Sometimes, the rugby league Gods are just on your side.
Three things needed to happen last weekend for Penrith to be back in the box seat for a home Final, and all three came off – the Panthers beat the Rabbitohs, the Warriors upset the Sharks and the Raiders showed incredible defensive spirit to down the Roosters on a day of carnage at Allianz Stadium.
Even more remarkable was that the results Penrith couldn’t control went down to the final seconds – only some Shaun Johnson magic and a missed Luke Keary conversion saving the day.
The Panthers have managed, in short, to not pay the price for their back-to-back losses to Melbourne and Canberra last month.
A win against the Titans on Saturday night and a home ground advantage in week one is secured.
And win the Panthers should. Gold Coast, despite showing signs of life at different parts of the season, have had the off-season in their sights for a while now and are staring down the barrel of a fifth straight loss this weekend.
They’ve even sent David Fifita off for surgery, a sign the white flag is up.
It won’t be made any easier by the emotion and tradition that will surround this game.
This will be the final regular season home game for Penrith at their traditional home, rightly re-named Penrith Park for the occasion. It’s old boys day, with plenty of former Panthers on deck to watch this new championship-winning crop go around. And there’s a heritage jersey to boot.
Plus, James Fisher-Harris’ 200th game.
And of course, now something to play for in the shape of a home Final.
There’s just too much on the line for Penrith to drop a game against a team on the road for a second straight week with the warm weather of the off-season in their grasp.
The Titans weren’t diabolical against Newcastle last Sunday but they just switch off too many times during games, allowing their opposition to go on quick scoring runs. At one point, the Knights scored four tries in the space of 14 minutes – you can’t just expect to win games when you drop your heads for chunks like that.
Penrith were far from brilliant against Souths but they did more than enough to get the two competition points and that’s all Ivan Cleary would have wanted at the moment. As he said post-game, the stop-start nature of the second half meant any chance of absolutely running away with the game disappeared, with neither side able to get any decent momentum.
In the end it was just Penrith’s superior roster and experience that saw them build a strong enough lead to never really be troubled.
While a home Final does beckon next weekend, I still expect this to be something of an emotional ride for a number of players this weekend. The likes of Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva run out in a regular season game for the final time, knowing they’ll return a week later but still well aware it’ll feel different.
Ivan Cleary has named Dylan Edwards at fullback despite speculation he may be rested. Daine Laurie remains on the extended bench, so it’s still a chance of happening.
Should Penrith run away with this I’d expect a couple of key players, including inspirational skipper Isaah Yeo, to be put on ice at the back end of the game – but you’ve got to put yourself into such a position first.
The key is to not get too far ahead of yourself and just tackle the job at hand.
An otherwise forgettable Saturday night fixture at the back end of the season has a special feel about it, and I reckon the boys will deliver for the occasion.
Tip: Panthers by 26.
Penrith and Gold Coast play at Penrith Park on Saturday, September 7 from 7.35pm. The game is live on Nine and Fox League.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.