Back in late April, with his Panthers struggling and the season bordering on crisis, Ivan Cleary declared “the ladder doesn’t really matter until July”.
Turns out he was right.
Just days out from July, and with perfect timing, Cleary has guided his side from the bottom of the table to a spot in the top eight.
The mission now is to stay there.
And it starts with what is a massive Thursday night showdown against Canterbury at CommBank Stadium.
There was already enough interest surrounding this game with so many former Panthers now bedded down at Belmore, but Penrith’s resurgence to win three straight games and Canterbury’s position atop the NRL ladder makes this one even more intriguing.
Not many people, me included, tipped the Panthers to topple the in-form Warriors last Saturday. But Mitch Kenny’s comments afterwards – that this group was keen to make amends from the disaster against Newcastle in Bathurst – made plenty of sense.
And so the Panthers turned up with plenty of character, rediscovering that next man up mentality the last five years have been built on and produced one of their best wins of the season.
All of a sudden, other teams are looking over their shoulder at the Panthers and the rugby league world is pondering the unthinkable: could Penrith win a fifth title?
With Penrith’s Origin stars returning for this one, including Nathan Cleary who appears to have overcome whatever injury was hampering him in State of Origin, the stage is set for what should be one of the games of the year.
Ivan Cleary and Cameron Ciraldo know each other well – they’ll know exactly how the other will prepare their side for this one, and they’ll know which players will feed into the rivalry these two sides have developed over the last couple of years.
We may be beyond the half-way point of the competition and while Canterbury have been at the top of the table for much of the year, the jury remains out on what they can achieve this year.
There is plenty of energy, enthusiasm and support but when the whips get cracking, do the Bulldogs have the halves that are going to guide you to a premiership? And how much will the recruitment of Lachlan Galvin ultimately impact the team – both positively and negatively?
With Galvin named on the bench again for this game, it appears the Bulldogs still haven’t quite worked out their final line-up for an assault on the title.
So many unanswered questions about Canterbury, not so many about Penrith.
We know what the Panthers can do and what they are capable of. We know the next batch of stars can deliver on their day, while the experienced heads have done it all before.
The only real unanswered question is whether it will all gel enough for Penrith to go on a run and secure a Finals finish. From there, anything could happen.
This match really comes down to the kicking game of Matt Burton and Nathan Cleary. The pair will likely kick themselves to death. The player who manages to get the advantage in this space and therefore starts to win the field position battle will go a long way to guiding their team to victory.
I can’t see this one being a blowout. The Bulldogs have improved too much to be destroyed by Penrith while the Panthers have tightened up their defence in recent weeks, but still haven’t quite got there in their attack.
For Penrith, this is the chance to silence some more doubters. For Canterbury, the chance to prove they’re the real deal.
Expect fireworks – this one is going to be explosive.
Tip: Panthers by 4.
Penrith and Canterbury play at CommBank Stadium on Thursday, June 26 at 7.50pm. The game is live on Fox League and Channel Nine.
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.