Young Panthers wrecking ball Luron Patea got his first taste of unwanted fame recently when a bizarre rumour about his love life appeared on social media.
While the rumour was so far-fetched that it was 100 per cent fabricated, in a strange way it was a sign – albeit an odd one – that the 20-year-old had finally made it onto the rugby league scene.
Prior to his breakout game against the Broncos at Magic Round – a game in which he scored his first try – not many NRL supporters outside of the Penrith bubble knew the name Luron Patea.
But now more and more people are getting to know the former rugby union star and it’s not because of his fake off-field romance with a 78-year-old American billionaire heiress.
Speaking with the Weekender on Monday, Patea said he’s learning very quickly the positives and negatives of social media.
“I’m trying my best to not be on my phone, on socials, seeing all the comments and stuff. It’s hard to nowadays because everyone is on their phone and posting on socials, but I try not to be on my phone too much,” he admitted.
Like most rugby league players, the Panthers cop their fair share of good and bad on social media. The more famous and successful you get, the more a target you become.
Patea said he’s very grateful to have the support of his more experienced teammates by his side.
“The boys talk to you about it… being on socials or being on your phone too much,” he said.
“It’s good having the boys around, having them talk you through it and talk about what they’ve been through.
“Taking what the boys are saying away has really helped me.”
Following the club’s first bye of the season last weekend, the Panthers will return to the paddock this Saturday evening when they face off with the struggling Newcastle Knights at chilly Carrington Park in Bathurst.
Penrith will go into the match as favourites despite having five players missing due to Origin commitments and several others sidelined due to injury and suspension.
Patea said the bye came at a “good time” for the club following their disappointing draw against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 10.
“Leading into Origin, it’s a good time to regroup and reset,” he said.
“It allows us to go over what we need to and what’s happened over the last couple of months – what we can take away and what we can use to put us in better positions to win games.”
Winning is of the utmost importance for the Panthers as they launch in to the second third of the season sitting in 13th place with three wins to their name.
Patea said it’s vital this week’s inexperienced outfit continue to keep the Panthers afloat while their senior players are representing their State.
“Obviously it’s a big loss losing our senior players, especially our leaders in Yeoy and Clez, but we have that next man up mentality, and we just have to all back ourselves and come together like we did against Brisbane,” he said.
“There’s a lot of young boys in our team and when we get the opportunity from Coach it gives us confidence and it’s a good chance for us to go out there and showcase what we have individually and what we can do for the team.”
This Saturday’s match against the Knights is expected to be close to a sell out as the club’s beloved supporters out west make their annual pilgrimage to Carrington Park.
Patea said he’s excited to play his first game in Bathurst, where the temperature at kick-off is expected to be below 10 degrees Celsius.
“I’ve never been to Bathurst, so I’m keen to see how many fans we have out there,” he said.
“Some fans out there can’t make it to every game, so that will fuel us to play better for our fans there. Hopefully we can get the job done.”
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.