Griffin no regrets about triple axing as Panthers eye finals

PENRITH coach Anthony Griffin is adamant he’s been proved right over his decision to stand down boozy trio Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake.

Matt Moylan was stood down in April.

ONE sunny Thursday morning in April, Anthony Griffin was standing outside the Panthers Academy, manning the barbecue as he often does, and defending the decision to stand down boozy trio Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake.

“We could have tried to cover it up and say, ‘let’s get in and try to win a game’, but in the end it will bite you in the backside,’’ the coach told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

The Panthers lost the following night by one point to South Sydney.

There were fears at the time Griffin’s tough stance could come back to haunt Penrith in the final rounds of the regular season.

Had they beaten Souths, the Panthers would have already been assured a finals berth.

They can still miss out now, but only if they are flogged by 38 points or more against Manly at Brookvale on Saturday evening, then the Dragons beat Canterbury on Sunday.

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Matt Moylan and Waqa Blake celebrate a try.

Griffin was never going to use the triple axing as an excuse, nor the run of injuries to key players like Moylan and Peter Wallace later in the season.

“That was a decision made at the time in the best interests of the club and the players,’’ Griffin said.

“It’s something that was in our best interests long term. It’s not something we’ve dwelt on since.

“The important thing for us is to believe in ourselves and be consistent. The last two months have been really enjoyable, and it’s a credit to the players.

“There have been a lot of changes.

“We’ve been without Peter Wallace for long periods, without Matt Moylan, Trent Merrin, Bryce Cartwright has just come back. Whoever has had to come in and do a job has got it done, and we’ve ended up where we are now with a shot at the back end of the year.’’

Moylan was named on an extended bench and given a decent hitout on Friday, but Griffin said “he’s at long odds’’, and it would be a mistake to rush someone back at “75 to 80 per cent fitness’’ for a finals-like game.

Dean Whare will play fullback, not Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, with Griffin loath to tinker with his outside backs who have been working so well.

Dylan Edwards will be replaced by Dean Whare at fullback.

The battle of the No. 7s will be a highlight with 19-year-old Cleary up against Manly’s best and last week’s matchwinner Daly Cherry-Evans.

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“This is Nathan’s first full season of NRL, he’s been very consistent, and the other guy (Cherry-Evans) is a real quality player, a Test player, Origin player and won a grand final as a halfback,’’ Griffin said.

“Their run has been on the back of him and Blake Green, both those guys have been in grand finals and know what this time of year is about. The way we play on the night will come down a lot to how we defend those guys, especially late in the tackle count.’’

Originally published as Griffin no regrets about triple axing as Panthers eye finals