2018 PANTHERS SEASON PREVIEW
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Is 2018 Penrith s Premiership Window ? Credit: 77 Media
By STEWART MOSES
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@TheRiffMarn
t was only twelve months ago that Penrith entered the season as joint favourites alongside eventual premiership winners, Melbourne. The media couldnât get enough of talking up the Panthersâ premiership credentials. And the fans were certainly swept along for a ride that no one had predicted. An awful start to the season saw the Panthers in 15th spot at one point, having lost seven of their opening nine games, as they failed to come to grips with the pressure that goes with being tagged as a premiership favourite.
But aided by a soft draw and a decision to finally move Matt Moylan to five-eighth, Penrithâs fortunes were revived, winning eleven of their next thirteen games to suddenly loom as a premiership contender once more. However three losses from their last four games and a seventh-placed finish to the season, although an achievement of sorts considering their start, still left Penrith supporters feeling a little hollow, lamenting what could have been given the strength of their roster. But if you think quiet times were ahead for the Panthers heading into the off-season? Think again. Lower grades coaching guru, Garth Brennan, finally got his well-earned NRL coaching gig, after being appointed NRL coach at the Gold Coast Titans.
Hooker Mitch Rein followed Garth soon after. Matt Moylan left the club for Cronulla. Premiership-winning Sharks five-eighth James Maloney became a Panther. But even that came at an additional cost with prop Leilani Latu also leaving for the Gold Coast after a third-party deal for Maloney was knocked back by the NRL. But wait thereâs more. Bryce Cartwrightâs summer of discontent and ongoing off-field problems eventually came to a head and he too left to become a Titan. Speculation continues to mount that off-contract winger Josh Mansour and recently appointed skipper Peter Wallace wonât feature in Penrithâs 2019 roster. ....Continued on next page