It’s a familiar position for the Panthers to be in, but once again Ivan Cleary’s men enter a new season as reigning premiers without two key players.
Stephen Crichton, who departed for the Bulldogs, and Spencer Leniu, who signed with the Roosters, have both been integral figures in the Penrith dynasty over the last three seasons.
Now without arguably the competition’s best centre and an impressive impact forward, can the Panthers make history and become the first NRL-era team to win four-in-a-row?
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For rugby league legend Cooper Cronk, Penrith have shown over the last three years they are able to find success in any situation that presents itself.
“If you want to compete in the NRL, particularly when a comp, you probably need to do three things well. You need to be a good defensive team. You have some good talent in your decision-making positions,” Cronk said to foxsports.com.au.
“And you need to be mentally and physically tough and ready. The Panthers do that, right? So they’re already ahead of some teams before a ball has even been kicked.
“But they’ve had some changes again that brings them back to the field and other teams will believe that they want to go after them. You saw that in the World Club Challenge.
“So it’d be foolish to say they can’t do it… the most impressive thing about the three-peat for me was that they did it three different ways.
“First year against Souths it was a big-time battle, against Parramatta they blew them away and then against Brisbane, they came from behind in that huge rush.
“So they can win any game in any situation. That’s one hell of a thing to have going into a season when you want to win four in a row.”
Taylan May will replace Crichton in the centres, having spent the 2023 season sidelined due to an ACL injury after a breakout year in 2022.
Meanwhile, Liam Henry looks the likely man to take over Leniu’s bench position and the country product is a hulking middle forward.
Cronk believes that any player who gets thrown into the Panthers squad is being placed in an environment that nurtures success, with a star-studded spine.
If May carries from the back-field with vigour, and Henry injects grunt into the middle of the park off the bench, Penrith’s playmakers will do the rest.
“I think once you’ve got the foundations of Fisher Harris, Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards as the examples and the leaders,” Cronk said.
“It’s easier for all those other players to come in and be shown examples of what it takes to be elite. If you don’t, then you find your way out.
“If you do you can be part of one of the most successful teams. I don’t think it’s as simple as like just take someone out and replace them. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Ivan and his stars.”
Penrith have proven over the last three seasons they can replace key stars, with the likes of Api Koroisau, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton moving on.
But once again, Penrith’s consistent success simply comes down to the “elite” players like Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai who deliver week in, week out.
“It’s a salary cap. Once you take out an elite player, you can’t exactly replace them with another elite one,” Cronk said.
“The fact is, I think if you make changes or you have injuries or whatever, you’ve still got the best players in the position in other areas as long as they’re healthy.
“A lot of people were saying, no Api Koroisau, what are Penrith going to do? Well Mitch Kenny still passes the ball to Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary.
“I think once you’ve got that key spine that I spoke about, you want to some consistency in guys that are just going to compete on everything.”
The only trophy that has eluded Penrith along their chain of success has been the World Club Challenge.
In 2023, the Panthers went down to a St Helens side at BlueBet Stadium, losing to a Lewis Dodd golden point field goal.
Then in 2024, they travelled to a sold out DW Stadium, going down to the Wigan Warriors on their home turf.
While they weren’t able to secure the elusive trophy, Cronk believes the Panthers will shrug off the pre-season loss.
“I don’t think a team like Penrith worry about wins and losses as such at this stage of the year,” Cronk said.
“It’s probably about how they played, what was the process, all those little things that add up to a victory. As you saw last year, they had some ups and downs to start the year, but ultimately their trajectory is where they wanted to get to.
“So no, I don’t think it’s an inspirational thing that they lost the World Club Challenge. I think their unity, I think their environment, I think the fact they love representing their community and playing with each other.
“I think that’s a bigger thing than losing the World Club Challenge. It’s a thing that’s not in their trophy cabinet after all that success but I think they’ll be alright.”
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Here foxsports.com.au breaks down all the key factors for the Panthers heading into the 2024 season!
STRENGTH
Their halves and experience. Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai are arguably the best playmaking pairing in the competition and have inspired the Panthers to three premierships in a row. The duo compliments each other, with Cleary’s organisational skills allowing Luai to make the most of his running and creative abilities. Elsewhere, the experience of the squad as a whole can’t be understated and every member of their team knows what it takes to win. Penrith have dominated to competition for years for a reason and their ruthless nature is infectious, with every new player who join the squad excelling under Ivan Cleary whose influence on the side hasn’t been heralded enough. The Panthers don’t seem to be slowing down and have a chance to secure a historic four-peat.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR
Jarome Luai. The gun five-eighth will have his final season with the Panthers in 2024 and he will be desperate to depart with another premiership ring. Luai signed a mega-money deal to join the Tigers in 2025, having cemented himself as one of the competition’s best playmakers. But with the merger club having won the last two wooden spoons, it seems unlikely Luai will be competing for silverware during his time in Leichhardt unless they vastly improve. Therefore, he will be as hungry as ever to secure another title and leave the foot of the mountains with four to his name in an impressive stint at the club he came through the junior ranks of. It’s also a big year for Jack Cole who will be hoping he gets an opportunity to showcase his skills outside of the World Club Challenge and succeed Luai in the No.6 jersey.
WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE
Taylan May. The Panthers have lost arguably the NRL’s best centre in Stephen Crichton this season. Therefore, May has some big shoes to fill and will be hoping to fire on return from a season-ending knee injury suffered prior to the 2023 season. The 22-year-old played on the wing in his breakout campaign in 2022, scoring an impressive 16 tries outside of fellow young gun Izack Tago. However, it remains to be seen whether May has the ability to cut it in the centres and his defence could be the crucial aspect of his game that comes under the microscope under Ivan Cleary. Penrith have several rising stars who could be gunning for his spot including Jesse McLean, while off-season recruit Daine Laurie could even make a case to start in the backline if May doesn’t deliver.
THE RISING STAR
Liam Henry. Filling Spencer Leniu’s shoes will be no easy task, but the Panthers have big wraps on Henry. The 22-year-old prop joined the club in 2019, making his way through Penrith’s Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup team before making his NRL debut in 2022. Henry added two more games to his tally in 2023 and the country boy who hails from Blayney in Central West NSW is set to win the vacant bench spot. Henry has a big frame and Cleary will be hoping he can produce the impact Leniu was able to provide off the bench. Meanwhile, if Sunia Turuva has another strong season, he could become one of the competition’s best and most reliable wingers, so the Fiji international will be desperate to back up his 2023 campaign.
MORE NRL NEWS
‘NO CLEAR EVIDENCE’: NRL urged to ‘muzzle’ players to allow Leniu fair hearing
‘THEY ARE SO WEAK’: Bulldogs’ ‘big deficiency’ laid bare as key selection slammed
TEAMS RD 1: Luai returns in big Panthers boost; Storm make call on Munster
‘VOMIT EMOJI’: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild
‘HARD TO COMPREHEND’: Hynes’ powerful support for Mam amid racism storm
THE UNLUCKY ONES
The Panthers are so strong, several NRL-quality players miss out on playing each week. Matt Eisenhuth has been a reliable forward for the Panthers for several years, having been in and out of first grade over the last three seasons. Meanwhile, young gun Mavrik Geyer is another rising star who is stuck behind two gun backrowers in Scott Sorensen and Liam Martin. The son of legendary forward Mark Geyer has reportedly built his frame in an attempt to shift into the middle of the park, but still he remains just outside the top 17. Elsewhere, Luke Sommerton might be resigned to waiting in the wings, having been picked in first grade for Round 1 due to Mitch Kenny’s suspension. However it looks like he will depart the side once the reliable No.9 returns. Meanwhile, Tyrone Peachey played in the No.14 against Wigan, meaning Soni Luke could also miss out on a bench spot in 2024.
BEST 17
1. Dylan Edwards
2. Brian To’o
3. Taylan May
4. Izack Tago
5. Sunia Turuva
6. Jarome Luai
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Moses Leota
9. Mitch Kenny
10. James Fisher-Harris
11. Scott Sorensen
12. Luke Garner
13. Isaah Yeo
14. Tyrone Peachey
15. Lindsay Smith
16. Liam Henry
17. Luke Garner
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