History is against the Panthers, but Ivan Cleary confident they can save their season

No team has ever started a season 1-5 and gone on to win the premiership, but Ivan Cleary isn’t ready to give up on making history.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary always knew there would come a time when his all-conquering side’s ridiculously good run of form would run into some roadblocks.

But he couldn’t have imagined that it would include a five-game losing streak that has seen the Panthers’ defensive structures fall away dramatically and hope of a fifth-straight premiership erode.

Penrith’s defence has been the backbone of their four-straight titles, their 2021 team taking 17 rounds to concede 173 points.

Only six weeks into the new season the Panthers have given up 170, with only the bottom-placed Eels conceding more points so far.

The usually methodical outfit looked flustered for the first time during their loss to the Dolphins last week when their attacking structures fell apart as they chased points, but Cleary isn’t giving up on their season just yet.

The mountain men will be looking to steady the ship against a Roosters side that stunned them in round two to start the losing streak, with Penrith yet to recover from that defeat.

The Panthers were completely off their game in last week’s loss to the Dolphins. Picture: NRL Photos

“We just haven’t put anything like our game together yet,” Cleary said.

“The things we can control are the way we train, the way we play and the way we prepare. Some of the things that we can’t control, we’ve just got to leave that behind.”

The Panthers have rewritten the record books a number of times over the past few years, but they’ll have to produce their biggest slice of history if they are to turn things around, with no side starting 1-5 going on to win the title.

Cleary hasn’t been able to put his finger on what’s gone wrong in 2025 – it doesn’t help that they’ve added Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris to the list of players who have moved on – but the coach is confident that the wheel will turn.

“If I knew that then I would have told you earlier,” he said, with the club’s depth perhaps not as strong as it used to be.

“There are multiple factors (behind it) but at the end of the day, we just have to acknowledge that it’s had an effect.

Dylan Edwards is confident they can get through this rough patch. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“We’re in uncharted waters. No team has ever done what we’ve done so there’s no reference point other than to go through it, and that’s what we’re doing.

“But it’s important that we do move on from what’s happened. There are certainly some lessons in there, but we haven’t played the style of football that I know we can. That’s got to be our goal to make sure that we get that on sooner rather than later.

“I’m really confident that that’s going to happen. I can’t tell you when it will, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”

Veteran fullback Dylan Edwards will go up against fellow Blues hopeful James Tedesco on Saturday night, but Origin selection is the furthest thing from his mind as he tries to help his side get back on track.

“We’re quite aware that there’s a bit of work to be done, but I’ve got full belief in this group,” he said.

“We just need to keep coming in here and trusting that what we’re doing is going to work and things are going to turn.”

Originally published as History is against the Panthers, but Ivan Cleary confident they can save their season