Corporate suites on the move
The Eastern Stand at the new-look Penrith Stadium will not include corporate suites, with the existing boxes on the way to the western side of the stadium.
That means all corporate and media facilities will be on the west, raising fresh concerns that members currently in the Western Stand won’t retain like-for-like seating.
Panthers and Venues NSW are aware there will be uproar if fans aren’t catered for in the Western Stand and are still working towards that being a reality.
But it’ll be interesting to see how all this is navigated given the amount of corporate facilities that will be included.
Cleary’s big Turuva call
There’s no question that Ivan Cleary made the right call to leave Sunia Turuva out of the clash with North Queensland last week after an enormous couple of weeks for the youngster in regards to sorting out his future.
The Panthers found it a distraction, particularly as the Tigers talk started to emerge during their preparation for the Townsville trip.
The final straw may well have came when the Tigers announced Turuva’s three-year deal last Friday, just 24 hours before Penrith’s game against the Cowboys. It wasn’t the most respectful of timing.
Headache for Venues NSW
It’s a problem they’re happy to have but Venues NSW will certainly have their work cut out for them next year when it comes to hosting NRL matches. The organisation runs CommBank Stadium, Accor Stadium and Allianz Stadium.
Next year, on top of the existing teams using their venues, the Panthers will play matches out of CommBank, while the Tigers are now in negotiations to play more home games at either CommBank or Accor.
All in the family
Brian To’o’s nearest and dearest made the tip to Townsville last week to see the popular winger play his 100th game. And boy did he put on a show – scoring the first try and producing one of his best games in a Penrith jersey.
Eddy’s Origin woes
I’m told Michael Maguire is a huge Dylan Edwards fan but is still likely to leave him out of the Blues squad for the opening State of Origin game when it’s announced later this month. James Tedesco appears to have done enough to keep the fullback jersey, and there’s apparently little appetite to play Edwards on the wing or off the bench.
Alamoti chasing deal
Paul Alamoti signed a one-year extension with Penrith earlier this year for 2025 and his games for the club so far have done him no harm when it comes finding his next contract. He’s only 20 and looks like he’s got a strong future ahead of him.
While the Panthers are pretty confident in the wingers and centres they have coming through, a new deal for Alamoti before he would be eligible for the open market in November certainly wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Travel itinerary burns
The Panthers weren’t happy with the NRL over the scheduling of their Round 8 and 9 fixtures. The trip to Townsville is a difficult one as direct flights are limited, meaning the team couldn’t fly back to Sydney until Sunday night. In its wisdom, the NRL scheduled Penrith for a Thursday night fixture in Round 9, making it an extremely short turnaround.
Spotted
Penrith winger Taylan May having a jab at ‘NRL 360’ host Paul Kent on Instagram. Kent has been stood down by Fox Sports and The Daily Telegraph for a second consecutive year, this time over a street fight in Rozelle last weekend.
Kent was critical of May when he landed himself in trouble in Queensland in 2021.
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