Latest news with #Penrith
The Age
9 hours ago
- Sport
- 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
9 hours ago
- Sport
- 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.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL fans react as champion Panthers player linked with early exit to rival club
The Penrith Panthers have reportedly granted two-time premiership-winning forward Luke Garner permission to speak to rival clubs and are willing to let him leave early. Garner was part of the Panthers' premiership-winning teams in 2023 and 2024 and is contracted until the end of 2026. However the is reporting that Garner and his management have been granted permission to leave one year early if he can find a new club. The report states the Parramatta Eels were initially one of three clubs interested in the versatile forward, but a three-year deal has been tabled by a different team. The 29-year-old Garner has played 114 first-grade games to date - 75 with the Wests Tigers and 39 with Penrith. He's proven to be a versatile weapon for Ivan Cleary's side in 2025, playing second-row, lock and centre. He played in the Panthers' grand final victories in 2023 and 2024 grand finals, coming off the bench both times. He'd be a handy pick-up for a rival club, and would join a long line of premiership-winning players to leave Penrith. Due to salary cap constraints, the Panthers have been forced to part ways with big-name players like Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau. NRL fans are predicting Garner might end up reuniting with former teammates Crichton, Burton and Kikau at the Dogs. Others were quick to question why the Panthers would release him early, considering he's been a key cog in their side in 2025. The Panthers are flushed for depth in the back-row, with the likes of Isaah Yeo, Isaiah Papali'i, Scott Sorensen, Liam Henry and Mavrik Geyer. Former Panthers star Bryce Cartwright is also back in the Penrith system after joining St Mary's in Ron Massey Cup after being granted an immediate release from the Eels. Some have speculated he might end up back in a Panthers jersey, although it appears more likely his career at NRL level is over. Garner has been relegated to the bench for the Panthers' Round 16 game against the Warriors on Saturday, suggesting he might be on the outer. Speculation has been rife on social media about where he might end up playing in 2026. Luke Garner sounds like a real Manly signing. — Kieran Wagstaff (@KieranWagstaff) June 19, 2025 Why are we getting rid of Luke Garner, he's been quality for us, get rid of Tago before getting rid of Garner — Kyle (@kyle_waller2) June 19, 2025 Smart. Love Garns but no matter how successful you are, you need to continue to churn — 91 03 21 22 23 24 PREMIERS 🐾🏆 (@SnoogThe) June 19, 2025 Luke's improvement at Penrith has been gradual and sustained and he is now a valuable part of our team. We're Grateful for his contribution and wish him well in the future. — Tony Diaczok (@tdiaczok) June 19, 2025 It's definitely based on some junior talent the fact he has been offered to look around suggests he won't be here next year — Panthers 4 back to back (@ckthommo) June 19, 2025 I don't think we can afford to let Garner go just yet. How young do we want this team to get? — Nick92 (@pantherman92) June 19, 2025 As well as losing premiership-winning players, the Panthers are also losing their champion assistant coaches. On Thursday, the Perth Bears announced the signing of Panthers assistant Ben Gardiner to work as Mal Meninga's right-hand man. Gardiner, who helped the Panthers win premierships in 2023 and 2024, will join the Bears in 2026 to help Meninga with recruitment before they enter the NRL competition in 2027. Gardiner is the current head coach of the Samoa national team, and previously led the North Sydney Bears in NSW Cup. He joins Cameron Ciraldo and Andrew Webster as Penrith assistant coaches to score roles at rival clubs during their run of four-straight premierships. RELATED: Selwyn Cobbo facing dire situation as Broncos sign three players Andrew Johns airs complaint over Origin moment 'shouldn't be allowed' On top of all that, the Panthers will also farewell long-time CEO Brian Fletcher in 2026. The 71-year-old has been Penrith CEO for the last 15 years, but has decided to retire.
7NEWS
a day ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Nathan Cleary reveals ‘frustrating' truth of last-minute State of Origin injury dramas
Penrith and NSW are confident Nathan Cleary's groin problem is not a serious one, after the Panthers superstar played through tightness in the Blues' Perth loss. Cleary's upper right leg emerged as one of the key talking points of State of Origin II, after he did not kick goals and had his thigh bandaged. The issue prevented Cleary from goal-kicking and putting up long kicks in general play during the first half on Wednesday. It proved pivotal with the wayward boot of replacement goal-kicker Zac Lomax ultimately proving the difference between the sides in a 26-24 loss for NSW. On Thursday morning, Cleary revealed he had injured himself while goal-kicking at Tuesday's captain's run but never felt the issue was serious enough to sideline him. 'I always thought it would be fine, it was just sort of the kicking load which was up in the air,' he said. 'I don't actually know the exact thing (injury) but I essentially did it goal-kicking in captain's run. It's a little bit frustrating. 'I can't commend the physios enough, they put a lot of time into me at captain's run and the morning of the game.' Cleary is already set to be rested from Penrith's clash against the Warriors in Auckland due to travel, with the Panthers not backing up any of their five Origin stars. But his fitness after that is crucial with Penrith attempting to revive their season and an Origin decider just three weeks away. NSW have already lost first-choice five-eighth Mitch Moses to a calf injury, with Jarome Luai called in to wear the No.6 jersey on Wednesday night. If Cleary was to be in some doubt, Matt Burton would loom as the most likely option to come into the Blues' side for the July 9 decider at Accor Stadium. AAP has been told Cleary did not require scans in the lead-up to Wednesday's match and had been in close contact with Penrith and his father Ivan. The halfback is not expected to undergo scans when he flies home to Sydney, and not scheduled to return to the Panthers until Monday. 'Obviously he is a massive part of both teams,' Penrith and NSW second-rower Liam Martin said. 'I am sure he will be fine. He will do everything he can to be sweet and I'm sure he will be.' At full-time, NSW coach Laurie Daley took the blame for the Blues' first-half flop and indicated he'd remain loyal to his players for the series decider in Sydney. The Blues gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, completed at 56 per cent and had their defence pulled apart with 22 missed tackles. NSW scored four unanswered tries in the second half as they threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history. But Lomax's three missed conversions and the team's horrific first half was left to haunt them. 'I've got to take responsibility, because we started well (with the first try), but the first half wasn't great,' Daley said. 'So I've got to look at what I've done, because something isn't right.' Daley was protective of his players when asked if he was confident in his current squad or would need to make changes for game three. 'Well, I was confident at half-time,' Daley said. 'I know what this group is capable of, and that's the thing you get disappointed with, because they never gave themselves that opportunity. 'You can't play a half of football like that against quality opposition and expect to be close. 'So for us, it's a good lesson. We'll go back to the drawing board. 'It's one-all. That's what Origin is all about, and it creates theatre and it creates headlines. 'I'm sure everyone wants a decider, and they've got it now.'
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Cleary downplays groin issue as Origin decider looms
Penrith and NSW are confident Nathan Cleary's groin problem is not a serious one, after the Panthers superstar played through tightness in the Blues' Perth loss. Cleary's upper right leg emerged as one of the key talking points of State of Origin II, after he did not kick goals and had his thigh bandaged. The issue prevented Cleary from goal-kicking and putting up long kicks in general play during the first half on Wednesday. It proved pivotal with the wayward boot of replacement goal-kicker Zac Lomax ultimately proving the difference between the sides in a 26-24 loss for NSW. On Thursday morning, Cleary revealed he had injured himself while goal-kicking at Tuesday's captain's run but never felt the issue was serious enough to sideline him. "I always thought it would be fine, it was just sort of the kicking load which was up in the air," he said. "I don't actually know the exact thing (injury) but I essentially did it goal-kicking in captain's run. It's a little bit frustrating. "I can't commend the physios enough, they put a lot of time into me at captain's run and the morning of the game." Cleary is already set to be rested from Penrith's clash against the Warriors in Auckland due to travel, with the Panthers not backing up any of their five Origin stars. But his fitness after that is crucial with Penrith attempting to revive their season and an Origin decider just three weeks away. NSW have already lost first-choice five-eighth Mitch Moses to a calf injury, with Jarome Luai called in to wear the No.6 jersey on Wednesday night. If Cleary was to be in some doubt, Matt Burton would loom as the most likely option to come into the Blues' side for the July 9 decider at Accor Stadium. AAP has been told Cleary did not require scans in the lead up to Wednesday's match and had been in close contact with Penrith and his father Ivan. The halfback is not expected to undergo scans when he flies home to Sydney, and not scheduled to return to the Panthers until Monday. "Obviously he is a massive part of both teams," Penrith and NSW second-rower Liam Martin said. "I am sure he will be fine. He will do everything he can to be sweet and I'm sure he will be." At full-time, NSW coach Laurie Daley took the blame for the Blues' first-half flop and indicated he'd remain loyal to his players for the series decider in Sydney. The Blues gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, completed at 56 per cent and had their defence pulled apart with 22 missed tackles. NSW scored four unanswered tries in the second half as they threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history. But Lomax's three missed conversions and the team's horrific first half was left to haunt them. "I've got to take responsibility, because we started well (with the first try), but the first half wasn't great," Daley said. "So I've got to look at what I've done, because something isn't right." Daley was protective of his players when asked if he was confident in his current squad or would need to make changes for game three. "Well, I was confident at half-time," Daley said. "I know what this group is capable of, and that's the thing you get disappointed with, because they never gave themselves that opportunity. "You can't play a half of football like that against quality opposition and expect to be close. "So for us, it's a good lesson. We'll go back to the drawing board. "It's one-all. That's what Origin is all about, and it creates theatre and it creates headlines. "I'm sure everyone wants a decider, and they've got it now." Penrith and NSW are confident Nathan Cleary's groin problem is not a serious one, after the Panthers superstar played through tightness in the Blues' Perth loss. Cleary's upper right leg emerged as one of the key talking points of State of Origin II, after he did not kick goals and had his thigh bandaged. The issue prevented Cleary from goal-kicking and putting up long kicks in general play during the first half on Wednesday. It proved pivotal with the wayward boot of replacement goal-kicker Zac Lomax ultimately proving the difference between the sides in a 26-24 loss for NSW. On Thursday morning, Cleary revealed he had injured himself while goal-kicking at Tuesday's captain's run but never felt the issue was serious enough to sideline him. "I always thought it would be fine, it was just sort of the kicking load which was up in the air," he said. "I don't actually know the exact thing (injury) but I essentially did it goal-kicking in captain's run. It's a little bit frustrating. "I can't commend the physios enough, they put a lot of time into me at captain's run and the morning of the game." Cleary is already set to be rested from Penrith's clash against the Warriors in Auckland due to travel, with the Panthers not backing up any of their five Origin stars. But his fitness after that is crucial with Penrith attempting to revive their season and an Origin decider just three weeks away. NSW have already lost first-choice five-eighth Mitch Moses to a calf injury, with Jarome Luai called in to wear the No.6 jersey on Wednesday night. If Cleary was to be in some doubt, Matt Burton would loom as the most likely option to come into the Blues' side for the July 9 decider at Accor Stadium. AAP has been told Cleary did not require scans in the lead up to Wednesday's match and had been in close contact with Penrith and his father Ivan. The halfback is not expected to undergo scans when he flies home to Sydney, and not scheduled to return to the Panthers until Monday. "Obviously he is a massive part of both teams," Penrith and NSW second-rower Liam Martin said. "I am sure he will be fine. He will do everything he can to be sweet and I'm sure he will be." At full-time, NSW coach Laurie Daley took the blame for the Blues' first-half flop and indicated he'd remain loyal to his players for the series decider in Sydney. The Blues gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, completed at 56 per cent and had their defence pulled apart with 22 missed tackles. NSW scored four unanswered tries in the second half as they threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history. But Lomax's three missed conversions and the team's horrific first half was left to haunt them. "I've got to take responsibility, because we started well (with the first try), but the first half wasn't great," Daley said. "So I've got to look at what I've done, because something isn't right." Daley was protective of his players when asked if he was confident in his current squad or would need to make changes for game three. "Well, I was confident at half-time," Daley said. "I know what this group is capable of, and that's the thing you get disappointed with, because they never gave themselves that opportunity. "You can't play a half of football like that against quality opposition and expect to be close. "So for us, it's a good lesson. We'll go back to the drawing board. "It's one-all. That's what Origin is all about, and it creates theatre and it creates headlines. "I'm sure everyone wants a decider, and they've got it now." Penrith and NSW are confident Nathan Cleary's groin problem is not a serious one, after the Panthers superstar played through tightness in the Blues' Perth loss. Cleary's upper right leg emerged as one of the key talking points of State of Origin II, after he did not kick goals and had his thigh bandaged. The issue prevented Cleary from goal-kicking and putting up long kicks in general play during the first half on Wednesday. It proved pivotal with the wayward boot of replacement goal-kicker Zac Lomax ultimately proving the difference between the sides in a 26-24 loss for NSW. On Thursday morning, Cleary revealed he had injured himself while goal-kicking at Tuesday's captain's run but never felt the issue was serious enough to sideline him. "I always thought it would be fine, it was just sort of the kicking load which was up in the air," he said. "I don't actually know the exact thing (injury) but I essentially did it goal-kicking in captain's run. It's a little bit frustrating. "I can't commend the physios enough, they put a lot of time into me at captain's run and the morning of the game." Cleary is already set to be rested from Penrith's clash against the Warriors in Auckland due to travel, with the Panthers not backing up any of their five Origin stars. But his fitness after that is crucial with Penrith attempting to revive their season and an Origin decider just three weeks away. NSW have already lost first-choice five-eighth Mitch Moses to a calf injury, with Jarome Luai called in to wear the No.6 jersey on Wednesday night. If Cleary was to be in some doubt, Matt Burton would loom as the most likely option to come into the Blues' side for the July 9 decider at Accor Stadium. AAP has been told Cleary did not require scans in the lead up to Wednesday's match and had been in close contact with Penrith and his father Ivan. The halfback is not expected to undergo scans when he flies home to Sydney, and not scheduled to return to the Panthers until Monday. "Obviously he is a massive part of both teams," Penrith and NSW second-rower Liam Martin said. "I am sure he will be fine. He will do everything he can to be sweet and I'm sure he will be." At full-time, NSW coach Laurie Daley took the blame for the Blues' first-half flop and indicated he'd remain loyal to his players for the series decider in Sydney. The Blues gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, completed at 56 per cent and had their defence pulled apart with 22 missed tackles. NSW scored four unanswered tries in the second half as they threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history. But Lomax's three missed conversions and the team's horrific first half was left to haunt them. "I've got to take responsibility, because we started well (with the first try), but the first half wasn't great," Daley said. "So I've got to look at what I've done, because something isn't right." Daley was protective of his players when asked if he was confident in his current squad or would need to make changes for game three. "Well, I was confident at half-time," Daley said. "I know what this group is capable of, and that's the thing you get disappointed with, because they never gave themselves that opportunity. "You can't play a half of football like that against quality opposition and expect to be close. "So for us, it's a good lesson. We'll go back to the drawing board. "It's one-all. That's what Origin is all about, and it creates theatre and it creates headlines. "I'm sure everyone wants a decider, and they've got it now."
