Penrith’s NRL team of the decade: Cult heroes and all-timers in Panthers’ best
Lachlan Coote or Matt Moylan? Nathan Cleary or Jamie Soward? Petero Civoniceva or Reagan Campbell-Gillard? Picking Penrith’s best 17 of the last decade is a supremely tough ask.
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It’s been an era most Penrith fans would probably rather forget. But picking the club’s team of the decade still tossed up some pretty tough challenges. Here PAUL CRAWLEY names his team.
While there was no room for Nathan Cleary, Lachlan Coote, Brent Kite or Petero Civoniceva, Jamie Soward did get a start as did the no-frills Kevin Kingston and Sam McKendry along with the tough-as-nails cult hero Nigel Plum.
Some calls will no doubt cause debate but what can’t be disputed is that every player selected has earned the right to be rated alongside the club’s all-time legends.
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1 MATT MOYLAN: Will cause serious debate that Moylan gets the nod over a fan favourite like Coote. Both were outstanding players who came through the Penrith junior rep system and wore the jumper with distinction. But while Moylan’s stint at the Panthers didn’t end on the greatest of terms so many of his outstanding performances and memorable clutch moments were wildly celebrated. Probably wasn’t ready for the captaincy on reflection but the fact is it spoke of his influence.
2 JOSH MANSOUR: On his day was right up with the best wingers in the game which took him all the way to NSW and Test representation. Supremely strong but better still played with absolutely no self-preservation. Was just one of those really inspirational Penrith players the fans adored. It didn’t matter if it was Mansour’s first or last run of the game, he only knew one speed. Has played 136 NRL games for one club including 62 tries.
3 MICHAEL JENNINGS: So what if Jennings has now played more games outside Penrith for the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta combined, he still cruises into the team of the decade as first centre picked. And that is not ignoring the fact he finished at the club in 2012. Ultimately, some poor off-field misdemeanours pushed him out. While he only has himself to blame for much of what went wrong, no one can deny as a footballer he was a Rolls Royce. Still a match winner at 31.
4 DEAN WHARE: Might not be the game’s most thrilling centre but when it comes to stopping tries Whare holds his own with the best of them, and can hit like a sledge hammer. Has played 122 games for the club as well as 19 Test for New Zealand. It’s a whole lot more than many of the emerging Penrith stars over the last decade who boasted far more natural flamboyance but have come and gone without nearly the same recognition.
5 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK: Is now a Bulldog but in years to come Penrith fans will remember his contribution with warm respect and admiration for the way DWZ always put his body on the line when he had that footy in his hands. Scored 41 tries for the Panthers in 106 NRL games but it was the way he tore back fearlessly on kick returns that used to really get the crowd pumped. Just gets the spot here over David Simmons who was another outstanding performer for Penrith.
6 JAMES MALONEY: Only played two seasons at the Panthers but in that time was the club’s most influential five-eighth of the decade. Admittedly, it hasn’t been a great decade for Penrith but Maloney sure provided his share of memories. Had some wonderful performances for the club and was a real leader in difficult times when feuds among officials threatened to tear the joint apart.
7 JAMIE SOWARD: The match of the decade for Penrith was that memorable 2014 finals win over the Roosters and Jamie Soward owned it playing in the No 7 jumper. Sure, Nathan Cleary is a young man whose career promises to scale phenomenal heights and even judging it so far it is extremely difficult not to pick him here. But it would be wrong to ignore the wonderful memories Panthers’ fans also enjoyed earlier in the decade. And at the height of that Soward was the man.
8 TIM GRANT: Like every Panthers player over the last decade there were ups and downs for big Tim but one thing he always gave was his absolute best. Will probably be remembered most fondly for that barnstorming charge in his State of Origin debut in 2012 when he ironed out poor Petero Civoniceva. But what those inside Penrith would probably put down as his most selfless act was his last when Grant gave up his spot and retired so rookie Mitch Kenny could make his club debut this year.
9 PETER WALLACE: If you put a picture of Peter Wallace next to the word tough in the dictionary no rugby league fan would complain. Was the heart and soul of every team he played in while his talent put him right up with the absolute elite of his era. Astonishingly, Wallace played his last two seasons with no ACL after failed knee reconstruction surgery.
10 REAGAN CAMPBELL-GILLARD: This was a tough choice given you had Civoniceva early in the decade while big Sam McKendry played the most games in a Penrith jumper of any player in this period. But while RCG is now at Parramatta he did play 114 games for the Panthers and at his peak they wouldn’t have swapped him for any middle forward in the game. Would come charging off the back fence with absolutely no care for himself or whoever he was running into.
11 LUKE LEWIS: It’s almost heartbreaking picking this Penrith team and going through so many local kids made good only to be shown the door. Now you could argue leaving the Panthers was what helped reinvent Lewis’ career at Cronulla – but you’d be hard pressed to find a match throughout his distinguished 324 career where he ever gave anything but his best. Played pretty much every position on the field at some point but was up with the best backrowers of any era, and a Penrith boy to the bone.
12 ISAAH YEO: Debuted back in 2014 and while Yeo has played 125 games for the Panthers you get the feeling his best is still to come. There has been some terrific backrowers at the club during this period. Trent Waterhouse was a local legend but finished up at the Panthers in 2011 while Viliame Kikau is only 52 games into his NRL journey. At 25, Yeo is already a leader at the club which speaks of both his professionalism and maturity.
13 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS: Joined the Panthers in 2013 as a raw-boned kid from New Zealand who has gone on to become one of the toughest and most respected forwards in the game. Always lets his actions speak for themselves. Never a media darling given he hardly says a word publicly but is an absolute fan favourite for the way he goes about his business. Like Yeo is climbing up in games, 87 and counting. Would have belonged in the great Penrith sides of any era.
14 TYRONE PEACHEY: It is such a shame that Peachey had to go and chase his fortune at the Gold Coast when his career was on such an upward trajectory at the Panthers. We all know he started at the Sharks but he just belonged at Penrith. You could put him anywhere on the field and he would perform, just a footballer and a damn good one at that.
15 SAM McKENDRY: Recently announced his retirement at age 30 but owns Panthers’ record for most games (144) for the decade (147 all up). And that doesn’t tell you half the story when it comes to this bloke who had to overcome consecutive ACL injuries before retiring on his own terms. Made his NRL debut in 2008 and last played in 2018. Wrote recently on Instagram that he left his family back in New Zealand in 2007 with a dream to play NRL and “spent 13 years do just that”. What an inspiration.
16 NIGEL PLUM: Played 150 NRL games (92 for Penrith) and if it wasn’t for his incredible toughness Plum probably wouldn’t have played one. This fella would hold his own against the most inspirational footballers of any era purely because of his dogged determination. Raised tackling sheep on his family’s Riverina property and rated up with the absolute all-time legends for biggest hitters to ever play the game.
17 KEVIN KINGSTON: It makes no sense having a so-called run-of-the-mill hooker sitting on this bench other than you just know every player would give a little bit more knowing they were keeping Kevin Kingston out of the starting team. Played 183 NRL games (105 for Penrith) like every one of them was his last. What really summed him up as the consummate clubman was when Kingston was demoted to reserve grade and instead of kicking stones went back and led the team to a premiership.
Originally published as Penrith’s NRL team of the decade: Cult heroes and all-timers in Panthers’ best