Familiar foes: the true parallels between Dogs, Penrith
Scott Bailey and George Clarke |
Penrith and Canterbury will feel as if they are running into distorted mirrors on Sunday, such are the similarities that extend well beyond the familiarity of former teammates.
Anticipation is building that Sunday’s NRL semi-final at Accor Stadium, tipped to attract over 70,000 fans, will be something special.
Players in both camps certainly know what to expect.
“We both have similar styles,” Penrith captain Isaah Yeo said.
“We both want the ball in play. We both back our defence.
“I think that showed with the first time we played each other (this year) and it was 8-6.
“But it’s not like we’re playing each other and it’s the exact same match-up … as much as the styles might be similar, each team has got different strengths as well.”
The parallels between Canterbury’s near-complete rebuild and Penrith’s premiership-winning machine are there for all to see.
Supremo Phil Gould, coach Cameron Ciraldo and captain Stephen Crichton headline the list of influential former Penrith figures now at Belmore.
On the field, the resemblance is there too.
Ex-Panthers assistant Ciraldo is the man who helped implement the defensive system that set the platform for Penrith’s four straight premierships.
It is built on effort, hard work and a willingness to scramble. The same approach has helped the Bulldogs claim the NRL’s best defensive record this year.
While conceding 17 points per game, the 2025 Canterbury side are still the most miserly of any team – outside of Penrith – in the past three years.
“You look at players or coaches that have been here at Penrith, and they have seen what’s worked,” Yeo said.
“They’ve had a big emphasis on that when they were here.
“So it would be mad not to take it with you, or try and put your own little spin on it.”
Beyond defence, there are other notable comparisons.
Connor Tracey is the most like-for-like fullback in the NRL to Dylan Edwards, with an effort-based game high on run metres and last-ditch try-savers.
Both teams’ yardage is based off a powerful tackle-busting winger: Jacob Kiraz and Brian To’o.
Ciraldo has also started to put an emphasis on his outside backs being able to play both sides, something that has been a hallmark of Ivan Cleary’s Penrith dynasty.
And at hooker, both coaches have opted for no-frill options in Bailey Hayward and Mitch Kenny.
Which begs the question: does it make Sunday’s game easier or harder for both teams, knowing full well what they are coming up against?
“It’s probably a bit of both,” Edwards said.
“You know the strengths and weaknesses of both defences. They’re slightly different, they have adapted a little.
“Anyone can see the similarities there in the way we go about our defence. Hard working, selfless. Those sort of areas.”
What is also shared is a clear mutual respect.
While Penrith’s roots in Canterbury’s growth is clear, so is Ciraldo’s with several Panthers players.
He brought Nathan Cleary, Moses Leota, Liam Martin, Edwards and Kenny through under-20s, and was an assistant coach for the vast majority of Penrith’s team.
“He gave me an opportunity,” Edwards said.
“I didnt play very well in (under-18s) SG Ball and I just trained hard and he gave me an opportunity on the wing for my first game of under-20s.
“Then he just found a spot for me in the team all year.
“He was tough but fair, and just cared. You could just tell how much he cared about you. Not just as a player but a person as well.”
Panthers players also all believe their ex-assistant crafted more than just defence in Penrith’s golden era, with his wisdom extending well beyond that.
“Everyone talks about his defensive system. He has helped me a lot on that side,” prop Lindsay Smith said.
“But the biggest thing was after my NRL debut, he brought me in to do my review and showed me where I was and where I needed to be to be an NRL player.
“As a young kid you think you are ready and think you can be playing NRL each week.
“To see that made me realise there is so much work to go to get to here and that next level, that next step is a big step.
“He was always there. Whenever you went in there and you needed to talk, he was always there to give you little tips and pointers.”
Canterbury can still add one more thing in common with Penrith before the end of this season, and it is a similarity the Bulldogs desperately crave.
Like when this Penrith dynasty started with their first title in 2021, an injury-battered Bulldogs must do it the hard way in the finals after a week-one defeat.
Standing between them and a preliminary final in Brisbane is now a Penrith side who are experts at winning in September.
“It would have been nice to have got to a prelim and have the week off,” Bulldogs prop Max King said.
“But we get another opportunity so there’s no point kicking stones.
“It’s a great opportunity to play Penrith, they’re a quality side who lose players every year and rise more and more.
“There’s no better opportunity to knock them off.”
AAP
