Penrith’s NRL rivals have been put on notice as coach Ivan Cleary insists the resurgent four-time reigning premiers can still improve.
After a dismal 1-5 start to the season, the Panthers have become one of the NRL’s form teams on a seven-game winning streak that has rocketed them into fifth place on the ladder.
Penrith’s defence appears back to its miserly best, conceding only 10 points on average across their winning run, with big names Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards outstanding in recent weeks.
But even after last week’s comprehensive 36-2 defeat of Wests Tigers, Cleary said the Panthers still have improvement in them.
“I’m very happy with the way things are going. I think even over the last seven weeks, our performances have continued to grow. (But) I feel like there’s more in us as well,” he said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Gold Coast.
“I still don’t think we’ve found that cohesion we’re looking for.”
Cleary said inexperienced hands Casey McLean, Tom Jenkins and Blaize Talagi had all begun to find chemistry on the left edge following the Panthers’ tough start to the year.
None of that trio were regular first graders at the Panthers before this season.
“Those guys played all the way through this whole period. That’s really helped them,” Cleary said.
“Now if we can get ‘Yeoy’ (Isaah Yeo) and ‘Nat’ and ‘Dyl’ and those guys all working together with both sides of the field and middles as well, we should only get better and we need to.
“It’s exciting times ahead.”
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The Panthers coach still felt as though his side were underdogs despite salvaging their season and shaping as unlikely contenders for a top-four finish.
“We’ve come from the bottom and we’re still in the bottom of the eight so we still feel like we’re hunting,” Cleary said.
Cleary insisted the Panthers would not underestimate 16th-placed Titans, who return to the Gold Coast on the back of an upset defeat of top-four hopefuls the Warriors.
“I actually like watching the Titans play, they’ve got some real game-breakers,” said Cleary.
“They’re a good team, they probably should’ve won more games. Hopefully it’s not this week.”
Dragons eye off Kerr with Klemmer going
St George Illawarra are looking to bring Josh Kerr back to the club from the Dolphins to bolster the experience levels in their pack for 2026.
With Jack de Belin off to the Eels, David Klemmer likely to finish his career in the Super League and Michael Molo following his brother Frank out the exit, NewsCorp has reported the Dragons have identified Kerr as an experienced middle forward who can offer plenty of value.
Kerr left the Dragons midway through the 2023 season after playing 68 matches at the club and has racked up another 42 in Redcliffe but is off contract at the end of the year.
The Indigenous All-Stars front-rower was part of Queensland’s extended Origin squad this year and would add much-needed muscle to the middle forward rotation if he returns to Wollongong.
Sifa Talakai. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
Cronulla’s Braden Hamlin-Uele and Siosifa Talakai could also be on the move after being told they are free to negotiate elsewhere despite having another season on their contracts.
The veteran duo are unlikely to be re-signed by the club beyond their current deals so they have been given the option of trying to lock down a lengthier contract elsewhere.
Shaq Mitchell is alo on the lookout for a new club with South Sydney not offering him a new deal while former Manly prodigy Josh Schuster could have played his last NRL game with the Rabbitohs opting not to keep him on the roster after his comeback season ended early when he decided to take a break from the game.
with AAP
