Penrith players vow to stop former Panther turned Shark Matt Moylan from claiming three-peat
MATT Moylan has beaten his old club Penrith twice this season but Panthers players are determined to deny the Cronulla star a hat-trick of wins in Friday’s semi-final.
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MATT Moylan may have beaten his old club Penrith twice this season, but the Panthers are determined to deny the Cronulla star a hat-trick of wins in Friday night’s semi-final.
Moylan starred for the Sharks in victories over the Panthers in rounds 7 and 18 and will aim for a clean sweep in this weekend’s showdown at Allianz Stadium.
Penrith utility and former Shark Tyrone Peachey concedes his side are still hurting from those losses.
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Peachey, who still has family living in the Shire, says the Panthers are desperate to avoid Moylan having the bragging rights.
“Matty is always going to be fired up for this game,” Peachey said.
“They have beaten us both times this year, so it is going to be tough. But it gives you some motivation.
“They are my old club as well, so I don’t want to lose.
“I’ve got a lot of family and friends who go for Cronulla, so I want to win and rub it into them.”
Peachey was born in the NSW country town of Wellington before relocating to Cronulla as a nine-year-old. He played his junior football for Cronulla-Caringbah.
“I grew up there and loved the place,” he said.
“When I moved out to Penrith, it was a bit tough but I call Penrith home now.
“I still have a lot of family and friends in Cronulla and I want to move back there one day when I’ve finished up footy.”
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Penrith five-eighth James Maloney, who spent two seasons with Cronulla, culminating in the club’s maiden premiership in 2016, expects Friday night’s clash against Cronulla to get personal. There are a number of former Panthers in the Sharks’ ranks, including Luke Lewis and James Segeyaro.
Maloney also faces a clash with Moylan – the man who replaced him at the Sharks last November.
“Guys could well have points to prove coming up against old clubs who let them go and they didn’t agree why they were let go,” Maloney said.
“There are quite a few ex-Penrith boys over there at the Sharks and they have been let go for various reasons and guys have their own feelings.”
Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary knows from experience that Moylan is particularly threatening.
“Matty has been on fire this year,” Cleary said. “Having played alongside Matty for the past two years, I know what he is capable of.
“He is a really hard player to defend because you don’t know what he is going to throw up. He is that skilful and he has got some silky hands.
“He is all class and he can come up with some freakish things, so our defence will have to be on our A-game.”