.
frustrate them.
It took until the 58th minute, but the Panthers finally broke through, keeping the ball alive for Kurt Falls to score adjacent to the uprights.
They scored again in the 70th minute when Trent Toelau ran the ball on the last before putting in a pinpoint banana kick for McLean’s second. Jack Cole’s sideline conversion gave them a 20-18 lead.
The Panthers were rewarded with another try on the siren, when Toelau again ran the ball on the last, this time turning it inside to Eddie Blacker to crash over near the posts.
The Jersey Flegg Panthers missed out on an opportunity to maintain third spot on the table, suffering their second narrow loss in succession, 24-20 against the Melbourne Storm.
The Storm were first on the board in the fifth minute through Ali Okusitino, however Billy Scott quickly hit back for the Panthers.
Former Panther Keagan Russell-Smith put the Storm back ahead five minutes later, but it took only four minutes for Cody Lawson to strike back for the visitors.
The Storm went to half-time leading 18-10 following a try to Coby Williamson on the siren.
The Panthers jumped to a 20-18 lead within 10 minutes through tries to Aston Warwick and Lawson, however Williamson scored his second 15 minutes from full-time, allowing the Storm to hang on to win.
In Round 26, the two grades host the Eels at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with NSW Cup needing a win and hoping that any of the Warriors, Raiders or Blacktown lose, or that they beat Parramatta by at least four points more than Blacktown beat Canterbury by.
PANTHERS WARRIORS
COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
BULLDOGS SHARKS
PANTHERS WARRIORS
COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
BULLDOGS KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS RAIDERS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS RAIDERS
STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
BULLDOGS SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
BULLDOGS KNIGHTS
PANTHERS WARRIORS
COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS DOLPHINS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS RAIDERS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS DOLPHINS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS DOLPHINS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
PANTHERS WARRIORS
COWBOYS STORM ROOSTERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS DOLPHINS STORM TIGERS RAIDERS
BULLDOGS KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS WARRIORS COWBOYS STORM TIGERS BRONCOS
PANTHERS DRAGONS COWBOYS TITANS TIGERS BRONCOS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS
SEA EAGLES KNIGHTS
SEA EAGLES SHARKS