From Blacktown City Bears to Penrith Panthers: Inside Jesse, Casey McLeans rise to NRL stardom

Local siblings Jesse and Casey McLean have emerged as the faces of the Panthers’ generation next. But can they help extend a dynasty that has collected three straight NRL premierships?

Panthers brothers Jesse and Casey McLean with their dad Willie, Mum Shannon and sisters Taya and Toni at their home in Quakers Hill. Photo: Tom Parrish

When Jesse McLean failed to make the cut of the Blacktown City Bears under-7s side, his old man Willie refused to accept his son’s fate.

“But there was enough kids to maybe make another team,” he recalls.

So that meant playing five-year-old Casey, as well, kickstarting a rugby league journey where he would constantly be playing up an age group.

All against the wishes of mum Shannon.

“I was like, ‘No, he’s not playing. You still won’t have enough players anyway’.”

A few months later and, after putting roughly 13 tries a game through every rival on their way to a grand final triumph, it became clear the McLean brothers were on a path to stardom.

“Jesse was first picked the next year,” said Shannon.

Panthers brothers Jesse and Casey McLean with their dad Willie, Mum Shannon and sisters Taya and Toni at their home in Quakers Hill. Photo: Tom Parrish

Over a decade on and the local siblings have emerged as the faces of the Panthers’ generation next, an iteration tasked with extending a dynasty that has collected three straight NRL titles.

And counting.

When Casey strides out onto BlueBet Stadium for just his fifth game in Sunday’s clash against Newcastle, he does so as the youngest player in the league.

Wests Tigers winger Luke Laulilii is the only player younger than Casey to run out this year.

But the McLean makeover has been a long-time coming for Penrith management, who have been constantly busy trying to fend off rivals looting their star-studded roster.

When grand final winger Sunia Turuva signed with the Wests Tigers in April, the club was well advanced in talks to re-sign the McLean boys until the end of the 2028 season.

Rugby union, which Casey played while on scholarship at Newington and was a member of the Waratahs academy, was never a real threat.

Not for this family, which not only includes Willie, a fullback who got six games for North Sydney in the 90s, and Shannon’s brother, Alex Chan.

Casey McLean of the Panthers celebrates scoring a try. Picture: Getty Images

The former Parramatta enforcer, who is currently a football manager for Catalans in the Super League, was once a juniors coach at Penrith.

Even sister Taya dabbled in the women’s game.

“So we were always a league family,” Shannon said.

Casey did admit crossing codes was a brief consideration.

“The opportunity to play rugby crossed my mind because I was surrounded by rugby-first people. But I never really had that idea of going across,” he said.

“I was playing league at such a young age so I thought I’d be better and more comfortable.”

Penrith are slightly more comfortable too.

Willie McLean with sons Casey and Jesse. Credit: Supplied.

Even this week, the reigning premiers were forced to hold crisis meetings with star winger Brian To’o, who was linked with a wanting a big-money move elsewhere.

Of Penrith’s 2020 grand final side that went down to Melbourne – the first of four straight deciders – only seven players will remain next year.

That was when Casey was just 14 years of age. Just four years on and the pressure is on for him to live up to the early comparisons of Stephen Crichton.

However coach Ivan Cleary’s message to their streamline of junior talent is simple.

“‘Case’ and I are pretty different personalities. All the boys say I’m the loud one and he’s the quiet one. But everyone’s different,” Jesse said.

“With ‘Tito’ and all that leaving, it’s a different and new energy. ‘Ive’ emphases everybody being themselves and ‘Case’ and I will bring new energy and new culture.”

In doing so, they continue a seemingly never-ending production line of talent at the foot of the mountains, which stretches all the way out to the family home in Marayong.

The pair are among 11 of 12 players, which includes Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, and Dylan Edwards, signed through to 2027 that are either local juniors or been developed at the club.

“They have this board where the juniors train that shows the top 30 players. And you see 26 of the top 30 right now are juniors,” Jesse said.

“It just makes you think, ‘We could be there one day’.”

Adds Casey: “The next proper goal for both of us is to secure a spot not by luck or injury, but by earning it.

“And there’s not real much money to pay back what both our parents back for what they did to us. But the dream is to pay them back as much as we can.”

Originally published as From Blacktown City Bears to Penrith Panthers: Inside Jesse, Casey McLeans rise to NRL stardom