If the Penrith Panthers don’t make the NRL Finals over the next 5 years, and you put a full stop on everything they have achieved in recent season, they are one of the best 3 teams of all time in the history of Australian Rugby League.
Not a bad effort!
The thing is, the Panthers aren’t done. The vast majority of their key players are still only just reaching their peak years. Some of their best have moved on, players like Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris, but this is where Penrith move into the next phase of their dynasty. Replacing legends with young talent.
You never know how younger players will turn out, but Penrith’s junior development system is second to none. After having their lower grades decimated by other clubs looking to capture the next big thing, the Panthers have managed to rebuild their depth pretty well while retaining the best of their juniors.
How those players develop will go a long way to driving the Panthers success from here on out. How they step in and fill out the clubs depth, how many of them become elite players, how many of them prove to be dependable in the biggest games of the season. We know how the core of the team will perform. The defense will be amazing, Cleary will be outstanding, Yeo will be an amazing leader, To’o will be unstoppable…..but the youngsters are the ones that have the ability to power this club to new heights.
Something to keep in mind is that the elite young juniors in the game have now watched this Panthers team become one of the greatest teams of all time. The team to play for. The team you want to be on. That has clearly been a lure for some of the games elite juniors from outside the Penrith district, and much like we saw happen with the Melbourne Storm over the last 20 years, the Panthers are seen as a destination that is a great career move for elite juniors to become solid, all round first graders.
You also have a culture at the game that only accepts the highest levels of commitment and professionalism. There is just not place at the Panthers for anything less than 100%. With so many juniors pushing to get a shot at first grade, anyone that is slacking off at all just doesn’t stand a chance.
This is going to all have a flow on effect as to how the Panthers perform over the next few years. As the first grade squad stands right now, its hard to see who is going to emerge to beat the Panthers in 2025.l Someone might, and the Melbourne Storm are always a threat, but for the rest of the teams in the competition it feels like they are levels below the Panthers right now, especially when you think about finals football.
You then have to consider how the likes of Jack Cole, Blaize Talagi, Casey McLean, Jesse McLean, Mavrik Geyer, Soni Luke, Luke Sommerton, Trent Toelau will all add to that Premiership winning core. If these juniors were waiting in the wings at any other club, you’d say they had a bright future ahead of them. These guys are the next in line at a four time premiership winning team! Its insane!
You never know how junior players will develop, some won’t kick on, some will leave the club early for opportunities elsewhere, some will just turn into solid first graders. However, when you play the numbers game, even if one or two of these players kicks on and becomes a really good player, they just add to this incredible team going forward.
Winning is a habit, and these young players come into a system that has won more games over a five year period than any other team in the history of Australian Rugby League. Its a pretty good place to start a career, and these young players could be legends of the future in our sport if they play their cards right.
That all goes a long way to the Panthers continuing their successful run. Even if the club only wins one title in the next three seasons, maybe two more titles in the next six year, we are witnessing an historic run continue.
I won’t lie, its pretty cool to be a Penrith Panthers supporter right now!
