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Opinion
The Panthers have reached a point that only a few professional sporting teams ever achieve.
Like the All Blacks of a decade ago, Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 1990s or the current Australian women’s cricket team, they have the opposition halfway beaten the moment they enter the arena.
Penrith legend, and current deputy chair – it must be said, Greg Alexander raised plenty of eyebrows a couple of months ago when he claimed this Panthers juggernaut could have been the most dominant of all time if they did not play in the salary cap era.
To compare any team to St George’s 1956-66 “never before, never again” world record holders is considered heresy in rugby league circles and in breach of local council legislation around Kogarah.
But as one-eyed Panther as he is, “Brandy” has a point.
It’s a common refrain from Penrith players in recent years that when they announce that they are taking up a deal elsewhere due almost entirely to the salary cap forcing Ivan Cleary and co to choose who they keep and who they don’t when cashed-up rival CEOs come knocking.
James Fisher-Harris, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva are the latest in a long line of representative-standard talent that has exited Penrith since their dynasty kicked off in 2021.
If we take a stroll into Alexander’s Mt Druittopia and Penrith were not constrained by the salary cap, the team that they could put on the park would be so strong that they could even threaten the unprecedented 11-year dominance that Saints enjoyed more than six decades ago when John Raper, Norm Provan, Reg Gasnier and Graeme Langlands were playing like Immortals long before the concept had been dreamed up.
A salary cap-less Panthers side would be so stacked, it would clearly start every year as premiership favourite but you would be hard pressed to come up with a combined team from the rest of the NRL that would have their number.
Panthers players celebrate in the rooms at Accor Stadium. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Reinstating the Panthers who have departed the golden west in recent years, would result in a team looking a little something like this …
1 Dylan Edwards
2 Brian To’o
3 Stephen Crichton
4 Matt Burton
5 Sunia Turuva
6 Jarome Luai
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Moses Leota
9 Api Koroisau
10 James Fisher-Harris
11 Viliame Kikau
12 Liam Martin
13 Isaah Yeo
14 Izack Tago
15 Spencer Leniu
16 Scott Sorensen
17 Lindsay Smith
18 J’maine Hopgood
To complete the hypothetical roster, throw in the likes of a few more ex-Panthers in Kurt Capewell, Jack Cogger, Charlie Staines, Shawn Blore, Zac Hosking, Sean O’Sullivan and Brent Naden to complement their other current premiership winners in Mitch Kenny, Paul Alamoti, Liam Henry, Luke Garner and Matt Eisenhuth.
Now that’s what you would call a top 30-man squad.
And for the sake of this exercise, here’s a combined Rest of the NRL outfit to take them down based on this year’s Dally M votes and representative selections.
1 James Tedesco
2 Zac Lomax
3 Tom Trbojevic
4 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Payne Haas
9 Harry Grant
10 Patrick Carrigan
11 Angus Crichton
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Cameron Murray
14 Kalyn Ponga
15 Addin Fonua-Blake
16 Reuben Cotter
17 Joseph Tapine
18 Ben Hunt
The Rest of the NRL side has probably got the edge … but only by a panther’s whisker.
Taking a step back into the real world, the Penrith dynasty has actually reinvigorated the NRL rather than the commonly held misconception that when one team dominates, it creates a boring competition.
The Panthers are well and truly the hunted, and whichever team is able to end their trophy streak will enter rugby league folklore, much like Canterbury in 1967.
They were not premiers that year but they carved themselves a place in history when they ended St George’s golden era with their 12-11 triumph at the SCG.
As is the case most years, the runners-up are seen as the team most likely to take down the champions.
Liam Martin celebrates a try with teammates. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Melbourne are well placed to challenge for the title next year but they need more out of Cameron Munster, whose season was hampered by injury and hot-and-cold form.
The two beaten preliminary finalists are each-way propositions – Cronulla should be stronger following the acquisition of Addin Fonua-Blake but their chances hinge on whether they get Dally M style Nicho Hynes or the 2024 version.
With the Roosters, they could be in for a massive step back following the departures of Joey Manu, Luke Keary, Joseph Suaalii and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves even though he was well past his best this year.
James Tedesco will be 32 before next season kicks off, while Sam Walker and Brandon Smith won’t be sighted until the halfway point due to their major knee operations.
The door is ajar for an improving team like the Bulldogs, Cowboys, Sea Eagles or a surprise packet who missed this year’s finals to take a leap into title contention.
But it will have to be an almighty effort for any team to prevent Penrith from pouncing on the trophy for a fifth straight year.
Luckily for the other 16 teams, there’s a salary cap.