NRL 2024: Penrith Panthers win 22-6 over Wests Tigers in Bathurst, James Fisher-Harris impresses after announcing departure
James Fisher-Harris gave Panthers fans a painful reminder of what they’ll be missing out on, after starring for Penrith just days after announcing his departure to the Warriors for 2025.
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Departing Penrith prop James Fisher-Harris has spoken about the emotional release of finally letting go of the burden which he has secretly carried for weeks – that he wanted out of the club he loves.
Fisher-Harris has known that at some point he would ask the Panthers for a release from the final two years of his contract. That came to a head last Sunday when he met with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary and finally revealed what he had been carrying.
He told the rest of the playing squad last Tuesday.
“It’s been good to get it off my chest,” Fisher-Harris said. “I have had to hold it in from the boys for a while. I’m really close to all the boys so it’s really good (that it is done).
“I have to embrace it with my bro (Jarome Luai who is also leaving). I keep looking around now at training and taking it all in.
“The boys mean a lot to me. They are more than just friends. The club too. That’s why everything was done respectfully. I have so much respect for them and they have so much respect for me.
“It’s a family club and that’s why it happened so fast.”
Getting closer to his family was at the heart of Fisher-Harris’ impending four year move to the Warriors. The Kiwi Test captain said the opportunity to return home to play out his career was too good to refuse.
“I had to do it because I’m missing home, missing my family,” Fisher-Harris said. “Missing an opportunity to be with them
“(The club) know it’s time. I’m at peace with my decision. I’m just loving my footy and loving being around the boys. I’m trying to stay present. I’m not going to change that now. I am pretty narrow focused.”
He pushed aside those contract talks to again impress, scoring a try with a 15 metre effort that gave the Panthers fans something to cheer about but equally something that they will miss.
With just a 16-6 lead against a gallant Tigers out-fit, Fisher-Harris received a pass from teammate Isaah Yeo with nine minutes left. From there he shrugged off strong defenders Isaiah Papali’I and Api Koroisau to race through the middle of the field to score.
It was his first try since round 18 in 2022 which was a match-winning try against the Tigers.
“I thought I stuffed it up because I saw no one was there and then someone let go of me and everyone ran past me,” Fisher-Harris said.
His try-scoring efforts came after Panthers boss Matt Cameron said the club budgeted to lose multiple starting players at the end of each season even if the Fisher-Harris departure came as a shock.
“The reality of the salary cap and how it works today, you have to lose two players every year out of that starting 13 year to manage that escalation in player payments,” Cameron said on ABC Sport.
Before hitting the open market the Panthers will shift their focus to retaining a host of players. Cameron met with Sunia Turuva’s agent last Monday with the Dragons circling. He also confirmed the Warriors had interest in signing off-contact Jett Cleary at season’s end.
“Heathy dialogue,” Cameron said of conversations with Turuva. “There is interest from a couple of other clubs. Sunia is a great player. Another example of talented young man. He has excelled. We need to work through that process and see where we land.
“Webby (Warriors coach Andrew Warriors) has always been a fan (of Jett). He is off-contract.
“I haven’t seen a contract offer from the Warriors but he is a Panther, we would like to think we would be in a competitive space to (re-sign) him.”
Cameron also confirmed the club had resisted any temptation to seek compensation from the Warriors in exchange for releasing Fisher-Harris.
“More than anything it was out of respect to James,” Cameron said. “Once you start to go down that path with a player swap or compensation, it drags out the process. We didn’t want that. We weren’t going to complicate the issue.”
MATCH REPORT: ALAMOTI STARS IN POTENTIALLY COSTLY PANTHERS WIN
—Matt Jones
Penrith only signed Paul Alamoti to a one-year deal for 2024 but the centre showed them why he should be extended as the premiers outlasted a spirited Wests Tigers 22-6 in Bathurst on Saturday.
Alamoti was on debut for the Panthers after Taylan May pulled out with personal issues and he clearly went out to impress coach Ivan Cleary.
The ex-Bulldogs back was dangerous all game and when up 10-6 in the 63rd minute his threatening play shone when he sliced the Tigers up to stop Penrith fans sweating.
Coach Cleary said Alamoti was influential in the end result.
“He stepped up and did his job really well. He scored a really crucial try and that was a really big moment in the game,” Cleary said.
“He’s been very patient and has been learning how we play and the stuff we value.
“He’s still a very young man. He’s only 20 years old and he was outstanding as a junior.”
Penrith will be looking forward to Nathan Cleary’s probable return next week.
Had Cleary been playing the game couldn’t been over at halftime given Penrith completed its first 19 sets.
“In a game like that you probably miss someone like Nat,” Ivan Cleary said.
“He’s very comfortable in that type of game. He’s done it a lot and been there before in big games and (he has) just little pieces of connection and understanding when to pull the trigger and when not.”
CRUCIAL EARLY CALL
Pre-game, Tigers coach Benji Marshall challenged his forwards to put plenty of energy into the opening 10 minutes and they responded.
The Tigers were on top early when John Bateman sent winger Junior Tupou over in the eighth minute.
It looked like the Tigers were about to go further ahead until a controversial call cruelled them.
Brad Schneider was lucky not to be sin binned when his ankle tap took down Justin Olam, who was without the ball, in a try scoring situation.
Olam likely would’ve scored had he not been ankle tapped and the Tigers may have been 12-0 up.
It was a momentum changer as Penrith went on to take control of the opening half and put on two tries of their own to lead 10-6 at the break.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall was trying to hide his frustrations with the incident post-match.
“That trip on Justin Olam. I’ve been pretty quiet about the refereeing but I just feel like we haven’t been getting the rub of the green,” Marshall said.
“That trip, to me, is what I would say is a professional foul in the act of a try scoring opportunity.
“Justin Olam is supporting to try and score a try and he gets tripped up. How that’s not a professional foul and a sin bin, I’ll ask for clarification.”
To Marshall’s credit, he didn’t blame the officials for costing his team the win.
“I’m not going to say it would’ve helped us win the game but there are things that change the momentum,” he said.
“We still had our chances and we had opportunities that we blew.”
NO MORE BURDEN FOR FISH, CLEARY DENIES DYLAN CONCERNS
The news James Fisher-Harris was leaving Penrith to link up with the Warriors next year surprised everyone during the week including Ivan Cleary.
The coach however, knew something was on the mind of his star prop.
“I can’t really say that I felt it coming but luckily I’ve been around him long enough to know he hasn’t been himself,” Cleary said.
“I didn’t predict that was going to be the thing but I’m glad we could do it quickly and respectfully and we can get on with life.
“He’s been carrying that emotional burden for a long time and I know he was very relieved to get it out in the open and to get it done.
Fisher-Harris was solid without being at his best to start the game but when he came back on in the second half it was with a huge boost of energy.
He steamed over for a try in the 71st minute.
“I wasn’t surprised that he was a bit sapped of energy but you could really see in that second stint that he showed some good signs so hopefully he can move on and we can see that best of Fish again,” Cleary said.
Dylan Edwards went off late with a suspected leg injury but Cleary said it was just a precaution and his fullback felt fine.
Aidan Sezer clipped the kicking leg of Brad Schneider early in the game and was placed on report.
It looks like he might spend some time on the sidelines given what we’ve seen so far this season.
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