Penrith’s 1463 days at the top may never be matched
Scott Bailey |
The NRL may never again see another premiership run like Penrith’s.
One day after being bundled out by Brisbane, Panthers players woke up in Sydney on Monday to the reality that their shot at a fifth straight title was over.
Following 1463 days with Penrith reigning premiers, the NRL will have a new champion on Sunday and Brisbane or Melbourne can begin their own era.
Penrith left Suncorp Stadium with a steely resolve, adamant the 16-14 defeat to the Broncos was not the end of the club’s dynasty.
But in terms of premiership runs, it is hard to see Penrith’s almighty feat of four straight being matched any time soon with a salary-cap in place.
Since the cap was introduced in 1990, only two other teams have gone back to back: Brisbane in 1992 and 1993 and the Sydney Roosters 26 years later.
Penrith have done double that, while also going undefeated for most of 2020 before being upset in that year’s grand final by Melbourne.
In the professional era of Australian sport, this Penrith team stands alone.
No other men’s team in a fully professional sporting league has won four straight in Australia this century, with three the limit in the AFL, NBL and Sheffield Shield.
And in terms of rugby league history, Penrith have earned the right to be in the debate for the greatest of all time.
When St George won 11 straight between 1956 and 1966, rugby league – and the make-up of its premiership season – was very much in a different era.
The sport was still amateur, the competition was made up strictly of Sydney teams and there were unlimited tackles, contested scrums and a three-yard offside rule.
As if to illustrate the impact of the salary cap, St George used just 42 players in finals matches when they won 11 straight premierships.
Penrith, in contrast, have had to cycle through 37 across their five finals series between 2020 and 2024.
So significant has the impact of the salary-cap squeeze been, a list of players Penrith has lost since 2020 could rival any roster in the competition.
For another side to follow in Penrith’s footsteps and claim a four-peat of their own, much would need to fall in their favour.
Penrith’s pathways system remains at the core of everything they achieved, with a wide-reaching, streamlined system from under-13s to the NRL.
Winning young was crucial, with no Panther over the age of 30 when they did so in 2021 and years of potential still in front of them.
The set-restart rule change in 2020 also flipped the sport on its head, with Penrith’s roster able to capitalise on being the youngest and fittest.
But beyond all else, any team who follows Penrith’s path needs a ruthlessness rarely seen in team sport.
The club never got tired of winning, doing so in 108 of 132 matches between 2020 and 2024 while only conceding 13.3 points per game.
And while they fell away earlier this year, a late-season resurgence meant the Panthers still lost the title belt in the ring.
It will take some effort for any team to hold it again for this long.
AAP
