NRL 2021: Panthers-Raiders clash promises to be an epic in uneven season to date
In a season to date marred by thrashings and underwhelming contests, a Round 5 blockbuster between two contenders promises to be an absolute belter.
Opinion
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There’s been so much talk about the quality of NRL matches this year and the gap between the best and worst teams - but if Penrith vs Canberra doesn’t go off we may as well pack up and call it quits.
The Panthers clash with the Raiders on Friday night is one of the first true blockbusters of the season and promises to be an epic clash between two premiership contenders steeped in history and rivalry.
Penrith haven’t lost a match at Bluebet Stadium in almost two years and have won 17 of their last 18 matches at the ground, with the odd one out coming against Canberra in 2019.
Ivan Cleary’s men also boast an incredible defensive record, having only conceded 16 points in four games, the best defensive opening to a season by any team since Newtown in 1974 and the fifth stingiest opening month to a season of any team in Australian rugby league history.
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Throw in Penrith celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1991 grand final with a commemorative jersey and a player reunion, plus a heaving home crowd for good measure and this is as good as footy can get at this time of year.
Teams like this don’t take anybody lightly, but this week demanded just a little extra attention as the Raiders try to do what has been almost impossible over the last 12 months - slow down Penrith’s relentless attacking machine.
“With a team like Penrith you have to put that extra time in and give them a bit of respect,” said Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
“They’ve set the pace, but we’re really looking forward to it.If there’s anything we need to be on with it’s our defence.
“It’s a feeling for us. We defended a lot on our line (against Gold Coast), and we have to capture that feeling, use it to progress.
“That’s us, that’s the Canberra way. That’s the Raider way.”
It’s a fascinating clash of styles - Penrith are an all-consuming, smothering force of nature who overwhelm their opponents with relentless physicality and dominance.
The Panthers are fuelled by their supreme confidence in their own ability, typified by the likes of Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Viliame Kikau - and even though they lost some experience over the off-season and suffered a grand final defeat, they still bow to nobody.
“We lost some of the older boys and are forever grateful of what they brought to the club but I think we learned really fast what it takes to be great in this league,” Luai said.
“It’s a really good feeling, similar to last year when we went on that run.
“We’re just trying to improve every week. It’s still early in the season so you don’t want to look too far ahead.”
Canberra aren’t as perfect through the 80 minutes, but they cover the gaps with supreme individual efforts that make the difference when the time comes.
Nicoll-Klokstad produced several of those efforts against the Titans, where he pulled off two try-saving tackles and ran for 275 metres from 28 carries.
Their strength comes through a relentless desire to prove themselves and keep their spot amid fearsome competition - even after a man of the match display last week, Nicoll-Klokstad still doesn’t feel like he owns the fullback jersey.
“I still feel that way. Every week I’m still checking the team list to see if I’m there,” Nicoll-Klokstad said.
“We have a really good squad and no position is safe, apart from the obvious ones.
“Competition is good, it’s going to keep you on your toes.”
Penrith are a little less than fully loaded - Api Koroisau and Dylan Edwards will both miss the match - but their forward pack is ready to throw heavy leather against the highly-touted Raiders.
With Joseph Tapine returning from an ankle injury, two of the top packs in the league will collide in a battle that could shake the Blue Mountains.
“Everyone knows their role from last year. We know what we want to do and we’re pretty much doing it,” said prop James Fisher-Harris.
“They’re a good team, we always like playing Raiders and we’re pretty keen to take on their forward pack.”
JOHNS: IS THIS THE BEST COMBINATION IN RUGBY LEAGUE?
-Matty Johns
Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai are clearly the best combination in rugby league.
Coming through the Penrith junior system together, and being given the same rugby league education, makes their understanding instinctive.
They float around the field together playing as a partnership, whereas too many halves operate as separate islands.
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But for all their instinctive understandings of one another’s games, their styles are different.
I’ve never seen a halfback who is able to control and manage a game at such a young age as Nathan. His second half against Manly last Thursday night was a masterclass.
Jarome Luai is close to the best high tempo playmaker in the game, only Cody Walker sits above him. Jarome reacts to visual opportunity and his pass selection at speed is outstanding.
But crucially, he doesn’t want for the role of chief playmaker, at least not when Nathan’s in the seven.
Where Cleary goes, he stalks, floating behind on sweep plays, at times popping up on Nathan’s inside or outside shoulder, as Michael Morgan would with Johnathan Thurston or Kevvie with Alfie.
They are different but their objective is the same, and they both know what that objective is on every play, shape or attacking formation.
And individually, and as a partnership, they are rapidly getting better and smarter.
In 2021, almost every teams’ attacking shapes are the same, but Penrith’s seven and six disguise their shapes better than any other combination.
Firstly, they present themselves in a manner which doesn’t allow the defence to read their intention and as they move to the defence, Jarome will tell a lie with his body movement, only to suddenly, at the last possible moment get to where he needs to be.
It leaves the defence unable to nominate who they’re marking up on.
If you relate attacking plays to poker, most NRL halves play with their cards open for all to see. Nathan and Jarome keep their cards against their chests and a sneaky ace up their sleeve.
Penrith are a team with a high attacking IQ, each player knows his role and the things he can do to make a teammate better.
Brian To’o’s yardage game is relentless, the power of his runs and quickness of play-the-ball on early tackles gets the playmakers thinking ‘attack’, rather than ‘complete’.
James Fisher-Harris follows up and accelerates the momentum, and then comes Kurt Capewell’s footwork, or Isaah Yeo’s clever ball playing.
Yeo’s improvement in the past 12 months has been a major factor in the Panthers going from ‘potential’ to ‘contender’.
Penrith are a great attacking team.
That’s what makes Friday night’s match so enthralling.
The Raiders are a really great defensive team. In saying ‘defensive’, I certainly don’t mean conservative, they’re not a protect-your-lead team. Their attitude and energy in defence is outstanding.
That’s the thing about defence, it’s the greatest measure of a football team’s desire to succeed.
Attack is fun, defence is what you get paid to do.
Attack is working at Google, defence is going down a coalmine.
A few seasons back the Raiders were viewed as an attacking team, they were unorthodox and threw everything at you.
Ricky Stuart then adjusted their focus slightly and spent the majority of pre-season putting steel in the green jersey’s defence and from there the team’s consistency has improved, and they’ve been a top-tier contender each season since.
Last week, against the Titans, the desperation in defending the tryline was the best I’ve seen from a side so far this season.
The Titans threw lots of attack at Canberra, but they just kept coming up empty.
By the last 20 minutes the Titans resembled a fighter who’d punched themselves out of gas and were ripe for the KO.
If Yeo is one of the game’s most improved players then Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad is at least the equal.
I remember him being a lightweight winger at the Warriors who buzzed around the field with plenty of energy.
His move to the Raiders received little comment or ink, but he’s developed every facet of his game, from physicality through to mentality, speed to skill.
The Raiders attack so far this season has failed to match their defence but that will come, it would be a far greater problem if it was vice versa.
This will be a big test for both teams.
Penrith throw more attacking questions than any other team in the competition.
Canberra will need no less desperation than they displayed last week in defence, and then have to find a way to break open the young Panthers.
For Penrith, it will be a test of patience. In their last two outings against the Bulldogs and Manly, they’ve been able to keep the scoreboard busy for the whole 80 minutes.
Canberra will be different, they’ll need to be ready to grind and play with the overalls on.
It won’t be about flicks and tricks, this will be more about grit and finding a Plan B, when you’re A-game isn’t quite getting what you’re after.
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