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Penrith joined the NSWRL in 1967 and has battled hard for their place in the sun.
Since the early days of the “chocolate soldiers” like Tony Brown, Ron Workman, Grahame Moran and Laurie Fagan, the Panthers have had a steady stream of top-line players represent the club.
Players of the calibre of Royce Simmons, Greg Alexander, Mark Geyer, Brad Izzard, Steve Carter, Tim Sheens, Brad Fittler and John Cartwright all helped build the foundation of the strong club we see today.
Their greatest-ever team since 1967 would be a powerhouse, but who makes their greatest team of the NRL era?
Surely, with four premierships from the last five grand finals, all the players selected will be easy to choose, but let’s not let recency bias blur the deeds of the players who came before the current crop of champions.
Here’s my team, showing the number of games they played for the Panthers in the NRL era, and the only selection criteria is that they must have played a minimum of 50 top-grade games for the club from the 1998 season onwards.
1. Rhys Wesser (178) – Wesser AKA “Rhys Lightning” was a freakish and naturally gifted player with speed to burn. He was also a strong defender, one of the best-broken field runners to play the game. He scored 113 tries from fullback in his time at Penrith, including nine trebles and 12 doubles, he won a premiership with the Panthers in 2003 and played four origin matches for Queensland.
2. Josh “Source” Mansour (158) – A strong and determined ball runner, Mansour didn’t just know the way to the try line but was also one of the first wingers to perfect the art of chewing up metres with the ball, particularly when coming off his own line. He was a rock on the Penrith wing, played three Origins for NSW, and seven Tests for each of Australia and Lebanon.
3. Stephen Crichton (101) – One of the best juniors to come out of the Penrith production line, Crichton made an indelible mark in just over four seasons in the top grade at Penrith. He won three premierships on the trot, scoring a try in each of them, was voted Dally M Centre of the Year in 2020 and 2023, and represented both Samoa and NSW.
Stephen Crichton in his Panthers days. (Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)
4. Ryan Girdler (119) – A classy player and prolific point scorer, Girdler still holds both the all-time points and try-scoring records for the club. He won a premiership with the club in 2003, was named Dally M Centre of the Year in both 1999 and 2000, and represented Australia and NSW with distinction.
5. Brian To’o (117*) – To’o took up where Mansour left off to become the game’s ultimate metre-eater, and much of Penrith’s success in recent years comes on the back of To’o’s relentless carries from the backfield. He’s also a very consistent try scorer, crossing for 80 tries in his 117 first-grade games including three trebles and 15 doubles. He was named Dally M Winger of the Year in both 2021 and 2024, has won four premierships, played in every origin for NSW in the last four years, and represented Samoa on eight occasions.
6. Jarome “Romey” Luai (132) – Whilst often playing in the shadow of Nathan Cleary, there’s no doubting the contribution that Luai has made to the Panthers since debuting for the club back in 2018. Four premierships later, and with 11 appearances for each of NSW and Samoa, Luai is now one of the best in the business.
7. Nathan Cleary (172*) – Still only 27 years of age, you wonder how far Cleary can go in his career. Easily in the top five half-backs of the NRL era, Cleary is Penrith’s favourite son and stands poised to become their greatest player of all time.
Nathan Cleary (Photo by Getty Images)
8. James Fisher-Harris (205) – “The Fish” has arguably been the best front rower in the game over the last three years and is the rock upon which the Panthers’ “never say die” style of football has been built. Powerful, tough and relentless are just three adjectives that could describe him. He was Dally M Prop of the Year in both 2020 and 2021, won the Golden Boot Award in 2023, and led the Kiwis to a record-breaking victory over the Kangaroos in the same year.
9. Luke Priddis (163) – Priddis spent seven years with Penrith and barely missed a game in that time, proving himself to be one of the toughest and most durable players in the game. His Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance in Penrith’s 2003 grand final victory was next level, and he was unlucky not to play in many more games for both NSW and Australia.
10. Moses Leota (177*) – Leota has risen from the Panthers’ bench to become JFH’s partner in crime, both for Penrith and NZ. Leota is tough, uncompromising, and mobile for a big man and a player who never takes a backward step on the field.
11. Luke Lewis (209) – There’s almost nothing that Luke Lewis didn’t achieve in his career, and he was a shining light for the Panthers in the early part of this century when success was much harder to come by. He was both an extremely versatile player, able to step in wherever needed on the field and the ultimate competitor. He won a premiership with the club in 2003 and was one of the first players picked for both NSW and Australia during his 12 years at the foot of the mountains.
12. Tony Puletua (206) – Puletua was a giant of a man and put his size to good use on the field. He was a destructive ball runner with a good off-load and a punishing defender. He was a stand-out for the Panthers during the 12 years he spent at the club, and good enough to play 31 tests for NZ and Samoa.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
13. Isaah Yeo (247*) – Has there been a better, more consistent or reliable forward than Yeo in the NRL in the last five years? Yeo has the complete lock forward’s game, four premiership rings, and four Dally M Lock of the Year awards. He leads by example and is the first forward picked for both NSW and Australia.
14. Craig Gower (206) – Equally at home as either hooker or in the halves, Gower was a tough competitor who often seemed to play by his own set of rules, both on and off the field. He captained the Panthers to a premiership in 2003 and played eight origins for NSW and 24 tests for Australia.
15. Nigel Plum (92) – No one in their right mind enjoyed playing against “the Plum”. He was a weapon of mass destruction, built like a brick outhouse, could play everywhere in the pack except hooker, and was one of the hardest hitters of the NRL era.
16. Liam Martin (127*) – Liam Martin never leaves anything on the field and has built a reputation as a ruthless and punishing forward. He’s been a key part of Penrith’s success over the last five years, won the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2024 grand final, and is now an automatic selection for both NSW and Australia.
17. Joel Clinton (138) – Big, mobile and fearless, Clinton was a key member of the Panthers’ pack during his stint with the club, and he rarely missed a game. He was an important part of the team that won the premiership in 2003 and was selected for the Kangaroo team that same year.
This Penrith side will certainly take some beating, but did I leave anyone out?
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