Extra Time September 15 2023 (Finals Week 2)

one win away

PENRITH CLOSE IN ON A FOURTH STRAIGHT DECIDER. FULL FINALS COVERAGE INSIDE

MASKED PANTHER

SEE PAGE 41

PETER LANG

SEE PAGE 47

NATHAN CLEARY POSTER INSIDE

MATT

SEE PAGE 48

SALMON SWEATS ON AN OPPORTUNITY

While he hasn’t played a game since early August, Panthers utility Jaeman Salmon says he’s ready for whenever Ivan Cleary needs him during this year’s NRL Finals.

The 24-year-old, who was 18th man in Penrith’s huge victory over the New Zealand Warriors last Saturday afternoon, said his week remains the same whether he’s playing or not.

“When I’m named 18th man, I’ll do everything with the team,” Salmon told Extra Time “I’ll train with the team, sit in the same meetings, I’ll do Captain’s Run, I’ll warm up with the team then sit on the bench – the exact same things.”

After 25 games, including the Grand Final in season 2022, Salmon has only played 17 NRL matches this season – mostly via the bench. While his year has taken a different path to perhaps he would have wanted, he’s been nothing but supportive of the players that have taken his spot on the pine.

“I think there’s been a lot more competition for bench spots this year,” he said.

“A lot of the boys have been playing well –Peach, Hosko – they deserve the spot.

“It is a bit different this year but I’m happy for those boys that are playing. Obviously, I’d like to be on the bench, but that’s just the way it goes. I’m happy for the boys and I’ll still do anything that the team needs me to do to prepare the 1-17 for the game.”

Making things a little harder for Salmon is the fact that he may have played his last game in Panthers colours. With Penrith flushed with players for next week’s Preliminary Final, there’s a strong chance Salmon may not get on the field again in 2023.

Salmon will link up with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs next season after signing with the struggling club last month until the end of 2025.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet that I’m leaving this group but I’m sure it will after the Grand Final, if we make it,” Salmon said.

“We’re a close bunch of boys and it will be hard leaving, but it’s just the way footy goes unfortunately. I’m sure we’ll catch up in the future.”

Salmon said he has no regrets leaving the Minor Premiers’ penthouse for Phil Gould’s dog house, and thanked everyone at the Panthers for turning his career around after he was shown the door by Parramatta in 2020.

“I’ve got a lot of close mates here, but it just didn’t work out. I’m keen for the Dogs next year and to try something new,” he admitted.

“I can’t thank the club and coaching staff here at Penrith enough for the work they’ve put into me over the past three years.

“They’ve turned me into a first grader and that’s what they do here at Penrith – they turn footy players into first graders.”

Salmon said his favourite moment throughout his 61 appearances with the Panthers was last year’s Grand Final victory over his former club.

“It has to be!” he said.

NATHAN TAYLOR

Jaeman Salmon warming up on the field last weekend.

Photo: NRL Images.

WHAT BROUGHT SPENCER TO TEARS?

“I’ll miss the boys, the fans, the community. I’ve been here since I was young and taking that boy out of that community is a big thing… and I’ll just miss everything.”

Following Spencer Leniu’s last regular season home game against the Cowboys earlier this month, he looked around BlueBet Stadium and shed a little tear –after 80 appearances in the Panthers’ colours, his time was coming to an end.

“It hit me a little bit after the game,” Leniu told Extra Time prior to his final home match against the Warriors last Saturday.

“We did our little prayer after the game and I did a 360-degree look around the stadium and thought, next week will be my last time here.

“It hit me with a little bit of emotion.”

Leniu ended up enjoying the perfect Penrith Stadium send-off last Saturday afternoon when he and his teammates booked their place in next Friday night’s Preliminary Final.

The 23-year-old will join the Sydney Roosters next season after signing a monster deal with the Bondi-based club back in February.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Leniu moved to western Sydney as a young boy and spent his early playing days with the Minchinbury Jets.

He made his much-hyped NRL debut with the Panthers in 2019 before going on to win back-to-back Premierships with the club in 2021 and 2022.

Leniu said he’ll miss a lot of things about his time at the foot of the Mountains.

“This is my home,” he said.

“I don’t know if I can pinpoint one thing, but I’ll miss a bit of everything.

On a lighter note, one thing Leniu said he definitely won’t miss about his time at the defending Premiers is working as a part-time ‘Uber driver’ for one of his teammates.

“I won’t miss picking Tito (Sunia Turuva) up every single day for training,” Leniu laughed.

“It’s a funny story… he only just got his P’s a couple of days ago and he sent me a message last night asking what time I wanted him to pick me up today.

“I never thought I’d ever get a message like that from him in my life, but I’ll take it! These next three weeks I’ll be using him as my personal Uber.”

While Leniu can see the humorous side to his sad departure, one thing is certain – he’s going to do everything in his power to leave the Panthers in the best way possible.

Whether it’s running harder or crunching players with some added force, Leniu said he’s prepared to empty the tank before he leaves the foot of the Mountains.

“My motivation to perform for this club over these next few weeks goes up to a whole new level now,” he said.

“I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to prepare like it’s going to be my last game.

“I just want to repay the club for all that they’ve done for me since I came here as a little boy from New Zealand. I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to go full throttle.”

Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu farewell BlueBet Stadium.

NATHAN TAYLOR

panther rumblings

PANTHERS, NRL IN VENUE CLASH

! NRL, Panthers at odds over venue: The NRL issued the week three Finals schedule earlier this week with an interesting omission – a venue for Penrith’s Preliminary Final. The Panthers will play on Friday, September 22 at 7.50pm but there appears to be some conjecture over whether the match will be played at Accor Stadium or CommBank Stadium. The Panthers always thought they’d be playing at Accor, and would prefer the Olympic venue. But the NRL fears the crowd for the match, particularly if it’s Penrith versus Melbourne, would better suit CommBank. Sounds like there will be some interesting phone calls back and forth over the weekend.

! Friday first: One for the footy geeks –Penrith have never played a Preliminary Final, or what was previously called a Major Semi Final, on a Friday night – marking a first next weekend.

! Spotted: Rob Weaver was a powerful figure at Panthers as the manager of the media department for more than a decade. It’s been more than 15 years since he left the job and he’s now living on the Northern Rivers. But as this photo shows, Weaver loves his Panthers – showing plenty of support ahead of last

! Faux Pahs: Panthers bosses instructed the club’s media team to delete its rather random ‘Up The Pahs’ video last weekend, after some question marks were raised about whether it showed disrespect to the Warriors. The whole thing was a storm in a teacup. The Warriors weren’t all that concerned by it, but Penrith preferred the story not stretch out and opted to put a lid on it.

! Cleary’s surprise visit: Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary recently surprised one of his biggest fans, Layton, with a visit on his 21st birthday. Cleary dropped off a signed jersey. It was a beautiful moment.

! Cleary’s injury call: Are you wondering where those informative injury update videos on the Panthers website and social media disappeared to? I’m told it was call by coach Ivan Cleary mid-season to axe the videos, preferring a closed door approach to injury management. You wouldn’t get away with it in some of the bigger American sports, but there’s no rule in the NRL that says you have to be open about injuries.

! Panthers get one back: Paul Alamoti will join Penrith next season, joining the club from Canterbury in a reverse of recent transfer trends between the two clubs. Alamoti is 19 and made his debut earlier this year.

! Smelly Balls: An interesting package landed on my desk this week – a packet of ‘Smelly Balls’. It’s a new air freshener concept and they come in club colours and branding. A pair of Panthers Smelly Balls now proudly sit hanging from my rear view mirror.

! Leniu’s soft spot: Spencer Leniu admits he grew up as a Warriors fan, making last week’s Finals clash a little strange for the big guy. “I’ve always been a Warriors fan. I’ve been a diehard Warriors fan since I was young. Obviously coming from there. I was talking to Iv, I was there at the Grand Final in 2011 when he coached the team. It’s funny how it’s come full circle. He’s my coach now and I’ll always have a soft spot for the Warriors,” Leniu said.

! Behind the wheel: Congratulations to Panthers winger Sunia Turuva, who passed his driving test with flying colours last week. We hear he’s already got himself some wheels and is offering lifts to teammates left, right and centre.

! Spotted: Blues coach and Channel 9 commentator Brad Fittler catching up with Stephen Crichton prior to last Saturday’s Preliminary Final showdown with the Warriors at BlueBet Stadium.

Accor Stadium.

match previews

WHO WILL MAKE UP THE FINAL FOUR?

TROY DODDS

Storm v Roosters

Friday, September 15, 7.50pm at AAMI Park

A dejected Melbourne coming off probably their worst attacking performance of the season. A decimated Roosters, buoyed by a victory last weekend but dealing with a significant injury crisis.

No matter which way you look at it, Friday night’s clash between these two NRL heavyweights promises to be a beauty, with plenty of storylines attached.

Can the patched up Roosters, whose efforts to even make the Finals deserve to be applauded given where they came from mid-season, topple a Storm side that has Finals football down to an art?

There is no doubt the task is made very difficult for Trent Robinson’s side with the likes of Billy Smith, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Joey Manu all on the sideline, on top of enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves also sitting out.

But I can’t get over how poor Melbourne were last weekend and there were certainly cracks in the armour appearing throughout the season; games they lost that you

usually wouldn’t consider the Storm dropping.

I have no doubt Craig Bellamy would have delivered nothing short of a perfect preparation for this week. He’s been in situations like this before, and he usually gets his side to respond.

However, there’s just something about the Roosters at the moment that I like – injuries and all.

If the Roosters can make the Preliminary Final after the season they’ve had, it would be an extraordinary story. That may just be enough motivation to get the job done.

Tip: Roosters by 6.

Warriors v Knights Saturday, September 16, 4.05pm at Go Media Stadium.

You can pretty much disregard the Warriors’ performance against Penrith last Saturday afternoon. Without Shaun Johnson, they were never going to be the same team and it’ll be a very different side that runs out onto Go Media Stadium this weekend.

If the Knights thought they had the market cornered when it came to ferocious home support, just wait until the Warriors run out on Saturday.

There’s no doubt the Warri-

ors needed last week’s hit-out – they hadn’t played a top eight team for some time and they now know just what it takes to compete at this level in September. Going out in straight sets, after the season they’ve had, just seems unlikely. And then there’s Newcastle, confronting an overseas trip on a short turnaround after playing an exhausting Extra Time period last Sunday. Will it be all too much for Adam O’Brien’s side, particularly given their questionable defence at times against the Raiders?

Kalyn Ponga really stood up last weekend, and his

journey from where this season started to where it is now is to be celebrated – he’s really proving that lofty price tag is worth it.

Jackson Hastings is out, and losing a halfback is a huge blow to any team. But Tyson Gamble has gone well this year, and should partner well with Adam Clune.

You can’t discount the Knights, who are playing with plenty of heart and spirit. But just like the crowd and occasion got the Knights home last week, I think those factors will play a significant role in a Warriors victory on Saturday.

Tip: Warriors by 12.

Melbourne forward

Tui Kamikamica.

Photo: NRL Images.

Tyson Gamble celebrates last week’s win.

Photo: NRL Images.

analysis

With only six teams left in the 2023 Premiership campaign, this weekend will see another two sides eliminated, with only four to progress to the penultimate round.

Fortunately, the Panthers are already one of the teams who are through to the final four courtesy of an impressive 32-6 victory over the New Zealand Warriors last Saturday.

The other team which has advanced to the final four is the Brisbane Broncos after they took care of the Melbourne Storm 26-0.

Penrith and Brisbane will no doubt use the extra week off to freshen up their troops but more importantly, it’s one less game they have to play to make it to the ‘Big Dance’.

It’s also one less game where players can get injured.

For the Panthers, it’s an extra week of rehab for Jarome Luai, who despite his optimism is fighting the clock to get his shoulder right to play in one of the toughest sports in the world.

It’s an extra week for centre Izack Tago to get his pec strengthened for all the high impact tackles and running he’ll have to do.

It’s an extra week for Mitch Kenny and Scott Sorensen to rest their niggling injuries and do some more rehab work.

Finally, it’s an extra week for every player to give their bodies a rest.

At this time of the year, you can bet your life that most players are carrying some sort of niggling injury or minor bumps and bruises.

This break will do them all a world of good.

The Panthers can also sit back this weekend and watch the Storm, Roosters, Knights and Warriors belt the living tripe out of each other.

In years gone by, there has been some debate as to whether the week off is a good thing. Some argued it halted momentum and could be a distraction for the resting teams.

Over the years this has not always been the case and I think if you ask any coach in the competition, every single one of them would take the week off given the opportunity.

Now let’s take a brief look at the two sides which will do battle for the privilege to advance to the Preliminary Final and take on the Panthers for a spot in the Grand Final.

If the Roosters win, they’ll face Penrith with plenty of momentum after collecting two ‘big scalps’ along the way in the Sharks and Storm.

In Trent Robinson, they also have one of the most experienced coaches in the competition, a premiership winner.

If Melbourne win, they will play the Panthers ready to take revenge on a side which has already beaten them convincingly twice this season. Depending on injuries they also have the firepower to trouble Penrith’s much vaunted defence. Players like Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes are all genuine match winners.

If you ask the Penrith play ers, they’ll tell you to a man, they don’t care who they play. “Respect every opponent, but fear none,” is a well-known sports quote.

One gets the feeling that’s exactly how the Panthers feel.

Jarome Luai at training.

Photo: Melinda Jane.

with Peter Lang

CROWD TELLS THE PERFECT STORY

Asports broadcaster benefits from a big crowd as much as the athletes they’re cheering.

It’s your measuring stick, a barometer, almost a handrail for the voice.

It’s why one of my favourite highlights from the first week of Finals was Newcastle’s Dom Young racing down the sideline for his second try in a classic game against Canberra. Play it in your mind. Another sell-out crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium reacted when a Raiders’ cross-field kick bounced the Knights’ way; then lifted again when Tyson Gamble turned Hudson Young inside out; before even more noise as the Newcastle winger loomed on his outside and received the ball; a huge roar as he ran the length of the Andrew Johns Stand; and one final heave as the dreadlocks escaped Jordan Rapana to score.

It was like the crowd was channeling a welltuned American muscle car, just idling at the lights before pumping through the gears on a straight road towards a sunset.

We used the try on Fox League’s ‘NRL Tonight’ as a playoff this week, using only the crowd reaction instead of any commentary or music and it worked a treat.

It took us back to a recent announcement that NRL crowds were up more than 20 per cent on last year.

We’ve come a long way since the empty stadiums, cardboard cutouts and fake crowd effects from the audio computer during dreadful COVID. After that, broadcasters like this one will never take big crowds for granted again!

Even allowing for a bit of ‘fudging’ some cynics will no doubt suggest, a 20 per cent climb in crowd figures is a stunning result – no doubt

attributed to a multitude of reasons. The key now is to keep attendances growing. Ticket prices, facilities, food and beverage, simple activations like The Viking Clap, music and of course the athletes and their spectacle will play a part, along with a myriad of other factors.

In the meantime, Newcastle go from riding their crowd to trying to combat the Mt Smart mayhem in Auckland.

These two clubs have been great for crowds this season.

The Knights’ 13 home games this season have attracted more than 20,000 nine times – and the last three have all been sell-outs of more than 29,000. They’ve averaged nearly 24,000.

The Warriors have played nine games at Go

Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland and topped 20k seven times. The average at their traditional home this year is nearly 23,000. Their most recent appearance against St George-Illawarra in Round 26 was the biggest of the season at 25,095 and on Saturday… well good luck trying to keep them out!

Saturday is the unofficial ‘Fairytale Cup’. Newcastle AND the Warriors are neck and neck as everyone’s second favourite team.

Here are two clubs who have struggled in recent times – the Knights through three consecutive wooden spoons and the Warriors through displacement and poor results during COVID. Surely no one begrudges them for making some noise. Definitely not the commentators.

hidden panther

AM I

The crowd go wild in Newcastle last weekend. Photo: NRL Images.

AN UNFORGETTABLE AFTERNOON AT

Asell-out crowd, a beautiful spring day and a famous Penrith Panthers win.

Last Saturday afternoon had it all at BlueBet Stadium, with the Panthers claiming a 32-6 victory over the Warriors in the opening weekend of the Finals.

Leading 20-0 at the break, the Panthers produced a stunning performance to qualify for next weekend’s Preliminary Final.

Thanks to NRL Images, here’s some of our favourite moments from a special afternoon in Penrith...

Nathan Cleary breaks away from the defence to score a special solo try in the second half.

Sunia Turuva scored two tries. The crowd takes part in a ‘Mexican wave’, all part of a special afternoon of celebrations in Penrith.

Panthers fans show their spirit during the match.

Penrith fans were in fine voice all afternoon.

PENRITH PARK

The Panthers celebrate a try against the Warriors. Nathan Cleary takes a kick.

Stephen Crichton with friends and family after his last game at BlueBet Stadium.

Dylan Edwards with his family post-game.

Brian To’o takes on the defence.

Jack Cogger looks to get a ball away for the Panthers.

The crowd goes wild for the Panthers.

S A T 1 1 N O V G I A N T S S T A D I U M WW51984