The Panthers executed a near perfect premiership defence to become just the second team in the NRL era to win back-to-back titles and only the salary cap can stop them.
Penrith romped to the minor premiership and were only beaten once at full strength by the Eels in Round 9 on their way to losing just four games all season.
The loss of two of their most influential players in Api Koroisau and Viliame Kikau will be tough voids to fill, but given their dominance, the Panthers can compete for titles for the next five years at least.
Read on for the Panthers’ 2022 season review.
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What Cleary needs to do to surpass Joey | 01:01
PANTHERS SEASON REVIEW
2022 Record: W23 L4 – 85.19% win rate
Grading: A+
What went right: A lot. It is hard enough to win a premiership, let alone take out back-to-back titles but Penrith did just that and with relative ease. It always seemed like this was the Panthers’ premiership to lose and that pressure is not always easy to deal with, particularly for a relatively young Penrith side. But instead, unlike Western Sydney rivals Parramatta, Ivan Cleary’s men were the picture of consistency. The Panthers won 17 of their opening 18 games and conceded a competition-low 13.8 points during the regular season. 2022 has been a year of Premierships for the Panthers, winning the SG Ball, Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup titles as well and they are the first club in Australian rugby league history to win all four titles in the same season. Dylan Edwards had a brilliant year that culminated in winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the grand final. Edwards’ total effort sets the tone for the rest of the team and kept everyone honest in the hunt to reach new heights after winning the title last season. Nathan Cleary had an interrupted season after missing the first four rounds through injury and the last five through suspension, but when he was on the field there was little doubt he is the best player in the game. Jarome Luai also spent time on the sidelines, but his combination with Cleary is up there with the best halves duo’s in the NRL and they proved it when it mattered. In their absence, Sean O’Sullivan and Kurt Falls stepped up to keep the Panthers winning on their way to the minor premiership, before the stars took over in the finals. Api Koroisau was a deserved winner of the Dally M hooker of the year and ensured he left the club on a high with his third premiership ring before joining the Tigers. Skipper Isaah Yeo was crucial to the side’s ability to keep winning when their playmakers were out and he has established himself as the game’s premier lock forward. Izack Tago filled the centre void with ease and his partnership with Stephen Crichton could become one of the best combinations in the NRL provided they can stay together. Brian To’o cemented his place as one of the best finishers in the game and the work he does out of the red zone gives the Panthers another dimension. Taylan May announced himself as a star of the future in a breakout year, before injury robbed him of a grand final berth, allowing Charlie Staines to step up and win a deserved title. The Panthers built their premiership defence on the twin towers of James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota up front, with the latter coming of age in an outstanding Grand Final performance. Viliame Kikau and Liam Martin complimented each other’s games perfectly and collectively they filled the void left by Kurt Capewell’s departure to the Broncos. Scott Sorensen had his most consistent year of first grade, while Spencer Leniu was a real point of difference off the bench. Mitch Kenny was so reliable it gave Ivan Cleary the luxury of playing Koroisau off the bench at the back end of the year in a ploy that proved a masterstroke. Jaeman Salmon also had his most consistent season with limited opportunities off the bench. The Panthers whole squad produced a clinical title defence with their “next man up” mentality ensuring they were rarely tested and the scary reality is their best could still be yet to come.
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What went wrong: In short not much. The Panthers had a few minor glitches along the way, but nothing that could stop the freight train that was their runaway premiership defence. The Panthers always seemed to have an answer when obstacles got in the way. Cleary was late to return from a shoulder injury and missed the first four games, but Sean O’Sullivan stepped up to lead Penrith to an 0-4 start. Similarly, when Cleary was suspended for five weeks for a lifting tackle late in the year, O’Sullivan returned to finish the regular season ins style and help clinch the minor premiership. The Origin period saw plenty of Panthers picked for both the Blues and Maroons, but there was no hangover after the series, with Cleary resting his stars to perfection to keep them fresh for the back end of the season. Even Cleary and Luai being out for the back end of the year proved to be a blessing in disguise as it freshened them up for the finals and they were two of the Panthers’ best come September.
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What they need: Having taken out their second-straight title, once again the Panthers will go into next season as the hunted, although clearly it did not stop them this time around. Next year though will be different. Sure, they were able to get the job done even without Matt Burton and Kurt Capewell, but the loss of Viliame Kikau and Apisai Koroisau in particular could bring the Panthers back to the field a touch. They will still be near-certainties for the top four but Koroisau’s departure in particular leaves a gaping hole. Mitch Kenny is a more than serviceable replacement and strong defender but the subtlety and nuances of his game in attack still need work. His passing from dummy-half is also not as crisp and accurate as Koroisau. All this means is that Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai may not enjoy the same time and space to operate next season. They will find ways to adapt but it could take time for it all to come together. Soni Luke is the real question mark as the 26-year-old is light on when it comes to NRL experience but has the raw potential to be a real spark in attack. Luke has a similar approach to Koroisau, with an instinctive feel for the game that makes him hard to defend. If he can find his feet in first grade, Luke could combine with Kenny to make the perfect one-two combination and ensure Koroisau’s departure is not as big a blow to Penrith’s premiership hopes for 2023. Kikau is an enforcer and gave the side real X-factor, so it is up to Cleary to find a suitable replacement for that unique role and Leota could be the man even though he doesn’t play the same position, while Leniu is another that could step up. If one is being super critical the Panthers have not been very active in the recruitment department with only Luke Garner from the Tigers brought in for 2023. However, that is more to do with the fact the Panthers are trying to keep their grand final side together and will need to upgrade a fair few deals in order to do so. The real issue facing Penrith is re-signing their superstar core most notably Origin stars Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton and Liam Martin. If they can keep their team together the Panthers don’t need much more to compete for premierships well into the future. But history shows grand final teams rarely stay together let alone back-to-back premiership winning teams fresh off three straight deciders.
Going: Api Koroisau (Wests Tigers), Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs), Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins), Robert Jennings (Dolphins), J’maine Hopgood (Eels), Sean O’Sullivan (Dolphins).
Coming: Luke Garner (Wests Tigers)
