Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.'
Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves.
It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception.
Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye.
First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth.
It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch.
'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.'
Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday.
Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out.
'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast.
'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.'
Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week.
Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand.
In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season.
In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand.
This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals.
And perhaps that is the crux of the issue.
Loading
We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum.
Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run.
That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome.
Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
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The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘I don't think it's too serious': Panthers provide Nathan Cleary update ahead of rare match in New Zealand
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary doesn't think his son's groin issue is 'too serious', with the champion halfback expected to be fine to take his place in the side for next Thursday's showdown with the Bulldogs. Nathan Cleary battled a groin complaint in Wednesday's second Origin clash, with the NSW No.7 forced to wear a compression sleeve on his right leg. Cleary didn't kick goals and was kept quiet in the first half, only for the four-time premiership winner to take control as the Blues chased points in a dramatic final 40 minutes. The injury caught everyone off guard, but it's not considered serious at this stage. Cleary was always going to miss Penrith's trip to New Zealand for Saturday's game against the Warriors, with all five of their Origin stars rested, including hat-trick hero Brian To'o, who overcame a hamstring injury to dominate in Perth. 'Nathan had that little groin injury. I'm not too sure how he's going at the moment, but I don't think it's too serious,' Ivan Cleary said in Auckland. 'Bizza (To'o) went into the game with a bit of a hamstring issue but he's come out pretty good.' The undermanned Panthers can jump back inside the top eight with an upset win across the ditch in what will be their first match in Auckland since 2019. Isaah Yeo was still playing in the centres back then, James Maloney was halfback and James Fisher-Harris was still at the club as they overcame two sin bins to win 19-18. Cleary, who used to coach the Warriors, voiced his frustrations recently at the timing of this away trip after Origin that forced him to rest his Blues players given the hectic travel schedule. But he's moved on ahead of two massive matches in five days against a couple of top-four teams coached by two of his former assistants. 'It's disappointing for the New Zealand fans because we haven't played here for six years, so they haven't seen any of our team through that pretty good period,' he said. 'That's a little unfortunate, but I know it must be difficult trying to work out the draw, and everyone has their own hardluck stories.'
