Extra Time July 2 2026

MATCH PREVIEW

THE FINAL WORD

When any other team loses two games in a row, one by a solitary point, it’s considered par for the course. The highs and lows of the season. When Penrith drops two on the trot, however, it’s as if the panic button has been pushed.

Sound the alarm, the Panthers are now only four points ON TOP of the competition!

But as fans and ‘experts’ lament Penrith’s recent form snag and other fans declare Ivan Cleary’s side is there for the taking this year after all, it’s time to call for some calm.

This is a long season. Penrith jumped out of the blocks hard, and as results show dominated the first half of the competition. It was never sustainable for 31-odd weeks, so be grateful that any tip happens now rather than at the

business end of the year.

The strain of the Origin period is not just about players missing for certain games. That may be the public-facing result but there is a whole heap of extra pressure on clubs like Penrith, and the players, at this time of the year.

It is therefore understandable if perhaps every pass isn’t sticking or every opportunity isn’t being iced.

Suggestions of Penrith’s demise are premature.

Even if what is an under-strength Panthers doesn’t get the job done against Souths at CommBank Stadium on Friday night, there will be no reason to withdraw your confidence in Penrith’s ability to win this competition.

The Panthers will get it right when it matters most and you won’t remember a deservedly forgettable night in Townsville back in late June.

All of that said, every game is about winning

and Ivan Cleary will want to get his side prepared and in a position to claim the two points on Friday night.

After a couple of weeks on the road, the Panthers return home and despite a host of players missing, should be able to get the ship back on more steady waters.

There will be no Liam Martin who has been recalled into the NSW Origin side, but Brian To’o will be a surprise inclusion and will have a point to prove after his shock axing from the Blues.

Souths are coming off an impressive win over Parramatta last weekend although the Eels barely put up a fight in one of their most disappointing performances of the season.

Still, we saw that if the likes of Cody Walker are given an opportunity they will take it with both hands.

Which is why Souths will be an extremely dangerous prospect on Friday even if Origin

and injury is impacting this part of the season for them too.

The Rabbitohs are a confidence team and if they can start well and sniff Penrith being vulnerable early in the contest, they’ll pounce and try to control the momentum of the match.

For Penrith, it is likely the lessons learned from the Titans game that will be more valuable than whatever was taken out of the Cowboys game last week.

It was in that match that a few standards started to slip and the ‘next man up’ approach became a little wobbly.

Those given the same opportunity to wear the jersey this weekend will be keen to make amends.

I suspect we’re in for something of a close fight here, but with no panic buttons pressed, I’m confident the Panthers can get the job done.

Tip: Panthers by 6.

Something for everyone

Sorensen backs forward to stay

Perth-bound Panthers forward Scott Sorensen would love to see teammate Moses Leota remain a one-club player and re-sign with Penrith.

Leota has been in the headlines this week after the Panthers allowed the 30-year-old local junior and four-time NRL Premiership winner to test his value on the open market.

Leota is off-contract at the end of the 2027 NRL season, but Panthers management have given the Kiwi international permission to see what he is worth around the league before giving the competition leaders one final chance at securing his services beyond next year.

Speaking with Extra Time on Wednesday, Sorensen said

seeing Leota finish his decorated career at the Panthers would be special.

“I’d absolutely love it for Penrith to keep him and finish his career here, but sometimes it may not work out the way you want it to and other opportunities happen and other doors open, and that might happen for Moss,”

Sorensen said.

When Sorensen leaves the Panthers at season’s end, he’ll line up for his fourth NRL club when he hits the field for the Perth Bears in 2027.

While Sorensen has been around the block a few times, he’d love to see Leota –who he described as a warrior – remain where he is.

“He’s a warrior for this side. He’d bled for this team. He puts his body on the line every single week. At training, off the field, on the field – he’s just an absolute beast and his nickname is ‘Tank’ for a reason,” Sorensen said.

“I’d absolutely love to see him finish his career here. If that works out for him, that would be very special.”

Sorensen has around a dozen games left in Panthers colours, pending his side

in seven years this October.

With time ticking on his stunning career at Penrith, the backrower said he’s trying to live in the present rather than count down how much time he has left.

“I talk to the family about it as well as a few of the boys, but for me right now it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Sorensen admitted.

“Maybe because we’ve had back-to-back losses, so it makes you keep your focus and stay in the present.

“Look, I’m still just trying to get better and do my role week in, week out, for the team and I feel like that’s making me feel good about what’s happening right now.”

Sorensen will feel even better about how his life is travelling if the Panthers manage to snap a shocking two-game losing streak when they return home to face the South Sydney Rabbitohs this Friday night.

Penrith’s latest loss came against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville last Satur day night 26-12.

“I would’ve loved to have stopped the losing streak last week, that would’ve been nice!”

Sorensen said.

“It just shows the nature of the beast and how hard this competition is. You’d rather get on top of it (the defeats) sooner rather than later. Hopefully we can get to work on a few things and we can take that into Friday night.”

For the second straight week, the Panthers were shocking against their Queensland opponents, prompting coach Ivan Cleary to stick around for a 13-word, 90-second press conference post-match.

Sorensen said the plane ride from Townsville to Sydney wasn’t as sombre as many may think.

“To be honest, everyone’s obviously disappointed because we’re not playing the way we want to be playing,” he said.

“It’s disappointing but, as a group, there’s no confidence lost in that. We know we can go back to training and have the right conversations and work on a few things we want to get

“It was pretty clear we weren’t ourselves last week and we spoke about the way we wanted to play, and we didn’t do that as a group. Hopefully we can turn it around on Friday.”

FEATURE Panthers ready for redemption

The Penrith Panthers sit currently four points clear at the top of the NRL ladder, but their recent form doesn’t reflect that.

Two losses on the trot have some panicked at the foot of the Mountains, but high-flying centre Paul Alamoti this week brushed off any concern about his team’s form.

“We haven’t lost any confidence; there is no panic stations at all,” Alamoti told Extra Time

“We know what we can produce. In the Titans game we were only one-point away and last week just wasn’t us, like we didn’t turn up. Rugby league is a week-to-week basis, and we get a chance to rewrite the last couple of weeks this Friday night.”

While it may have been a one-point loss on the Gold Coast two weeks ago, last week’s performance against the Cowboys left much to be desired.

“I’d say it was uncharacteristic,” Alamoti conceded.

“The whole game from start to finish just wasn’t us and everything that we’ve built over the season so far. Everything that could have went wrong did go wrong and it just wasn’t us that night.”

In Alamoti’s words, the Panthers have the chance to “bounce back” tomorrow

night when they come up against the in-form South Sydney Rabbitohs despite lining up without some key players who are on Origin duty.

“It’s a bit of a Redemption Round for us,” Alamoti said.

“I think the last time we played two weeks ago, we played without our Origin boys and we didn’t play as well relative to the first game we played without them against the Warriors.

“For us, it is just another chance to bounce back with the squad we played with a couple of weeks ago.”

One advantage for the Panthers will be that the game will be back at CommBank Stadium, their home away from home.

“Being at home definitely does help,” Alamoti said.

“We’ve been on the road the last couple of weeks so to be back home amongst our fans, obviously you get a bit more energy, better feel about it and it’s just a lot better to be running out at home this week.”

Something that no pundit could have ever expected was this Friday night winger Brian To’o will be lining up for the Panthers after sensationally being dropped from the NSW Blues team for the Decider.

“I’m gutted for him, but you can’t really do much about it,” Alamoti said.

“At the end of the day it actually helps us this weekend. I’m just glad to have him in our team, especially during this period.”

Leota to be in high demand

Panthers get final crack: Penrith will get the final shot at re-signing Moses Leota after it was revealed the club would allow him to test the market. Leota is among a host of players off-contract at the end of next season and despite previous denials from the club, it was always going to be the case that they’d allow select players to hear offers from other clubs early. Once Leota knows what he is worth, he will then sit down with Penrith officials who will table their offer. Once a player is granted permission to talk to other clubs, the writing is generally on the wall – but it’ll all come down to exactly how impressive the offers are from else where. This will be Leota’s final big contract, so nobody would blame him for looking after himself and his family.

Eels chasing: It’s been revealed by Nine’s Wide World of Sports that crosstown rivals the Parramatta Eels have already expressed interest in 30-year-old Moses Leota for the 2028 season and beyond. The Eels are desperate for an experienced front-rower to lead their young pack into the future. Other clubs that could come into consideration for the St Marys junior include the Canterbury Bulldogs, Perth, PNG and the New Zealand Warriors, where he could partner up with former Panthers teammate and best friend James Fisher-Harris in the front-row. Interestingly, Leota was born in Auckland, so his return to the motherland would be a homecoming of sorts.

Shock omission: The NSW Origin team was announced on Sunday night with three Panthers stars once again selected for the Decider in Brisbane next Wednesday night. Isaah Yeo will captain the NSW Blues for the sixth time, while Nathan Cleary has been named at halfback, looking to bounce back from a sub-par performance down in Melbourne. Enforcer Liam Martin has been named to play his first Origin game of the series, selected to start in the backrow. Unfortunately winger Brian To’o has been axed for the third and final game, replaced by rangy Dolphins back Jack Bostock on debut. To’o made his debut in 2021 and played 17 consecutive Origin games for the Blues until his shock axing this week.

Cleary confident: Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has backed Brian To’o to bounce back this Friday night when he lines up for Penrith against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at CommBank Stadium. Up until this week’s surprise news, Cleary would’ve had To’o missing tomorrow night’s clash against the Bunnies, but the Blues’ loss is Penrith’s gain. “Bizza has had an unbelievable career – the bigger the game, the better he goes. I’m sure Bizza will be fine,” Cleary said on Tuesday. “No doubt

he would be disappointed but he’s taking it well and it’s all part the journey. I’m looking forward to having him this week for us.”

Hip pocket pain: Brian To’o being dropped from the NSW Origin side has some interesting ramifications. While he misses out on a third Blues pay day this year as a result of his axing, his value on the open market may dip slightly. Will To’o still be considered an Origin-level player when he is free to talk to other clubs from November, given he has potentially played his last Origin game? Not that To’o isn’t a huge chance of making his way back into the team next year, but often the writing is on the wall once you’ve been dropped and it could be To’o is entering the next chapter of his career, with the walk-up start to rep teams starting to drift. It’ll be intriguing to see how things work out.

Spotted: A long way from home, a proud Penrith Panthers fan sporting the club’s Las Vegas jersey in the crowd at the Alan Jackson farewell concert in Nashville last weekend.

TV deal looms: With the new TV deal just around the corner, Foxtel and Kayo subscribers

should get ready to open their wallets. DAZN, which owns Foxtel and Kayo, has stumped up big cash to retain the rights and blew Channel Nine out of the water. But they have to recoup those costs somehow. They already skimp on sending commentators to the ground. Get ready for subscription price increases, likely to be gradually put in place over the coming years. They’ll have a key argument that there’s one extra game on the slate now with the arrival of the Perth Bears.

Beanies a hit: The rugby league community has once again shown its extraordinary generosity in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation, with the 2026 NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Round raising $3.8 million in the fight against brain cancer. It brings the total funds raised from the round to $33.5 million since its inception in 2017.

Spotted: A Panthers jersey in a garbage bin at Caddens Corner shopping centre on Wednesday morning. Surely two straight losses hasn’t got fans in that much of a crisis?

Music city showdown: Weekender Editor and long-time Panthers fan Troy Dodds has just returned from Nashville in the United States, and he’s calling for the city to be part of Global Round if it gets off the ground. In the latest edition of the Tension’s Running High podcast, which will be released later today, he details the new Nissan Stadium – which will host the Super Bowl in 2030. The stadium will be ready next year and could potentially host a Global Round contest in 2028 or 2029. With so many country music fans in Penrith’s squad, we reckon the Panthers should be on the flight to Nashville. Hear what Troy has to say about the new stadium in today’s episode. Just search Western Weekender wherever you listen to podcasts.

Why I’m pressing the panic button

After back-to-back losses is it time to hit the panic button at Penrith?

I say ‘yes’ and it could be the best thing to happen to the Panthers when that alarm bell starts ringing. Why?

Because it will facilitate change, otherwise you’re just burying your head in the sand and hoping things will get better because, well hey, it’s only two bad games right?

However, if changes aren’t made both in personnel and how Penrith play the game, back-to-back losses will become three losses, three will become four.

Another thing which has to change is the attitude of the players, which has lacked a ‘hard edge’, something Nathan Cleary himself admitted after the Cowboys game.

The week prior coach Ivan Cleary said something similar when he said the team lacked a ‘killer instinct’.

Clearly the players need an attitude adjustment. It feels like some of them have lost their ‘edge’ and are just turning up expecting to win with minimal effort.

In his own way, coach Cleary hit his own panic button following the comprehensive loss to the Cowboys last Saturday.

Only he did it by saying as little as possible.

He uttered just 13 words in the post-match press conference.

Yes, 13 words and the majority of those was to tell everyone that Isaiah Papali’i, who was one of the Panthers’ best forwards, will be missing from the team on Friday due to concussion protocols which require him to sit out for 11 days.

I’m sure Ivan’s silence was short lived after he delivered a few home truths to his players during the video review of the Cowboys game this week.

There was absolutely nothing positive to take out of the ‘beatdown’ the Cowboys administered on Penrith in that game.

The Panthers forward pack was comprehensively bashed out of the contest from the first tackle of the game on Moses Leota.

Penrith’s halves were helpless to do anything creative due to a lack of field position while a rushing defence caused panic and confusion in the Panthers’ backline, causing more dropped balls than I’ve seen from the team all year.

Some personnel changes will be forced due to several players being selected for Origin but there also has to be some adjustments made to the side’s attack, which has been inept over the last two weeks.

A lot of supporters have been call-

ing for Izack Tago’s head after some sub-par performances lately but unfortunately that won’t happen until Casey McLean returns after the bye in Round 19.

A forced change, which will also help improve the team, is the return of Mitch Kenny, scheduled for Round 20 at this stage.

Yes, I have hit the ‘panic button’ but the alarm needs to be heard and changes need to be made. The side cannot go out against South Sydney and play the same style or with the same ‘mental attitude’ it has the last two games. They need to get back their ‘killer instinct’, and they need it back today.

Ivan ready to Clear his schedule

Super coach Ivan Cleary will hang up his whistle at the end of the 2027 season, leaving him open to what life has to offer beyond the confines of the NRL.

It was a shock to the general public –including this writer – when Cleary set a 2pm press conference one Wednesday a month or so ago and laid bare the news, but for him it was just a formality.

“I’d sort of had some conversations before it was announced publicly and just having those conversations gave me more relief,” he explained.

“Those conversations were with the important people in my life and the Chairman here. So just once I knew that everyone that mattered was OK with it, that made me feel better.”

When asked what he plans to do with all his free time once the gig gets handed over to Peter Wallace in 2028, Cleary was overwhelmed with choice.

“I’d like to travel. I guess I’d like to be a bit freer in terms of when I can do that,” Cleary said.

“I’ve been so fortunate to live with the

NRL schedule for about 35 years, and it’s given me everything I have. It’s been such an amazing thing, but I would definitely like to be able to do different stuff at different times.”

Cleary said being able to help guide Wallace into the role is something he is looking forward to.

“I’m really passionate about trying to help a young coach, I got it myself when I started and that was invaluable to me, so I’m looking forward to being able to help there,” he said.

“I’m not even sure how I’m going to do it yet, but I really want to make sure he gets the best opportunity to be himself.”

Casting his mind back to the start of his career 35 years ago, Cleary said the one person who has been there through it all is his wife Bec who, at the beginning of their story, was the bread winner.

“We’ve been together right from the start when I started playing,” Cleary recalled.

“Our first date, she had to pay for dinner because I had no money! That’s a true story. She’s been with me all the

Coffee order: Almond latte

Cheat meal: Vietnamese food

Favourite movie: ‘Pulp Fiction’

Favourite musician: Coldplay

Who did you support growing up: Balmain Tigers

Pet peeve: Selfishness

There is nothing better than a sideline conversion to win a game, and that’s how things unfolded at Penrith Stadium on Saturday, March 22 in 2014.

The Round 3 clash with the Bulldogs was a thriller – with Penrith leading 10-6 at the break but the Bulldogs scored two late second half tries to take a 16-12 lead into the final minutes of the match. With a strong home crowd behind them, the Panthers had one last roll of the dice and Kevin Naiqama went over in the corner, leaving Matt Moylan to land a sideline conversion to win the game.

The kick was a beauty – and Penrith won 18-16, sending players and fans alike into raptures.

PANTHER MEMORIES

NRL LADDER & FIXTURES

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

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