North Queensland forward Coen Hess monstering an unsuspecting Nathan Cleary as he shaped to kick on Friday night just about sums up Penrith’s season.
And it might also herald the end of the greatest run any team has had in the salary cap era.
On more than one occasion against the Cowboys, Isaah Yeo passed to Cleary, who then threw the ball to his outside men, who almost looked lost for answers.
Once Cleary used to feed the ball Stephen Crichton, or Matt Burton, or Jarome Luai, or Sunia Turuva to do something special. They are all gone.
When Paul Alamoti hurled the ball back infield at the south-western end of CommBank Stadium, and it eventually dribbled back to Cleary, the halfback was hammered by Hess before he could get a kick away.
When was the last time Cleary was crunched in a tackle like that? Not often during the past four seasons when Penrith have swept all before them. Passes have always stuck, and Cleary has always had time on his side.
Coen Hess’s crunching tackle on Nathan Cleary.Credit: Fox League
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said after the 22-18 defeat: “We’re in uncharted waters to some extent. We’ve all lost games, but clearly the flow you’d like just isn’t there.”
When this masthead suggested to Nathan in the sheds the Hess tackle was symbolic of the Panthers’ game, he said: “I think it was more a case of a scrappy last play. That’s happened to me before. It’s part of the game.
“It’s about getting on the same page and working hard together.
“Worrying won’t help it, I know that. I have faith in the work we’ve put in through the pre-season.
“I think we need that bit of confidence at the moment. It’s a young and inexperienced group, but us older guys can try and take a load off the young guys and lead from the front.”
Hess and Cleary after that tackle.Credit: NRL Photos
Tom Jenkins will develop into a good player, but has only played 14 NRL games, while Casey McLean, who showed tremendous courage to save a try – before butchering one when he failed to pass to an unmarked Jenkins late in the game – has played just 11 matches.
Jack Cole is trying hard at five-eighth, but will miss Thursday’s clash against the Dolphins through injury, with Blaize Talagi expected to wear the No.6.
Cleary said Talagi’s enthusiasm could be the boost the Panthers need.
“He showed all through last year [when at Parramatta] he was up to the NRL,” Nathan Cleary said.
“Even the game against Melbourne [in round three] when he got thrown in there [after Cleary was concussed], he’s definitely not short of confidence, which is a good thing for us at the moment. I think he’s progressing really well. It will be my job to make the [No.6’s] job easier.”
Dylan Edwards will return from a groin injury, which is a big inclusion. Daine Laurie has tried his heart out at the back, but has made too many errors, and is better suited to the No.14 role. He is paid accordingly, and nobody expected an Edwards-like performance in the custodian role from him.
A big fear during the pre-season was the move to CommBank Stadium, while Penrith’s BlueBet Stadium is redeveloped. The crowd was listed at just over 10,000 on Friday, which was always going to be a tough sell at 6pm and against an out-of-town team like the Cowboys.
Why the NRL does not allocate that timeslot to the Warriors, or play a game each week in a country town, is a debate for another day.
‘We’re in uncharted waters to some extent.’
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary
A $309 million redevelopment of the Panthers’ home ground has commenced, and Parramatta will be called “home” for the next two seasons. One of the great sights in the game was 21,000 fans jammed into the Panthers’ home ground, regardless of what day or time the game was played.
“You can’t [replicate Panthers Stadium], but that’s no excuse,” Cleary said.
“I actually thought it was all right on Friday night. It’s a great stadium. We just need to play better, and [if we do], I’m sure the fans will turn up.”
In the days after they beat Melbourne to seal their fourth straight premiership, Penrith were $4.50 with the bookmakers to take out a fifth title.
They drifted to $7.50 last weekend after their loss to South Sydney. On Saturday, the Panthers were out to $10. They are $5 just to be there on the first Sunday of October.
Ivan Cleary was certainly not writing off the season in early April.
“I couldn’t care less about the season slipping away,” the coach said. “I have complete faith in this group and what we can achieve, we just need to play well enough to get one of these wins, which I’m sure isn’t far away.
“Each and every game we could have won. You can say coulda, shoulda, but we’re just finding ways not to.”
The Panthers are fourth last on the NRL ladder, and could be lower still by the end of the weekend. They need to find ways to win very soon, or the reign will be over.
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