Iconic Panther moved
The huge Panthers sign that has adorned the top of the Western Grandstand at Penrith Park for the last decade or so has been carefully removed from the construction site.
As part of the stadium redevelopment, the sign was craned out and has been taken to Accor Stadium.
So why is it at Accor? Is it about to be on display to recognise Penrith’s incredible run of titles at the venue? Perhaps a permanent tribute alongside a mural of the Matildas that commemorates them coming fourth in the 2023 World Cup? No such luck – it’s got a new home in a storage shed, for safe keeping.
At least this piece of history is legitimately in storage. When Phil Gould said the iconic Panther scoreboard was in storage, what he meant was a skip bin.
Preserving history
The Panthers sign (which in reality was a relatively new addition to Penrith Park) isn’t the only piece of history being preserved. A concrete slab from the main tunnel was cut out and transported over to the Panthers Academy. It’s nice to see these touches of history being acknowledged as part of the project.
1967 Panther passes
Penrith’s first ever local junior to play top grade rugby league for the Panthers has passed away. John Stapley, who made his first grade debut with Penrith in 1967, died aged 80 last week. He will be farewelled at a funeral service today.
The St Marys junior made his first grade debut in Penrith’s Round 9 loss to Souths in 1967, coming off the bench. He played a handful of games in 1971. In a quirky stat, Stapley never experienced a victory in his six matches wearing Penrith colours.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Stapley is credited as Panther #24.
Cleary union rumours
The crazy rumours that Penrith champion Nathan Cleary is considering a switch to the 15-a-side game won’t go away.
While most of the speculation is coming out of rugby union corners and journos desperate for a headline, I can’t find anyone who says there’s any sort of serious consideration that Cleary could switch codes.
However, every month that goes by without Cleary extending his current deal with Penrith beyond 2027 will make both Panthers officials and those at the NRL nervous.
Squeezing customers
We all accept these days that food and drink prices are high at sporting events. But can Venues NSW do something about the 60 cents they whack you for a tomato sauce? Especially given they’re now in terrible new packets they should be paying you to put up with, not the other way around.
Girls get social
The Panthers have launched a separate Facebook account for their women’s program. Penrith Panthers Women launched last week, attracting 3,000 followers so far. It’ll follow the women’s program and current teams, ahead of a likely NRLW side entering the competition in the coming years.
Ayres joins the punters
Former Penrith MP and Sports Minister Stuart Ayres’ passion for the Panthers was always genuine. He’s bought himself a membership for the 2025 season and is watching home games with the punters in the Eastern Grandstand at CommBank Stadium.
He must constantly ponder what could have been – Ayres was of course pushing for the Panthers to stay in Penrith in 2025 and 2026 while a brand new stadium was built on the grounds of the Penrith Showground.
Member check-in
The Panthers have been ringing 2025 members to get their take on the season so far in terms of the move to CommBank Stadium. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted – we know plenty are vocal about the CommBank experience so far. Credit to the club for getting on the front foot, but I’m not sure many of the issues being raised – from food prices to travel delays – can be solved.
Taking one for the team
Poor old Harrison Hassett. After an impressive debut against Newcastle, he was all set to back it up and play against the Eels last weekend, but was relegated to 18th man. With Dylan Edwards and Brian To’o both backing up from Origin, Ivan Cleary opted for Daine Laurie on the bench as back-up.
Nine’s clock change
Talk about a mid-season switch. Channel Nine has finally fallen victim to common sense and now displays its match clock in a countdown format, aligning with Fox League and the way clocks are presented at stadiums.
Nine was the final hold-out when it came to a consistent approach across the board, and finally made the switch quietly just before State of Origin.
Spotted
Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary and Eels winger Zac Lomax catching up post-game last Sunday – having shared success together with the New South Wales Origin team only a few days earlier. Only one could be victorious this time around.
Fox Origin push
I’m told that new Fox Sports owners DAZN are very keen to ensure Fox has the rights to State of Origin and the Grand Final in the next broadcast deal. Fox is the game’s biggest broadcaster in terms of matches shown but doesn’t have the opportunity to broadcast the four biggest games of the year live. That may change with the new deal, though obviously it’ll come down to the NRL getting the best deal across the board.
Nine plays fair
Channel Seven has been taking shots at Fox Sports through newspaper ads in the Melbourne papers, critical of the broadcaster calling some matches off TV and not attending the game.
It’s a smart strategy – designed to encourage dedicated footy fans to stick with the Seven broadcast given they know the commentators are there.
Nine hasn’t played that game here in Sydney, even though it could – Fox often calls games off TV and it’s obvious sitting at home when they do.
Masked Panther
The Masked Panther is the most mysterious journalist of all. He has the inside word on everything happening in rugby league.