Extra Time July 7 2023 (Round 19 - Panthers Bye)

luai left out

PANTHERS STAR GIVEN MARCHING ORDERS FROM ORIGIN MASKED PANTHER: SEE PAGE 41

PETER LANG

SEE PAGE 42

MATT RUSSELL

SEE PAGE 46

LACHLAN JEFFERY

SEE PAGE 47

Photo: NRL Images.

nrl ladder & fixtures

ROUND 19

face in the crowd

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If you were stranded on a desert island, which other Pantherette are you bringing with you and why?

panther rumblings

LUAI LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

! Letting down Luai: There’s talk that one of the reasons Jarome Luai was dropped for Origin III was that he doesn’t buy into the ‘team’ mentality. Luai bases his personality on some of his big American sporting heroes; which plays well when it comes with winning, but can be troublesome when losing sets in. Luai would have to feel let down by coach Brad Fittler and the selectors – especially given he’s being replaced by 33-year-old Cody Walker. You could understand if the Blues were setting up for the next generation of talent to come through, but that’s not the case here. To add to it all, Luai was actually one of NSW’s better players through the series despite the outside noise. He had two try assists in Origin I along with two line break assists and two tackle breaks, and backed it up with a committed performance in Origin II. The fact Fittler and co think Luai is one of the Blues’ biggest problems is one huge reason a major shake-up is needed for next year.

! Yeo must start: Another odd selection from Brad Fittler and the Blues is Isaah Yeo on the bench. The Panthers co-captain isn’t an impact player. He’ll give you an 80 minute slog and that’s how he’s best used. Surely there will be a pre-match shake-up and Yeo will start. Another switch could see Spencer Leniu, named as 19th man on the extended bench, come into the 17. Meantime, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton and Liam Martin all retained their spots in the NSW side – with Martin to start.

! Next generation: Four Panthers players have been selected in the NSW Under 19’s team for the Origin clash with Queensland in Redcliffe next Thursday. Harrison Hassett, Jesse McLean (pictured), Luron Patea and Billy Scott will all represent the Blues.

! Sponsor secured: The Panthers have already signed up a new major sponsor for next season to replace OAK. The club was planning to announce OAK’s departure from the front of the playing strip at the end of the season but the Weekender broke the story last Thursday, with the club issuing a formal announcement soon after. The new sponsor is already a club partner and is expanding their deal next season. It’s not My Place to tell you who the sponsor is, but despite rumours out there, it’s not an alcohol or gambling company.

! New footy book: If you’re already scratching your head when it comes to the perfect Father’s Day present, keep an eye out for a new rugby league book that will hit the shelves in early August. Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat by Glen Humphries is all about rugby league oddities and artefacts. The book includes over 30 of rugby league’s greatest stories – from both the modern era of rugby league and the sport’s most-loved fabled golden era. These are some of the best NRL yarns you could wish for. The book is published by Gelding Street Press.

! May’s big day: Injured Penrith winger Taylan May has turned one of his most disappointing seasons into one of his most memorable years off the field. The 21-year-old got married to his partner Jess last week in a beautiful ceremony before jetting off for a honeymoon.

will definitely be back for Penrith’s run towards the Finals.

! Spotted: It was wonderful to see Melbourne players taking part in a prayer with some of the Penrith boys after full-time at Marvel Stadium last Friday night.

Graham Annesley has defended The Bunker on his way to admitting Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s try for Melbourne against Penrith last Friday night should not have been awarded. Annesley tried to mount a technical argument as to how the try could have been awarded, but admitted it wasn’t very “sellable” to the public. He’s right – you would have to be a rusted on Melbourne supporter with a serious eyesight issue to have thought it was a four-pointer. It really does make you wonder how these decisions keep getting made by experienced officials. Thankfully, it didn’t cost Penrith in the end.

! Cleary on track: Nathan Cleary could return as early as next week against the Dolphins, which I predicted back when he was first hurt. But there’s a chance he may be given another week given the travel involved and the general disruption caused by the Origin period. Whatever happens, the superstar halfback

! Stadium silence: There’s still no word from Labor about the future of the Penrith Stadium upgrade. The silence is deafening. Perhaps we won’t hear anything until the State Budget in September. The longer it goes on, the more you feel this won’t happen – which would be a major broken promise.

! Bunker’s blunder: NRL Head of Football

Jarome Luai.

Photo: NRL Images.

Everyone in rugby league knows that you can’t win a game let alone a Premiership without a good bench. It’s because these four players have just as important a role to play as the starting 13.

You’ve got to get the balance right

would leave Luke and Salmon out, just.

I know that leaves players like Jack Cogger, Luke Garner and Matt Eisenhuth completely out of the team but the bench of Smith, Leniu, Hosking and Peachey just covers all the bases nicely.

season and not only does he make plenty of ground whenever he carts the ball up, he can also take a bump and just get back up again.

Smith also has a very high work rate and Penrith need to sign this kid beyond next season because other clubs

while his aggression certainly is unmatched.

Zac Hosking is the ultimate workhorse. At 97kg he may not be the biggest back-rower going around but he has the ability to run into holes at speed or just make a powerful carry whenever needed. He’s also agile and tackles himself to a standstill.

Finally, Tyrone Peachey is the ‘X-Factor’ off the bench. He’s incredibly versatile and can cover a number of positions including centre, five-eighth, hooker and even lock.

At 32 years of age, I honestly didn’t think he could make much of an impact. Boy was I wrong. The more he plays in the top grade, the better he gets.

Now if any of the above four go down, Soni Luke and Jaeman Salmon can rotate onto the bench and do the job asked of them.

A three-peat has been a goal and a dream for Penrith and its supporters since co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo hoisted the premiership trophy aloft last October to claim back-to- back titles.

It’s a dream which can become a reality in about three months and putting the best 17 individuals together will help that cause.

carries can get the team back on the front foot,

analysis WW50494

As Michael Jordan once said, “While there is no ‘I’ in team, there is in WIN.”

Tyrone Peachey offers plenty on Penrith’s bench.

Photo: NRL Images.

with Peter Lang

PUTTING HAND UP TO HELP OTHERS

Since coming into the league back in 1967, the Penrith Panthers have always been a passionate community club. While their feats on the field have been a pleasure to watch in recent years, it’s their work off the field that deserves more recognition.

Whether it’s school or hospitals visits, or working with the disabled and Panthers on the Prowl, the club often leads the way in giving back to the local community.

Penrith players are set to be more involved than ever soon after many of them eagerly put their hand up to work with What Ability, an NDIS registered disability support service that utilises professional and semi-professional athletes as support workers to provide community access for people living with a disability.

Former rugby league rising star and founder Steve Dresler visited the Panthers Rugby League Academy recently to present to players the opportunities What Ability can offer them.

The response was extraordinary, with 15 NRL players and a dozen Jersey Flegg players keen to learn more about the Foundation.

“At What Ability, we use athletes as support workers because they’re young, they’re energetic and they’re fun – everything people in disability need,” Dresler told Extra Time “They’ve got availability for fun, flexible work; they need fun, flexible work that fits into their travel, training and busy schedules and we can accommodate that.

“I was a semi-professional athlete with the Eels for five years but got medically retired due to three ACLs and started What Ability. Now we’ve got athletes from the NRL, Super Rugby, Super Netball, cricket, AFL, A-League – every sporting code in the country involved.”

Dresler said athletes playing at NRL, AFL or Super Rugby level don’t often sign up to What Ability for the money, but instead to give back to the community and have a positive impact.

“One of our athletes Tom Trbojevic is on big money at Manly, but he donates his What Ability salary back to the Foundation,” he said.

“But for your AFLW and NRLW players, your Pathways and Academy players and rookies in the team, this is their second income. We offer fun, flexible work and athletes jump at it because they can work mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends – whatever suits their schedules.”

Dresler said an average day for a What Ability athlete may be picking up a participant in the morning, taking them out to lunch or a fun activity, before dropping them back home later on.

Panthers backrower Luke Garner has been involved with What Ability for several years and gives up a lot of his spare time to help out.

“Luke works a lot – he is amazing and he just gets it,” Dresler said.

“Everyone that’s high profile, they do the same work as a regular support worker and that’s why it works so well. We don’t have ambassadors that just turn up to stuff, all our athletes are personally involved.”

The interested Panthers players are currently going through the extensive sign-up process and could be working with local participants by the end of the year.

Penrith players learned more about What Ability

WHICH TEAM TURNS IT AROUND?

Seven clubs have byes this weekend and I’m sure St George-Illawarra, Wests Tigers and Canterbury are glad it’s not them. Here are three big-brand NRL clubs beaten a combined 192-16 last weekend – and they have the Dragons to thank for the 16! Imagine being beaten 52-16, 74-0 and 66-0 last weekend and having a bye weekend to stew on it. Not to mention the flogging at training that a week off would invite.

There will be much attention on how the whipping boys respond.

What will the Tigers toss up on Thursday against Cronulla, the second-best attacking team in the League?

matt russell

How will the Dragons stop a Canberra team that is just one win off the competition lead? Can Canterbury show any resolve against a South Sydney team that has just inflicted the Warriors’ biggest loss of the season? (Imagine if the Rabbitohs weren’t so affected by injuries and Origin duty this weekend!)

Everyone looks for someone to blame after last week’s results. The coaches. The players. What about the club administrations? The game’s governing body, maybe?

All three clubs have had tumultuous periods in the ‘front office’. That has flowed on to the bloke holding the clipboard. Have the Dogs gone forward after sacking Dean Pay – a bloke who bleeds Canterbury culture and was punching way above the roster he had at the time? Have the Tigers gone forward after sacking Premiership-winning, New Zealand national coach Michael Maguire – who has since helped Canberra climb within a win of the lead? What’s happened since the Dragons got rid of Paul McGregor and then Anthony Griffin?

What situation must exist at the Tigers for Luke Brooks to turn his back on the only NRL club he has known? How could Canterbury get rid of a local junior and one of their best players this year, Jake Averillo? Why would a loyal competitor like Ben Hunt want to expose himself to so much criticism for wanting out, if that wasn’t a better option than the situation at the Dragons? When it comes to the game’s governing body, it’s worth remembering this year has been tighter and more exciting than any NRL season. Look at the scoreboards through 17 rounds. Look at the ladder. Look at the crowds. Look at

the ratings. If the talent pool is too small, why have the Dolphins done so well? Why have so many exciting newcomers arrived, and previous discards shone in new environments? That’s before we even cast an eye on the talent lost to England. So, if we clear the game’s governing body, understand that the players are a reflection of the environment, and appreciate the coaching situations at each club, who’s left holding the gun? Every administrator at the Dragons, Tigers and Bulldogs should be as edgy as the fullback standing under the high ball as Round 19 unfolds. Enjoy your footy.

hidden panther

WHO AM I ?

A dejected Canterbury at Accor Stadium last weekend. Photo: NRL Images.

TOUGH TIMES FOR YOUNG GUNS

Three straight defeats has seen the Penrith Panthers fall out of the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup top five, dropping below the Canberra Raiders after they lost to them 22-18 at GIO Stadium on Saturday.

The Panthers opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Tom Jenkins found Soni Luke with an offload, with the hooker grubbering into the in-goal for Chris Smith.

The Raiders evened the scores 10 minutes later when Chevy Stewart also pounced on a grubber.

lower grades report

A try late in the half to Matt Frawley allowed Canberra to take a 12-6 lead to the break.

The Raiders carried their momentum into the second half, going the length of the field in back-to-back sets to extend their lead to 22-6 by the 48th minute.

David Fale kept the Panthers alive with a try in the right-hand corner in the 56th minute, which Kurt Falls converted to reduce the margin to 10.

They cut the deficit to 22-18 with more than a quarter of an hour remaining when Mavrik Geyer grubbered for himself to score under the posts, however the Raiders managed to hold them out for the remainder of the game.

It was a double blow for the Panthers, also falling short in Jersey Flegg, 14-6.

The Raiders opened the scoring in the eighth minute through former Panther Delahia Wigmore, with Keahn Skipps converting to give them a 6-0 lead.

It looked like that would be the only points of the half, however an obstruction penalty against the Panthers shortly before the break

put the Raiders in range for Kane Rushton to score, giving them a 10-0 lead at half-time.

They wasted no time after the resumption in scoring their third try, with Skipps taking their lead to 14-0.

Errors and penalties cost the Panthers any chance of a come-

back, with Timothy Sielaff-Burns scoring their only try seven minutes from full-time. Joseph Nohra converted to make the final score 14-6.

In Round 19, Jersey Flegg take on Cronulla at Henson Park on Saturday afternoon, while NSW Cup enjoy the bye.

Liam Henry charges into the Canberra defence. Photo: NRL Images.