“People say, ‘you can’t train for those moments’. But we actually are training for it.”
Jarome Luai’s busted shoulder kept him off the field for the crescendo of the greatest grand final comeback in history.
But he was right there with Nathan Cleary and the rest of Penrith’s premiership-winners for the pivotal training sessions that not only sparked the Panthers’ stunning revival against Brisbane, but now come full circle – albeit 17,000 kilometres away and a year later.
Penrith’s bid for the one trophy missing from the cabinet takes them to Wigan on Sunday morning (AEDT) for the World Club Challenge.
Almost 12 months ago to the day, they were humbled by St Helens, the 7-1 outsiders who prevailed 13-12 in golden point on Penrith’s own turf.
Cleary and the Panthers never got a look in during that frantic finish. A few weeks later, the No.7 was quietly kicking himself for shanking a 45-metre, two-point field goal attempt against the Broncos in round one.
He followed up by nailing a similar shot – and one of the most audacious plays of the 2023 season – a few weeks later against Parramatta, but the premiers still lost.
So with a rare week off during last year’s finals series, Penrith players and coaches began preparing for similar scenarios, first with pen, paper and notebooks, before tactics and strategies were taken onto the training paddock.
“It’s funny in hindsight looking back, some of the things we trained for did eventuate,” Cleary told this masthead of the tactical planning sessions captured in Nine’s Undisputed documentary, which charts Penrith’s rise to a historic third title.
“[That session] helped a lot. Mentally, being able to think about it and the way you react if you do get in that situation.”
The late-game scenarios Penrith plot out in Nine’s Undisputed documentary.Credit: Stan
Luai adds: “Putting yourself under that mental stress and the game simulated type situations – nothing can beat that. That’s something coach (Ivan Cleary) has brought in throughout the years and we’ve always done it. We nailed those moments when people don’t see it.”
Trailing 24-8 with less than 20 minutes remaining in a grand final is the stuff of rugby league nightmares.
But then so is the other side of that contest, and the four line dropouts Adam Reynolds – one of the finest kickers of the modern era – tried to execute that night.
The first led to Mitch Kenny’s try from a Herbie Farnworth bat-down to no-one. The second, a Cleary penalty goal at the 28-minute mark, and the third sailed out on the full thanks to a sharp take and match awareness by the Panthers half.
Nathan Cleary pulls off a perfectly timed, and placed, catch from an Adam Reynolds kick.Credit: Nine
Reynolds’ fourth and final drop punt could just have easily turned the game in the 76th minute. But Liam Martin managed to reel in a kick which was tracking for the sideline and stop a potential Broncos turnover.
“The week of the grand final, we did a half-hour session just on short dropouts and short kick-offs,” Cleary said.
“We weren’t good at it during the year. We ended up scoring eight points off their short dropouts and got back every one. It’s funny how things like that work. The coaching staff know what they’re doing.
“It’s crazy how it works out. It helps with your mental state around it. Training is a bit different with intensity and scenarios, particularly in a grand final. But being able to think clearly when you get to those stages [is very helpful].”
So, was there satisfaction a plan came to fruition in the biggest moment of the season?
“A little bit,” Ivan Cleary said. “We’ve been doing [scenario training] for years.
“Sometimes, it’s a hard thing to fit into your schedule. That’s the beauty of a week off: you get a little bit of extra time to do stuff like that. You can do it in training as much as you want, but it’s a much bigger advantage if you’ve got guys who have been in those situations.”
Episode two of Undisputed is available on 9NOW at noon on Friday.
The World Club Challenge is Live and Free to stream on 9GemHD and 9Now on Sunday 6.30am AEDT.
