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Opinion
Billy Slater is no stranger to success from his time at the Storm, Maroons and Kangaroos and he is gobsmacked by the continual hunger of these Panthers.
The Queensland coach said he’s been watching for the slightest drop in their desire since their breakthrough premiership win in 2021 and he’s still yet to see anything that suggests that Ivan Cleary’s insatiable beasts are satisfied with their haul.
And that haul now stands at four straight grand final wins, the first team to achieve the extraordinary feat in 58 years and the only team to win more than two on the trot in the salary cap era.
When you think of all the high-level talent that has gone straight out of Penrith in recent years due to salary cap constraints rather than any other reason, it’s mind boggling to think that they have still been able to remain undisputed kings of the NRL jungle.
Three more stars have now played their last game in Panthers colours with Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva taking off to the Wests Tigers and James Fisher-Harris becoming a Warrior in 2025.
JFH is an unusual case among the list of representative-level talent which has left Penrith in recent years in that he asked for a release on personal grounds so the Kiwi international could return to his homeland.
All the others, Luai and Turuva included, would probably still be playing for Penrith if there was no salary cap. In that scenario, St George’s 11-year record could even be under threat but in reality, this Cat Empire will surely come to an end in the next few years.
But they will likely start 2025 as premiership favourites because even though there’s a star trio going out the exit doors, the Panthers have recruited Kiwi forward Isaiah Papali’i from the Wests Tigers after they were blindsided mid-season by Fisher-Harris’ request as well as Eels rising star Blaize Talagi.
Add to that the fact that they have the biggest junior nursery in the NRL and a seemingly never-ending production line of prospects making the grade and the Panthers are entitled to be on the top line of betting for next year’s title.
While their comeback victory over Brisbane last year was their most remarkable win of their quality quartet, this one over Melbourne was the toughest.
The Panthers hold aloft the Provan-Summons Trophy. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The Storm were up for the challenge for the entire match and made Penrith work enormously hard for every inch of yardage on Accor Stadium.
Melbourne scored first and if they were just able to hang on for one more set would have gone into the half-time break down by just two points.
A blade of grass touching the Steeden in the 50th minute when Jack Howarth went oh so close and the Storm would have been in the lead and who knows how that could have changed the momentum of the match.
But that’s what happens when you play a champion team. The what-ifs and the might-have-beens are always there but they don’t count for much when team names are etched on trophies.
And the Panthers now have six premierships since their first win back in 1991. They have moved to equal seventh on the all-time list, alongside Brisbane.
The Broncos, who kicked off their golden era in 1992, are considered one of the powerhouses of the modern era but Penrith now have as many titles as them, which seemed inconceivable just a few years ago.
Ivan Cleary was still in the process of letting their latest success sink in after the game on Sunday night.
When asked about the trio leaving, he said it was difficult to see any player leave, particularly someone like Luai who has played alongside his son Nathan since their teenage days as promising juniors more than a decade ago.
“He’s just such an infectious personality. It was a difficult negotiation at the start of the year,” he said in reference to the contract talks which ended with Luai accepting a more lucrative offer from the Tigers.
“It was really hard for him, but he put his head down. He stood up this year. When Nathan wasout, he stood up when we really needed him.
Paul Alamoti. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“I’m just so proud of not just the player he’s become, but the person he is and the man he’s become. I love these boys. I don’t like it when they leave.”
For Nathan, his only dream growing up was to play first grade so to win four straight premierships is “mind blowing”.
“There’s definitely belief there, but it’s just exceeded all dreams and expectations, to be honest,” he said.
Worrying about a fifth title is not something he will dare contemplate now or anytime soon.
“I think the beauty of it has just been staying present through the lot, just enjoying the journey that we’re on. And we’ve just been ticking off one after the other. It’s just been an incredible ride. One that we’re still on and we still want to keep achieving more things and creating such great memories with such a good group of boys.
“I could never have imagined this would happen. When I was a young kid growing up, you always watched grand finals. I was just a footy nerd. All I wanted to do was play first grade and now to win four grand finals, it’s incredible.
“To be able to do it with this group, how much effort and time goes into it to achieve greatness, it’s really special.”