- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
While Penrith supporters are still basking in the glory of the 2024 season, not everyone has made a name for themselves at the club.
Here’s a team of players who each played just one game of first grade for the Panthers during the NRL era – from 1998 onwards.
Not many familiar names, how many of them can you remember?
1. Liam Georgetown (2007) – Georgetown joined the Panthers from the Redcliff Dolphins and got his one and only start in first grade in 2007 following injury to regular custodian Rhys Wesser. He returned to the Dolphins the following year, eventually leaving the club at the end of 2014 as their all-time leading point scorer. He also played rugby league in the US and was last sighted starring for the Burpengary Jets in the Brisbane Men’s Open 2 competition.
2. Logan Cohen (2023) – Cohen has been plugging away in the Panthers’ lower grades for a number of years and his only opportunity in the top grade came in game 1 of the NRL Pre-Season Challenge when he came off the bench to score a try in Penrith’s 22-16 win against Parramatta.
3. Andrew Emilio (2009) – Emilio was a big, powerful centre who had seven games for Tonga and stints with Cronulla, Widnes and the Bulldogs under his belt when he joined the Panthers in 2009. He only had one game in the top grade for Penrith and left the club at the end of the season to continue his career in the Ron Massey Cup.
4. Willie Isa (2008) – Originally from NZ, Isa is a very talented and versatile player who is effective in either the back row, lock or outside backs. He rose through the Panthers’ juniors to make his first-grade debut in the final round of the 2008 season, then headed to Melbourne for two years where he struggled to cement a spot in the top grade. His career really took off though when he moved to the ESL in 2011, initially for a season with Castleford, and has since spent the last 13 years with Wigan.
5. Luke Dyer (2004) – Dyer was a Penrith junior and made his first-grade debut for the club in their round 17 flogging at the hands of the Storm to the tune of 66-14. That turned out to be his only appearance in the NRL but he did much better in England, notching over 100 top-grade games for the Castleford Tigers, Hull Kingston Rovers and the Celtic Crusaders between 2006 and 2010, eventually returning to Australia to play in the QLD Cup. He was also selected to play for Wales on three occasions.
6. Ryley Smith (2023) – Smith is a product of Penrith’s junior pathways and can play both in the halves and at dummy half. He made his first grade debut for the club in 2023 and was snapped up by Parramatta in 2024.
7. Joe Williams (2008) – After spending five years in and out of the Rabbitohs’ first grade team, the goal-kicking half joined Penrith in 2008, playing his sole first grade game for the club in their round 1 clash with the Broncos that year, with the 115kg Frank Pritchard starting the game outside him at 5/8. He was released by the club later in the year to join the Bulldogs but retired after 2 just games with his new club. Williams then successfully pursued a new career as a professional boxer, author and suicide prevention advocate and speaker.
8. Hanna El-Nacher (2023) – El-Nachar came through the Penrith junior system, progressing as far as the NSW Cup and played two games for Lebanon in 2022. His only game in the top grade came in the 2023 Pre-Season Challenge and played for St Marys Saints in the Ron Massey Cup in 2024.
9. Kierran Moseley (2014) – Moseley joined Penrith from Far North Queensland in 2013 and represented both the Queensland under 20s team and the Junior Kangaroos that year. He made his first grade debut for Penrith towards the end of the 2014 season before joining the Titans in 2015. He has represented the Indigenous All-Stars team on three occasions and in 2024, Moseley captained the North Devils to their win over the Newtown Jets in the State Championship.
10. Ativalu Lisati (2023) – Penrith signed Lisati from Ipswich State High School and he spent three years in their NSW Cup team before being signed by Melbourne during the 2024 season. His first game in the top grade for Penrith came in the 2023 Pre-Season Challenge game against Parramatta.
11. Jed Cartwright (2019) – One of six of the famous Cartwright Clan to play for the Panthers, Jed Cartwright made his first grade debut for the club off the bench in round 17 of 2019. He joined South Sydney the following year before heading to England and Hull FC in 2024.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
12. John Faimu (2023) – Faimu played State Cup for the Panthers across the 2012 to 2023 seasons and was part of their team that won the 2022 State Championship against the Norths Devils. He played for Penrith in their 2023 Pre-Season Challenge game against Parramatta and recently spent the 2024 season with the St Marys Saints in the Ron Massey Cup.
13. Tom Eisenhuth (2012) – Eisenhuth debuted as a centre in 2012 when he became a last-minute replacement in the Panthers round 24 game against the Warriors in Auckland. He then spent the next six years in the Penrith lower grades before being picked up by the Melbourne Storm in 2018, where he primarily played off the bench until making the move to the Dragons in 2024.
So, Penrith fans, how many of these players do you recall running out for the Panthers?
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.