NRL finals win would put Panthers in rarefied air
Jasper Bruce |
Penrith are on the cusp of creating further history with a chance to pull off the fastest mid-season recovery from last place on the ladder to winners of a finals match.
Since the premiership’s inception in 1908, only this year’s Panthers and 1999’s Brisbane have sat last on the ladder after 12 rounds and qualified for the finals.
But the eighth-placed Broncos’ season finished with a week-one finals loss to Cronulla 26 years ago, priming Penrith to move into rarefied air against the Warriors on Saturday.
In the NRL era, Manly (2021), Cronulla (2015) and St George Illawarra (2005) have all won finals games after sitting last on the ladder through four rounds.
But those victories pale in comparison to what the four-time reigning premiers could achieve, having spiralled into 17th spot with a dismal round-12 loss to Newcastle.
“The Knights game after round 12 was kind of like the line in the sand,” prop Liam Henry told AAP.
“It was a good eye-opener and I feel like we needed it.”
Even the perennially upbeat Henry, nicknamed ‘Smiley’, felt down in the dumps after being sin-binned in that loss to the eventual wooden spooners.
“(The smile) definitely wasn’t on there, that’s for sure. That’s a night that I’ll remember for a while,” he said.
“Rugby league is a bit of a rollercoaster and you live and you learn, and that night was no different.”
Since then, Penrith have tightened their defence up, transforming from the NRL’s fifth-worst team to its third-best in that area.
Only top-four sides Canterbury and Melbourne conceded fewer points across the 27 rounds of the regular season.
A nine-game wining streak after the loss to Newcastle rocketed the Panthers into seventh place, with wins over the Bulldogs and Warriors standing out in that time.
Fullback Dylan Edwards credited Penrith’s lesser-known players for the turnaround, which began during the always-testing State of Origin period.
“Even earlier in the year, the less experienced guys were the ones playing the better footy, I thought, and then that continued through that Origin period,” he said.
“It’s just really great to see, obviously we’ve got trust in those guys to do a job for the club.”
The Panthers could be in for more history, with no side in the NRL era ever winning the premiership after finishing outside of the top four.
The last team to achieve the feat was the 1995 Canterbury side that placed sixth on the ladder but defeated minor premiers Manly in the grand final.
“I don’t think we’re even thinking too much about trying to win the comp at the moment,” said Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary.
“We’ve still got a tough task in front of us, going over to New Zealand in front of a sold-out crowd and playing the Warriors over there.
“So, full focus on that and just trying to play our best footy at the most important time of the year.”
AAP
