NRL, Penrith Panthers: The 16 biggest moments in our club’s history
As the excitement grows for kick off tonight - we take a look back at some of the Penrith Panthers’ biggest moments on and off the field.
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The footy is back and to celebrate the return of the NRL tonight, we take a look at some of the Penrith Panthers’ biggest moments to help whet the appetite after a 10-week break.
Here are some the club’s best (and worst) moments in its 54-year history.
16. Biggest loss (2008)
Certainly not the best moment in the club’s history, but certainly worth mentioning on this list.
The 2008 season was fairly middling for Penrith, who found themselves around the cusp of the top eight when they travelled to Canberra for a Sunday afternoon match on August 10.
Needless to say, they ran into a green ambush.
The Raiders ran in 13 tries, including four to Terry Campese and a hat-trick to Trevor Thurling, on their way to a 74-12 romp.
Campese scored 36 points in Canberra’s win.
15. The 2018 season
There’s been a lot of football played in Penrith, but this may just be the weirdest season the Panthers have seen.
The Panthers spent the entire season in the top eight despite suffering three losses of more than 20 points in the last 11 rounds.
That run of bad form, which included a 50-18 loss to Brisbane, saw coach Anthony Griffin shown the door four weeks before the finals.
Even stranger was the fact the Panthers wanted Ivan Cleary back, the man they’d sacked at the end of the 2015 season.
The Panthers did win a final that year, but were knocked out by Cronulla a week later.
14. Favourite son returns (1997)
Panthers legend Greg Alexander spent two years at the newly-formed Auckland Warriors in 1995 and 1996, but came home at the start of Penrith’s foray into the Super League in 1997.
‘Brandy’ scored a try in his first game back in Penrith, a 30-20 win over the Western Reds, and helped guide the Panthers into the finals series.
Alexander unfortunately did not play in the finals series, which ended in a 30-12 loss to old foes Canberra in week two.
13. Panthers’ biggest comeback (2000)
The 2000 season was largely unremarkable for the Panthers, however June 4 will be a day etched firmly in the minds of anyone who witnessed it.
The Wests Tigers were struggling that season, but the Panthers put in a largely poor performance that saw them trailing 31-8 at home with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Then something clicked for the home side, as both Shane Elford and Craig Gower scored within three minutes to bring the deficit back to 11 points.
A try to Tony Puletua in the 66th minute gave the Panthers hope, and the comeback was complete when Puletua scored again just four minutes later.
The Panthers had reeled in a 23-point deficit in under 15 minutes of football, which still stands as a club record.
12. Biggest win (2004)
Manly are the team everyone loves to hate, so it’s sweet for Penrith fans to not only boast their biggest win over the club, but also boast to have inflicted the Silvertails’ biggest loss.
Just over 13,000 people were on hand to witness Penrith’s 72-12 win on August 7, 2004, a match which saw Amos Roberts score 28 points.
The Sea Eagles were completely inept that Saturday night, as the Panthers won the first half 30-12 and the second half 42-0.
11. Youngster’s record day (2019)
Nathan Cleary is already a NSW origin representative at the tender age of 22 and is seen as the next superstar of the Panthers (current issues notwithstanding).
He showed how easily he could accumulate points in the Panthers’ last match of 2019 when he scored four tries in a 52-10 win over the Newcastle Knights at Panthers Stadium.
He also kicked nine goals to bring his personal haul to 34 points, a Panthers record.
The win also ended James Maloney’s two-year stint with the club on a high.
10. The ‘Intercept King’ breaks Origin (2000)
Ryan Girdler had been a solid centre for the Panthers since he moved from the Steelers before the 1993 season, but it wasn’t until 2000 that he really made his mark on the representative stage.
Girdler was part of the NSW side that whitewashed Queensland in the 2000 State of Origin series, but it was game three where he wrote his name into folklore.
He scored a record 32 points in a 56-16 win at Stadium Australia, including a perfect 10-for-10 with the boot.
While boosted by that performance, Girdler managed to score 82 points in just eight games for NSW.
9. Death of Ben Alexander (1992)
It’s impossible to tell the story of the Panthers in the ’90s without mentioning what was arguably the most impactful and emotional incident on the club.
Ben Alexander, the younger brother of Greg, was proving himself as a talented half before his tragic death in a car accident at the age of 21.
The incident understandably derailed another promising year for the Panthers who were sitting in the top three at the time.
They would finish the season in ninth as the club endured a run of just two wins from nine games.
Ben’s death would impact the club off the field as well, as both his brother Greg, brother-in-law Mark Geyer, and close friend Brad Fittler would leave the club within the next three years.
8. First finals appearance (1985)
Two of Penrith’s favourite sons turned the club’s fortunes after 17 years of inconsistent performances.
Former player Tim Sheens took charge of the club in 1984 and handed a debut to a 19-year-old Greg Alexander.
The two helped the Panthers to their first genuine tilt at a finals berth, but a slow finish to the season (one win from their last four) saw them miss the Top 5 by just a single point.
They finally broke into the top-five in 1985 and chalked up a 10-7 win over Manly in the first week.
7. Jamie Soward special (2014)
The Panthers finished in the top four in 2014 and faced the Roosters in the first qualifying final.
Not many gave Penrith a chance in the match, as the Roosters entered the finals series on a six-game winning streak.
The match was a tight tussle, but the Roosters looked to have pinched it when Mitchell Pearce scored with five minutes remaining for a six-point lead.
However, Dean Whare got the Panthers back level with a try with three minutes remaining, which Jamie Soward converted from the sideline.
Soward would have the final say, as his field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining sent the Panthers into a preliminary final.
6. Inaugural season (1967)
Penrith has had a steady rugby league presence since 1912, but the Penrith Panthers weren’t officially born until 1964.
The Panthers were put forward as a potential expansion side into the NSWRFL competition alongside Cronulla and Wentworthville.
Penrith’s win in the 1966 second-tier competition helped their cause, and they played their first NSWRFL match against Canterbury on April 2, 1967, a 15-12 loss.
The Panthers finished second last that season only ahead of fellow newcomers Cronulla.
5. A gamechanging debut (1989)
The 1980s saw the debuts of club stalwarts Royce Simmons, Greg Alexander, Mark Geyer, and John Cartwright (among others), but the best of the bunch came at the end of the decade.
The Panthers handed a debut to an 18-year-old baby-faced Brad Fittler on August 20, 1989, against Western Suburbs.
Fittler came off the bench for the Panthers’ last two matches in a 16-6 campaign that saw them finish second on the ladder, but was picked in the starting side for his third NSWRL game – a major semi final against Balmain.
It would start a successful seven-year period with the Panthers where Fittler helped lead Penrith to two moments yet to come.
4. First grand final (1990)
The momentum from the late ’80s carried into the ’90s, as the Panthers finished third on the ladder with 15 wins from their 22 games.
They breezed through Brisbane in the first week of the finals before a stirring 30-12 win over Canberra in week two to qualify for their first ever grand final.
The grand final was a rematch against the Raiders, but the Panthers couldn’t repeat their efforts from a fortnight prior, losing 18-14 despite a late try from Greg Alexander.
3. The season (2003)
Mercurial halfback Preston Campbell started his stint at the Panthers before the 2003 season, but there were some teething pains as the club lost three of their first four matches.
They hit their groove with eight straight wins from rounds five to 13, and wouldn’t lose again after a 34-28 loss to St George Illawarra on August 3.
Despite only three losses in 23 games of football, the Panthers were underdogs for the grand final against the Roosters.
They would of course win that match 18-6 thanks to one famous moment (we’ll get to that) to complete one of the most dominant seasons in the club’s history.
The fact they were wooden spooners in 2001 makes this season even more impressive.
2. First premiership (1991)
The Panthers were hungry in 1991, and tore the league to shreds on their way to winning the minor premiership with a three-game cushion.
They faced the Raiders in the grand final for the second year in a row, and history appeared to be repeating itself as Canberra led 12-6 at half time.
Brad Izzard eventually tied the scores up with a try in the second half, and Greg Alexander’s field goal gave Penrith a 13-12 lead with less than seven minutes to go.
The fairytale was yet to come though, as retiring champion Royce Simmons bowed out in style with a late try to seal the club’s first premiership.
1. The tackle (2003)
Was it really going to be anything else?
Penrith was locked up six-all with the Roosters with 26 minutes left in the grand final when Ryan Girdler’s attempted grubber was deflected by the line.
Former favourite son Brad Fittler picked up the loose ball and sent Roosters’ winger Todd Byrne away down the left sideline.
What happened next is rugby-league history.
A 31-year-old lock forward, Scott Sattler, never gave up on his chase of Byrne, and cut him down 20 metres from the try line.
The tackle was described as “soul crushing” by my Roosters-supporting editor.
