St George/Illawarra Dragons half Jamie Soward has signed a four year contract with the Penrith Panthers started from 2014.
I think this is a very good signing for the Panthers. Soward has a fantastic kicking game. He will bring a cool head and Premiership winning experience to the Panthers halves.
It has become clear in recent weeks that the Panthers don’t have too much confidence in any of their current halves combination. Sowards addition gives the club a half they know they can build a team around. It is a step forward, and it is one the club desperately needed.
I wasn’t all that impressed when the club announced that it has signed Brent Kite. Kite looks like he is ready to retire, and when you go from the possible signing of Johnathan Thurston to the signing of Brent Kite, you can’t expect anything but dissapointment from the fan base.
I’ve defended Jamie Soward a number of times over the years. I’ve always felt that he is a great player that has done very well in a number of trying circumstances. When you look at the halves partners Soward has played along side in recent years at the Dragons it isn’t anything to write home about. Soward has played very well in a good Dragons side with not a huge amount of help from another decent halfback.
At the Panthers, he may find himself in a similar situation. You need to keep in mind though that the Panthers were ready to make Johnathan Thurston a Godfather offer of well over $1 million per season. It is very possible that the Panthers have enough money left over to spend on someone like a Todd Carney. If the Panthers could lock up Carney to partner Jamie Soward, all of a sudden the Panthers at the very least have the base of a team that could cause some damage over the course of an NRL season.
The player I’d really like to see Penrith get? Shaun Johnson. I’d be willing to sell the farm to get the young Warriors halfback and pair him back up with Ivan Cleary. I doubt that will ever happen, but a bloke can dream!
As a Panthers fan I’m pretty pleased to hear this news. Our next signing will be the real guage of where the club is heading though. Four years is a big commitment to any player. I just hope we can give Soward a halves partner that he has deserved for a long time now.
