NRL 2021: Penrith Panthers beat Canberra Raiders 30-10 | Match Report
Some teams forget how to lose - but Penrith’s win over Canberra is proof the Panthers don’t know how to do anything but win.
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They say the great teams forget how to lose, but with Penrith it’s more like they don’t know how to do anything but win.
Friday night’s victory over the Raiders was the club’s 19th straight regular season victory as Ivan Cleary’s men once again proved why they’re the red hot premiership favourites.
The Panthers were down 6-0 to Canberra after an error-riddled start but stayed on the job and ended up turning the tables and routing the Raiders 30-10.
Playing from behind is an unfamiliar feeling for Penrith, but even with the Green Machine on their hammer they stuck to what works for them because they know, with iron-clad certainty, the tide will turn their way.
“No-one ever panicked, we knew it was going to swing and eventually it did,” said Nathan Cleary.
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“It’s just trust in what we’re trying to do, which comes from culture and what the coaching staff tell us. It’s trust in the game plan, trust in each other.
“The best thing about playing in this team is there’s a lot of trust. We know if we play the game we want we’re right in it.”
Penrith weren’t perfect in the win over Canberra - they made plenty of early errors, many of them simple ones - but once they get a sniff of the lead it doesn’t seem to matter any more.
No team is better at turning the screws and directing the momentum afforded by the new rules, with Cleary and halves partner Jarome Luai running the show with a master’s touch.
Luai outgunned opposite number Jack Wighton and is fast closing the distance on Rabbitohs playmaker Cody Walker in the race to partner Cleary in the halves for New South Wales.
Cleary has no doubt Luai, who’s played alongside the Penrith co-captain since they were 15, would be up to interstate football.
“Did you see him play tonight? He’s never overawed by any occasion, he’s full of confidence, he’s definitely ready,” Cleary said.
“I’d love to play alongside Romey, but there’s a lot of footy to be played between now and then. But he’d definitely rise to the occasion.
“I still think he’s just getting started. He’s got a long way to go, like the rest of us. That’s the beauty of Romey, he’s never satisfied with where’s he at and he’s just scratching the surface.
“Some of the stuff he does on the field is unbelievable, he’s that x-factor and I just get him the ball when he needs it and try to be that calming presence.
“You don’t have to give him too much space, he can do some pretty crazy things.”
MATCH REPORT: PANTHERS’ INCREDIBLE STREAK MAKING ‘91 OLD BOYS PROUD
—Martin Gabor
New South Wales coach Brad Fittler may have found his five-eighth for Game One after Jarome Luai outpointed Jack Wighton in a battle of the sixes to help the Panthers to the first 5-0 start in club history.
On the night Penrith celebrated the 30th anniversary of their grand final win over Canberra, Luai turned in a first-half attacking masterclass that has the region dreaming of more premiership glory after going agonisingly close last year.
While Cody Walker is the incumbent, Luai has to be the favourite to partner clubmate Nathan Cleary when the 2021 series gets underway as the Blues attempt to atone for last year’s shock defeat.
Club combinations at state level are worth their weight in gold, and you can only imagine how excited Fittler must have been as he watched from the sideline as Penrith’s young playmakers continued their red-hot start to the year.
“I think they’d be on the mark,” Ivan Cleary said when asked about the Origin hype.
“If they keep playing well then it’s just going to be up to the selectors. If you were in the squad last year and you’re playing better, you’re more experienced and you’ve played in some big games since then, I don’t think he’d let anyone down.”
Wighton landed an early blow when he became just the fourth player to score a try against the Panthers in 2021, but his slashing solo effort was soon forgotten as Luai roared into life.
The fleet-footed five-eighth was denied a try when Jordan Rapana was ruled to have grounded a loose ball to save his blushes, but there was nothing the Raiders could do minutes later when Luai fired a bullet pass to set Matt Burton up.
The Panthers No.6 then did it all himself in the shadows of half-time when he caught Canberra napping with an early grubber that the defence never saw coming to give his side an 18-6 lead that looked unlikely after their error-riddled start.
“Twelve months ago, plenty of people thought Jarome shouldn’t be in the team,” Cleary said.
“I just think he and Nathan’s combinations are so good. They’ve been playing together since they were 15 so they complement each other so well.
“I love coaching him and I love seeing the development that he’s taking.”
CHARNZE FOR THE 18TH MAN GOES BEGGING
The Raiders desperately missed Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad when he came off for a head knock, but should they have been allowed to replace him with an 18th man under the competition’s new rules?
The fullback appeared to be collected high by Viliame Kikau, stayed on for roughly eight minutes, and was eventually taken off for good, but the 18th man couldn’t be used because no-one had been sent to the sin bin, let alone penalised.
His coach didn’t expand on the incident, but was disappointed with how his side responded to the setback.
“It shouldn’t be an excuse. It certainly did (affect us), but it shouldn’t have,” Ricky Stuart said.
“We’re not good enough yet.”
HODGSON HURT
The Raiders will be sweating on scans after Josh Hodgson was helped from the field 15 minutes from full-time with an apparent hip flexor injury as he tried to tackle Nathan Cleary.
The Panthers scored from the next play when Charlie Staines finished off some slick inside work to dive over for his second try, sparking a scuffle in the in-goal.
But the action was infield as the Englishman struggled to move, sparking fears he’d injured his knee again.
The Panthers fans unleashed an impromptu Viking Clap as Hodgson limped to the bench, but we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they were simply celebrating the big win as they did it again after Cleary’s intercept try.
THIRSTY THIRTY
The 20,890 at the ground couldn’t have asked for a better night against a bitter rival, so you can only imagine how the 1991 premiership team were feeling as they watched the new breed do the jersey proud.
Greg Barwick was the only member of the team missing because he was stuck in the UK, but Brad Izzard was able to make it to the game after a mad dash from Cairns where he’d just arrived for a holiday with his wife.
The champions did a lap of honour in shiny white utes, formed a guard of honour for the players and then spent the night drinking and sharing yarns in the open-air boxes.
It was the perfect night to reminisce, but it should also serve as motivation for the new brigade who now know exactly what success in the west looks like.
“It was a big night for the club,” Cleary said.
“The 1991 team put the Panthers on the map and set the standard for all the teams to try to live up to. There are so many great players in that team that we’re lucky enough to spend each day with.”
CAN ANYONE SCALE MOUNT PENRITH?
—Nick Campton
The Blue Mountains don’t start at Katoomba anymore because nobody has been able to scale the heights of Panthers Stadium for 621 days and counting.
And from the looks of things we’ll keep on counting for some time yet after Canberra were the latest expedition to try, and fail, to reach the peak.
More than ever before, the new rules have made rugby league a game of momentum and while the Raiders started fast on Friday night the Panthers never panicked, stuck to their guns and clawed their way back into the lead.
Once that happens you can just about wrap it up, because nobody plays from in front as well as Ivan Cleary’s men - by the time the dust settled what was supposed to be a knock-em out battle between two premiership big guns had a 20-point margin.
Perhaps things would have been different had Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad not suffered a concussion midway through the first half, but it necessitated a reshuffle the Raiders couldn’t really bear, it took them just a little off their best and that was all it took because that’s all Penrith ever need, the slightest of chances.
Let them off the mat for a second and you’ll regret it forever, because they’ll rise again and before you know it Jarome Luai will be laughing in your face after scoring or setting up another try to extend Penrith’s lead.
After they took the lead through Matt Burton shortly before halftime, Penrith looked in total control - and this wasn’t against one of the competition’s also rans, this was against the Raiders, a top four side and a premiership contender.
That’s not to say Canberra were miles off the pace - they exploited Stephen Crichton’s inexperience at fullback well via their kicking game and looked up for the fight.
And a fight is what it was, with both sides going hammer and tong with plenty of ill feeling on display - the Panthers like to overwhelm their opponents with physicality and the Raiders don’t know how to back down.
But for Canberra to beat Penrith - maybe for anyone to beat Penrith this year, even with Apisai Koroisau and Dylan Edwards out - they had to turn the screws when they were on top early.
If you’re going to beat Penrith you can’t mess up the put-down when chasing a kick, like Jarrod Croker did in the first half.
Nor can you concede a penalty while in possession and on the attack, as Canberra did shortly thereafter after Hudson Young took exception to a shot from Viliame Kikau on Jordan Rapana.
The Raiders stuck around and dug in for the second half and the final scoreline didn’t reflect the intensity of the match, but the Panthers were never really in danger.
They looked in control - and this wasn’t against one of the competition’s also rans, this was against the Raiders, a top four side and a premiership contender.
So the question has to be asked. Who will scale Mt Penrith?
Maybe the truth of it is in one of the only games they have lost in the past 12 months, the grand final defeat to Melbourne that will haunt them until they win the club’s third title.
That match was the only time since the start of last season they haven’t looked supremely sure of themselves, the one occasion their seemingly bulletproof confidence took a hit.
On that night, they beat themselves as much as Melbourne did. Maybe that’s the only way, because nothing else seems to be working.
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