This Friday night, we will walk through the gates of the old Penrith Park one final time.
This is almost a bonus farewell, after last Saturday night’s tremendous efforts by the Panthers club to say goodbye to the beloved stadium ahead of its redevelopment.
We will walk through the gates again, of course, in a couple of years’ time.
But it will never quite be the same.
There is a feeling walking into Penrith Park (or BlueBet Stadium, Penrith Stadium… whatever you want to call it) that I don’t believe can ever be replicated.
You can put in better seats, create improved facilities, upgrade the food options… heck, you can gold plate the toilets; it still wouldn’t be the same.
It is that suburban footy smell and feel that I grew up with that can’t possibly be replicated in the new stadium.
That is not to say the new venue won’t be fabulous. I have no doubt we will be wowed by what happens over the next couple of years and we will create all sorts of new memories.
The generations to come will expect top class facilities out of their stadium infrastructure and Penrith will soon offer that.
But for me, it doesn’t matter what you create with LED lights and signage, or how steep you make the grandstand or how gourmet the hot dogs are.
It just won’t be the same.
You could argue it’s nothing more than grass, concrete and plastic chairs.
But for so many, it is far more than that.
I first visited Penrith Stadium in the late 1980s. Couldn’t tell you the exact date, unfortunately.
For years I sat on the family hill with my mum and dad. I remember once we upgraded to the Western Grandstand and saw Penrith beat Norths 8-0. That was June 30, 1991 and I thought we must have won Lotto.
Life changes and once I got to high school, footy was all about going with mates.
At one stage, there would have been a dozen of us religiously going; generally sitting on the eastern terrace, long before it was reserved seating.
In the years after high school, that number started to dwindle. In fact by the end of the 2002 season, I was the only one left in our group.
I bought a couple of seats in the Eastern Terrace, now reserved seating, and stayed there for the next couple of seasons; including the 2003 Premiership year.
In 2009 and 2010 I spent most of my time in the Weekender corporate box high in the Eastern Grandstand. Now I love party pies as much as the next guy, but corporate just isn’t for me… not when it comes to the Panthers, anyway.
And so it was off to the Western Grandstand, my home away from home for the next decade or so.
In that time, there’s been multiple weddings inside our group that attends week in, week out. A bunch of kids, too.
Career changes, milestones, joy, sorrow.
But one thing stayed the same: going to the footy together each week.
A thousand laughs, a few more thousand drinks (if you’re a cleaner charged with sorting out the back row of Bay 28 every week, I salute you and apologise), and memories that will last a lifetime.
These last five years have been a tremendous ride in terms of on-field success but truth be told we had just as much fun in the lean years, baffled by team selections and crossing our fingers for a big crowd of over 12,000 – if we were lucky.
In those times though you find out who the real fans are. Loyalties are tested as the bandwagon is parked, gathering dust.
There is nothing wrong with just being there for the good times but they are made so much better when you were there for the tough ones.
Photo: Penrith City Library.
Best memories of Penrith Park?
A million of them to be honest.
Brandy’s last game at the venue in 1999 would have to be up there.
The crazy 23-22 win over Parramatta in 2011 via a ridiculous last minute try and a Luke Walsh field goal (no, I won’t calm down. If you know, you know).
The 12-10 win over a star-studded Melbourne in 2013, a rare Sunday night game in front of 7,803 loyal fans.
Watching the rise of Nathan Cleary, enjoyed so much more when there was a section of our fan base that declared he’d never amount to much.
Players that I’ll be able to say “I saw him play” decades and decades down the track.
Steve Carter, Royce Simmons, Craig Gower, Ryan Girdler, Luke Lewis, Robbie Beckett, Luke Rooney, Brad Fittler… the list goes on.
And of course this current crop of Threepeat champions, forever remembered and celebrated.
Progress and change is inevitable in life and very often your favourite things will be impacted.
Life will look very different in two years’ time, I’m sure. None of us know what is around the corner. And that’s why it’s been so important to soak up this last ride.
The fact that this Penrith Park journey ends on the back of such a successful era is poignant; and in many ways it feels like there couldn’t be a better time to say goodbye.
In some way, last week’s game against the Titans was the wedding. All the formalities, lots of pressure, boxes to tick.
Now we get to have the reception. A big party to farewell our home away from home.
Of course, there’s plenty on the line. This is Finals footy, so that’s obvious.
But when the crowd dwindles after the game on Friday, when the last autograph is signed and the last beer is poured; the result, important as it is, won’t matter much.
Because in the end, we had Penrith Park.
Thanks for the memories, old friend.
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.