Extra Time July 16 2026

THE FINAL WORD

It’s time to get serious.

With State of Origin out of the way, byes done and dusted and September starting to appear on the horizon, the run to the Finals begins this week.

There is eight games left for Penrith as they look to hold on to first place, secure the Minor Premiership and put themselves in the best possible place to secure another title.

First on the agenda is last year’s Premiers Brisbane, who unlike the Panthers haven’t been able to back up Premiership success with a strong season; now sitting 14th on the ladder and very much in do-or-die territory.

After a bye last weekend, Broncos coach Michael Maguire would likely have pushed the reset button in the hope that his team can get

it together, find the magic they did last season and produce an almighty run home.

Lose to Penrith on Thursday and the dream of making the Finals, let alone winning back-toback titles, is done and dusted.

The Panthers welcome back Origin stars

Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin; and all three would be full of confidence following the Blues’ triumphant win over Queensland in the State of Origin decider.

The Origin period is always difficult for Penrith and while they came through relatively unscathed this year, there’s now a line in the sand and an opportunity for everyone to focus on what’s ahead.

At this stage of the season Penrith simply look fitter and sharper than the Broncos. Ivan Cleary has his side switched on, with only a few bumps in the road so far this season – expected over the course of a long campaign.

The Broncos look disjointed, disinterested and clunky this year – unable to find any sort of momentum. At times this year they have looked like a park football team that trains once a week and heads to the pub afterwards.

Reece Walsh, hampered by injury, has been unable to capture any of the magic that catapulted him to rugby league elitism in recent years, while Adam Reynolds has looked every bit of his 36 years as he limps towards retirement.

Reynolds is back this weekend and while Brisbane will hope that will offer them more guidance around the park, we all know how often his opposite number has won this battle over the years.

Nathan Cleary comes into the back end of this season confident, clear-minded and in great shape. With an elusive Dally M Medal within his grasp, this next eight weeks could be

among the best we’ve seen from the champion halfback.

The chances of Brisbane winning this will come down to confidence. If they can score the first try and be in the game at half-time, they’d start to build some belief – and we’ve seen a couple of times this year that teams that get a sniff against Penrith can grow an extra leg and go on with the job.

But I just can’t see Penrith letting this one slip. Despite Brisbane sitting 14th on the ladder, the Panthers would still have memories of that Preliminary Final last year. They won’t be taking Brisbane lightly.

In some further positive news for Penrith, Casey McLean returns from injury.

Unless there’s a dramatic turn of events, Penrith will win this one – and in the end, it might get ugly for Brisbane.

Tip: Panthers by 16.

Milky eyes sugar’s record

A23-year Penrith Panthers record could be broken on Thursday night if recently re-signed winger Tom Jenkins can continue his incredible try-scoring run.

The 25-year-old was just two-years-old when champion Penrith fullback Rhys Wesser set the new benchmark for a Panthers player with 25 tries scored in a single season back in 2003.

Now Jenkins, who is currently tied with Wesser with 25 tries of his own, has the opportunity to break the longstanding club record when the Panthers take on the Broncos at CommBank Stadium this evening.

“He was a quality player and someone that I enjoyed watching growing up”

Jenkins is currently leading the NRL with tries scored, notching up his 25th try for the year when the Panthers hammered the South Sydney Rabbitohs back in Round 18.

Speaking with Extra Time on Tuesday, Jenkins said he’d be lying if he didn’t have the club record for most tries scored on his mind.

“It’s an exciting record and yes it would be cool to break it, but like I say all the time, the tries are just tries and I’d rather be stopping them than scoring them,” he admitted.

While Jenkins is remaining very humble, it’s no secret that Penrith’s sensational year at the top of the table can largely be put down to the incredible season he’s been having.

Jenkins said he used to love watching Wesser play in the NRL when he was a kid and that breaking his 23-year record for most tries scored by a Panther would be one of the highlights of his season so far.

“Rhys was a special player. I remember growing up and watching him play and I vividly remember his try in the wet when the ball stopped in a giant puddle,” Jenkins said referring to Wesser’s try in 2011 whilst playing with Souths.

“He’s scored plenty of them and he was definitely a quality player and someone that I enjoyed watching growing up.”

Following a bye last weekend and a quick trip to the Snowy Mountains, Jenkins is feeling

refreshed heading into the final eight rounds of the regular season.

Jenkins said he enjoyed visiting the snowfields for the first time last week.

“It was so good to get away. I went down to the snow for the first time in my 25 years of living, so that was cool,” he said proudly.

“I was down there with the local disability company that I work with, Our Choice Disability Services. We went down there for a couple of days with the kids. It was really nice but I think I was the biggest kid there, it was mad!”

Much to the relief of Panthers supporters and coach Ivan Cleary, Jenkins stuck to the safe activity of tobogganing rather than learning to ski or snowboard for the first time.

“We did heaps of stuff, lots of tobogganing as well as the big Alpine Coaster at Thredbo. Don’t worry, I was being careful down there. It

was a good day, I like to let my hair down and Iv’s really good with us boys.”

Jenkins, who has played every game for Penrith this season, will be hoping to remain injury-free for the rest of the year as he eyes off playing his first-ever NRL Finals Series.

Last season, Jenkins was dramatically left of coach Cleary’s Finals team with Paul Alamoti replacing him for the all-important September fixtures.

But with Jenkins flying this year, it’s without a doubt he’ll be there this time around.

“I obviously don’t want to look too far ahead but the thought of playing my first Finals is really exciting and nice,” Jenkins admitted.

“It’s important I’m playing well and doing my job for the team and that will put me in good stead to be selected.

“The run leading into the Finals is exciting. We don’t have anymore breaks, but we’ve put ourselves in a good position to be able to put our foot on the throat and really accelerate into the backend.”

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FEATURE

Dylan Edwards still bleeds blue

Despite being left out of this year’s State of Origin series, Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards felt plenty of pride and emotion when he saw his teammates shock Queensland and clinch the Origin decider last Wednesday night.

Edwards wasn’t selected for NSW this year, with Blues coach Laurie Daley making the huge call to axe the four-time Premiership winner and Australian representative in favour of champion Roosters fullback, 33-year-old James Tedesco.

Many would think Edwards would have some sour grapes over the decision, but that couldn’t be further from the truth with the Penrith superstar riding every wave of NSW’s historic Origin series win.

“It was awesome,” Edwards told Extra Time on Tuesday.

“Suncorp is a hard place to play especially a decider, and I thought the way they went about it, especially Nath had an absolute blinder, and I thought Marto and Yeoy were both incredible as well.

“I’m super, super happy for them and the squad. It’s a tough place to win up there and every one of them played out of their skins.”

Edwards knows a thing or two about winning deciders in Brisbane after securing the Origin Shield for the Blues back in 2024. The 30-year-old said he was particularly pleased for

Panthers teammate Nathan Cleary, who overcame plenty of adversity in the lead up to win the coveted Wally Lewis Medal post-game.

“Some of the criticism around

Nathan… it’s a shame he has to get used to it and he probably is used to it because he’s copped it for so long,”

Edwards said.

“It’s nice for him to play the way he

did and hopefully its put to bed all those criticisms around him.”

In a huge boost for the competition leaders, all of Penrith’s Origin stars have been named for tonight’s big match against 2025 Premiers Brisbane at CommBank Stadium. Edwards said he’ll be using the final eight rounds before the NRL Finals to fine tune his game.

“If you’re not looking to get better, you’ll blink and you’ll miss it. The Finals will be here, and you haven’t been able to implement things into your game where you probably should, so you’ve got to take each day as it comes, work really hard and try to improve and fine tune where you can,” he said.

The Panthers are red-hot favourites heading into this evening’s clash, with the Broncos sitting in 14th place and fighting for their season.

“Their position on the ladder is sort of surprising in a way,” Edwards said.

“They probably have some results they would have liked to be on the other side of, but nevertheless they’re as dangerous as any side in the competition on any given night.

“They’re coming off the bye as well and will be really refreshed and hungry to give themselves every opportunity for this backend push. It should be a cracking game on Thursday night.”

Kenny signs extension

Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny has signed a new deal that will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2031 season.

A Panthers junior, Kenny has played 135 NRL matches since making his first grade debut in 2019, and has become an influential

member of the club’s historic premiership era. His courage and determination were recognised in 2024 when he received the John Farragher Award, an honour presented to a Panthers player who demonstrates perseverance, courage and commitment.

Kenny’s

contribution also extends beyond the field. He is currently nominated for the 2026 Ken Stephen Medal in recognition of his ongoing engagement with the local hospital community and his commitment to supporting people throughout the Penrith region.

Panthers General Manager of Rugby League Shane Elford said Kenny’s extension was an important signing for the club.

“Mitch is an incredibly reliable and determined player who consistently demonstrates the courage and leadership we value at the Panthers,” Elford said.

“He has been an influential part of this team throughout an extraordinary period of success and continues to set an outstanding example through the way he prepares, competes and supports those around him.”

There had been speculation that Kenny was interested in joining expansion franchise the PNG Chiefs, but it is understood he waned on that desire in recent times.

Kenny is currently out injured and is expected to return in the coming weeks as Penrith charge towards the Finals.

Cleary considers what’s next

Cleary ponders future: With the Origin series out of the way and the much talked about November 1 date looming, Nathan Cleary is starting to think about his future. And while there’s been plenty of talk about him potentially leaving the Panthers and even the NRL at the end of next year, the latest indications are that Cleary is keen to stay at the foot of the Mountains. In fact, there’s even some suggestions Penrith hasn’t given up hope of doing a deal before November to fend off any potential rivals. Nathan and his partner Mary Fowler are deeply committed to their respective sports. There’s talk both are comfortable to extend their current long distance set-up by at least another couple of years. Watch this space, things may ramp up quicker than first thought.

Spotted: Panthers stars Liam Henry and Tom Jenkins catching up with old mate Mav Geyer at High Street Depot on Monday morning.

Coach skips town: Penrith coach Ivan Cleary is usually in the crowd watching his son Nathan represent the Blues in State of Origin, but last Wednesday he was some 4,600 kilometres away in Bali. Cleary senior and wife Bec watched Nathan’s heroics from a sports bar. They were in Bali not for a mid-season break, but as part of a commitment for major Panthers sponsor MyPlace.

MG joins Home Sweet: Panthers legend Mark Geyer has been announced as the official ambassador for Home Sweet, an annual fundraiser coordinated by Link Wentworth to help people facing homelessness and housing stress. “It’s something you can’t look away from. I’m seeing more young people than ever sleeping rough in western Sydney, and it’s something I can’t ignore,” Geyer said. “Especially in this cold weather, it’s heartbreaking to think that someone isn’t going home to a roof over their head, warmth and laughter. With Home Sweet, you can be part of making things better.”

Board in place: This is the first photo of the entire Panthers Group Board of 2026, with the governing group finalised a few weeks ago with the appointment of Peter Tracey as a Director.

SEN’s radio rise: The quiet achiever of the Sydney radio ratings released on Tuesday was sports station SEN. The station was up 0.5 per cent overall with the breakfast show featuring Panthers legend Greg Alexander up 0.7 per cent. Andrew Voss’ morning show was up 0.6 per cent while afternoons, evenings and weekends were also up.

Origin shake-up: While the new TV deal means that State of Origin will stay on Wednesday nights, the exact format of the series moving forward is up in the air. The NRL doesn’t mind the idea of playing Origin over three consecutive Wednes- days, which would pause the NRL competition for three ends. Those weekends

could be filled with the NRLW season launch, Pacific test matches or even a mini-tournament. The NRL and Nine will discuss what Origin looks like in coming seasons over the next off-season – with the current structure likely to remain for next year.

Cleary celebrated together in the wake of the Blues’ series decider victory over Queensland last week.

LOCAL

Nine’s loss: Channel Nine won’t broadcast Saturday night football over the final weeks of the regular season under the new TV deal. They’ve lost that simulcast right as part of the new agreement, which will ensure that Foxtel and Kayo maintain Super Saturday exclusively for the entirety of the regular season.

Fox at the footy: Criticism of Fox Sports broadcasting games from the studio has ramped up in recent weeks, so it was interesting to note they were very much out and about for Super Saturday last week. The commentary team flew to Redcliffe for the Dolphins v Sharks match, were on deck at Accor Stadium for Bulldogs v Raiders and then had a full broadcast –including host Yvonne Sampson – from Allianz Stadium for Roosters v Eels.

Family celebration: From the euphoria of last Wednesday night’s Origin win to a much quieter atmosphere, Panthers captain Isaah Yeo headed to Mudgee last weekend to celebrate his mum’s 50th birthday.

PANTHERS POSTER

Sons of guns: Penrith’s rising stars

The exciting thing about some of the wonderfully talented juniors running around in the Penrith Panthers lower grades is that three of them are sons of former first grade players.

Two of them have fathers who played for Penrith, while the third, well, he’s the son of a former Parramatta Eels legend and he may be the most promising of the lot.

The players are Judah Galuvao, son of Panthers premiership winner Joe Galuvao. Then we have Jirah Liddiard, son of Glen Liddiard, and finally there’s Buster Hindmarsh, son of former Eels great Nathan Hindmarsh.

Before I go into detail about these boys, I will put my hand up and say that I do this type of column every year but in my defence, it’s not my fault these ‘sons of former players’ keep coming along and look like future first graders.

Playing even one first grade NRL game is a difficult goal to achieve but I’ve got a feeling all three of these blokes will make it to first grade.

Let’s start with 21-year-old prop forward Judah Galuvao. Judah is just starting to come into his own and after working his way through the Panthers Pathways system,

playing Harold Matthews (Under 17), SG Ball (Under 19) and Jersey Flegg (Under 21), Galuvao made the big step up to NSW Cup just two weeks ago.

What makes Galuvao’s rise special, is that he’s made it on pure perseverance and tenacity.

He’s never been the ‘superstar’ junior prop and he’s had to train

NSW Cup scoring an impressive 10 tries.

What makes Jirah Liddiard special is his height and athleticism. He stands well over six foot tall, is safe under the high-ball and has speed to burn. Liddiard had some major injuries a few years ago which stalled his career but he’s back on track and firing on all cylinders.

Now I’ve saved the best for last, no offence to either Judah or Jirah but 18-year-old Buster Hindmarsh has caught everyone’s attention this year and it’s not just because he has a famous father.

This 194cm, 96kg giant is already a big boy and he still hasn’t finished growing yet.

and fight hard for everything he’s achieved.

The signs are promising that he can go even further.

The next player is 22-year-old winger Jirah Liddiard. After making his way through the lower grades, Liddiard made his NSW Cup debut for Penrith in 2025 and this year he’s already played 12 games in

What’s super impressive about Hindmarsh is that he started the season in the Panthers SG Ball (Under 19) side before quickly progressing to Jersey Flegg (Under 21) and like his teammate Galuvao, was promoted to NSW Cup two weeks ago.

He’s a second rower who many good judges think will end up in the front-row. Especially when he fills-out that massive frame.

And the kid is only 18 years of age. What’s that expression I use every year?

Oh yeah, the future is so bright, I gotta wear shades!

BEHIND THE GAME

Love, footy and a home town hero

If someone asked you to move hundreds of kilometres away from your hometown after dating for only eight weeks would you do it?

That’s the question Penrith Panthers prop Liam Henry posed to his then girlfriend when he was about to make way to the foot of the mountains for a chance at a professional footy career. It would turn out to be the best decision that

Henry and his partner, Soph, ever made with the couple now happily married and about to head off to Perth.

“She moved with me eight weeks into our relationship!” Henry said with a laugh.

“She packed up and came with me. She kind of knew that I was off and she was flexible with her university, so she just said, ‘I’ll come with you’.

“It was unreal.”

Henry debuted for the Panthers at the tail end of the 2022 season and quickly became an integral part of the machine that is the four-time premiers, even winning a ring of his own in 2024.

Growing up in the far west country town of Blayney, all Henry could think about was footy and said the fact that he gets to represent

such an important club isn’t something he takes lightly.

“I’m very very lucky,” Henry reflected.

“Growing up in Blayney, it always just felt like it was so far away. It’s very special to be a part of this club and get to represent where I am from. I love getting back there and seeing everyone, they are all absolute legends. They all want me to do well and they have my back.” Henry said there is more to take away from footy than people might think.

“Footy has taught me how to deal with the ups and downs of life,” Henry said.

“Everything you learn from footy you can relate to life. So even when we get setbacks and if things don’t go our way, then we have systems and a process to go through.”

“Some of the stuff that’s been written and said, come on. Hopefully those blokes might have a decent look at themselves.”

“Rugby league is booming. Participation has never been higher. If you participate you become engaged.”

ARLC Chair Peter V’landys

THEY SAID IT...

“We put trust in people to sit in there and make the right decision. If we’re not going to make the right decision in the big games, in the big moments, flick it.”

“He’s an outstanding Origin player. He’s a champion footballer, cometh the hour, cometh the champion and he got them home and they were absolutely terrific.”

Phil Gould on Nathan Cleary

“If you felt it was a personal attack – at least from my end – you’re off the mark. State of Origin is a unique time in the rugby league calendar.”

Journalist Brent Read’s message to Laurie Daley

“I’ve never experienced anything like the rugby league community.”

“I’m sick of people bagging Nathan Cleary. Let’s appreciate greatness when we’ve got it.”

“Matt Cameron the Panthers CEO... I have a lot of respect for what he’s done and I spoke to him a lot about this role.”

PNG Chiefs GM Michael Chammas

NRL LADDER & FIXTURES

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