NRL 2021: Kurt Capewell says Penrith Panthers won’t foot off the pedal
They were put under the blowtorch by a six-time grand final winner, but Penrith have already showed they’re up for the challenge.
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It’s not going to get Penrith a premiership ring at this point.
But when you consider this was the first time the mighty Melbourne Storm has suffered back-to-back defeats since rounds 21 and 22 in August 2018, it puts into perspective the significance of Thursday night’s epic 12-10 victory in the grand final rematch – and the respect it has earned them going forward.
Especially given the Panthers had three parts of the their spine missing.
Before the season even kicked off it was Cooper Cronk no less who really applied the blowtorch to the young Panthers.
The six-time grand final winner predicted last year’s runners up would drop “a peg or two” and struggle to stay in the fight with the competition heavyweights this year given so many of their young stars were coming off breakout seasons.
But reminded of Cronk’s assessment in the wake of Thursday’s thrilling come-from-behind win, underrated but hugely talented backrower Kurt Capewell provided his own assessment — about why last year’s heartbreak was going to be this year’s greatest motivation.
“I can’t see us taking a backward step this year,” said Capewell, whose stunning try in the final minutes gave stand-in kicker Stephen Crichton the chance to calmly slot what was ultimately the matchwinner.
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“I can’t see us taking the foot off the pedal any time soon.
“We have trained harder and harder in the off season.
“We have seen what we have done last year and we can always, week to week, get better.
“As a team we are all confident in each other.
“We know we can do what needs to be done, it is just a matter of getting it done consistently.”
And they certainly got the job done without Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau, and for half the game at least also without fullback Dylan Edwards, who will now be sidelined for more than four weeks with a fractured hand.
While Melbourne was also missing four key players in Harry Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Dale Finucane and Felise Kaufusi, that still didn’t take away from what was a memorable contest worthy of its grand final rematch billing — as Viliame Kikau’s stunning match-clinching try-saving effort denied Justin Olam after the full-time siren.
It wasn’t a performance without fault from either side with both teams bombing genuine try-scoring opportunities.
But across the park it was Penrith who just had player after player who stood up and did what needed to be done when it mattered most.
From Capewell to Crichton and Kikau, Edwards to Brian To’o … and what about this young Canterbury-bound sensation Matt Burton who had Joey Johns and Billy Slater singing his praises in commentary.
In a match not without also its controversy, the Storm were left seething after being denied a late penalty that could have given them a shot to send the match into overtime.
Star five-eighth Cameron Munster was also at the centre of a fresh Melbourne tackling drama involving accusations of a “hip drop” on Spencer Leniu just before halftime that Ivan Cleary conceded “I didn’t like … and it hurt him”.
But the NRL’s match review committee on Friday determined Munster had no case to answer.
THE ‘FERRARI TRUCK’
Kikau is listed as weighing 116kg on the Panthers’ website.
But while that certainly puts him in the heavyweight class in anyone’s books, when you’re standing in front of him outside the Penrith dressing rooms he fair dinkum looks like a man mountain.
And it was there that this phenomenal athlete also gave everyone a post match laugh when one of the journos put it to Kikau that if flying winger Charlie Staines can be known as Penrith’s ‘Ferrari’, what’s that make him?
“I have got a nickname that I was called last year,” Kikau said.
“The Ferrari truck.
“I have never seen a Ferrari truck before.”
But when you think of the effort it must have taken him just to get himself up off the deck for that final play after such a helter-skelter end-to-end 80 minute contest, it spoke as much about the Panthers’ burning desire as it did his enormous physical talent.
Because in those last frantic seconds, Kikau went from lying flat on the deck to Kikau producing one of the most inspirational plays you will ever see from a rugby league player of his significant size, after being taken out by a Storm player who was lucky he wasn’t penalised for obstruction.
When referee Grant Atkins showed no indication that he was going to blow his whistle, Kikau somehow found the energy to chase down Olam on the other side of the field.
And not only get there, but have the presence of mind and determination to get his arm under the ball and deny Olam the chance to get so much as a blade of grass on the ball.
“I felt the referee was going to blow the whistle but then I stood up and saw the ball was still alive and I just sort of chased it,” Kikau explained of the obstruction.
“There is no use lying down and trying to milk it … I just saw Stainsie standing there by himself in the corner and I just chased as hard as I could.”
And somehow he got there just in time, although Olam had almost as unbelievably ignored Josh Addo-Carr standing on his outside.
“I knew straight away,” Kikau continued, “100 per cent sure I got my hand under there.”
Ivan Cleary wondered post match if the pain of losing last year’s grand final had inspired Kikau to do what he did.
“It was a massive effort in the 80th minute,” Capewell added.
“It probably should have been a penalty … he got taken out on the outside shoulder, so nine times out of 10 that’s a penalty.
“But just for him to not give up on the play and get up and go and save the try, it’s a mentality thing.
“It’s pretty inspirational.”
And that more than anything is what this win was.
BURTON’S STOCKS SOAR
Nathan Cleary reckons Burton has probably got the biggest kick he’s ever seen. And in Channel Nine commentary, Johns and Slater were also blown away.
Not just by Burton’s kicking game, but the class and composure this young bloke just oozes for a player with only seven NRL games experience.
After all the hype that has surrounded him in recent months, this was always going to be such a huge occasion for Burton, and didn’t he make the most of it.
From his first towering kick of the night that was a monster torpedo that travelled about 65m on the fly, to the silky touch that looked to have put To’o over for all money until the winger put his foot in touch.
“This guy is an absolute star,” Johns said.
“He is a star of the future.”
But what has impressed his teammates most is the way Burton has conducted himself away from the spotlight, amid the Bulldogs’ ongoing pursuit to get him an early release.
Of course, there is no way Penrith is going to release him now.
But at least Burton can give Canterbury fans something to cheer this season even when he’s not playing in their colours.
The talk is the Dogs are paying Burton $900,000 for his two-year deal, which seems extraordinary money for a player of his experience.
But judging by what we saw against the Storm, the Dogs might have got themselves a bargain here — because Burton’s stocks are only going to rise with the more games he plays.
“He has not missed a beat at training and it is full credit to him,” Capewell added.
“And that is why I say he is ahead of his years.
“He trains so hard and he is honing his craft.
“Even though he is behind Nath, you look at Nathan, he is one of the best halves in the game.
“So (Burton) is learning something every day off Nathan.”
And along with his monstrous kick, he’s about as big a five-eighth as you will see, standing at 1.9m (or just short of 6ft 3in in the old scale).
“He is a fair size and he can defend and he can play multiple positions,” Capewell added.
WHO REPLACES EDWARDS?
It was rotten luck when Edwards started clutching at his hand late in the first half after such a wonderful start.
In Cleary’s absence Edwards really stepped up to take pressure off Burton and Jarome Luai _ and the in-and-away play he put on Munster to open the way for Staines’ first half try was magic to watch.
But given Edwards could now be out for up to two months as he recovers from hand surgery, the question going forward is who will Ivan Cleary bring in to take over the crucially important fullback role?
After releasing Daine Laurie to Wests Tigers, Staines is the only player other than Edwards who lists fullback as his preferred position in Penrith’s top squad.
Although his lack of NRL experience might work against him for now.
Yet Cleary’s decision to play Tyrone May there in Edwards’ absence on Thursday night probably gives the best indication that the Panthers’ Mr Fix-It now has inside running.
They take on Manly on Thursday night at Lottoland as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
STORM WARNING
Craig Bellamy had every right to at least question the bunker’s call after the kick-off following Capewell’s try.
Mitch Kenny appeared to touch the ball from an offside position after Crichton looked to have knocked it forward.
It could have given Munster a shot at goal from 40m out but near the sideline.
It certainly wasn’t an easy shot for a part-time kicker, though that does not deny the fact it was a tough call on the Storm.
If Munster had landed it, Kikau’s match-clinching play would not have come into it.
Yet Bellamy didn’t blow up after the game because he knew his team had its chances and just didn’t take them.
It was still an amazing effort by Melbourne to produce such a quality game with so many players missing, but Bellamy also gave an insight into the standards that drives this team.
Just to think this was the first time the Storm had lost back-to-back games in more than two seasons is an almost unbelievable statistic.
Yet asked how he would rate their start so far this season given the circumstances and the injuries, Bellamy wasn’t looking for excuses.
“I expect the players that come in to do their job,” he explained.
“Certainly we would have loved to have Harry there. We would have loved to have Dale there. We would have loved to have Fuse and obviously Paps tonight.
“But that’s how footy goes. You lose (players) to injury and whatever.
“As I said, if I am rating them just on effort they are eight out of 10, nine out of 10.
“But just playing a little bit smarter and being a little bit hungrier at those key moments, they are probably a six at the moment.
“So that is where we need to improve.”
Originally published as NRL 2021: Kurt Capewell says Penrith Panthers won’t foot off the pedal
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