Despite a growing injury toll, don’t expect to see Jack Hetherington back in first grade any time soon. The 22-year-old, who made his first grade debut a little over a year ago, played Canterbury Cup last week after a few weeks off but Ivan Cleary is unlikely to elevate him into the NRL side. Hetherington is not necessarily out of favour but has some work to do both on and off the field before he can be thrown into the pressure of the NRL melting pot again. The club is closely monitoring him.
Which Penrith NRL player’s mother is not happy with Ivan Cleary’s team selections at the moment? She’s been making her views known on social media.
Canterbury Cup coach Guy Missio was forced to hit the phones last Saturday night in an attempt to put a side together to face Mounties the following day at Aubrey Keech Reserve. With four players withdrawn from the team due to likely NRL call-ups, Missio had to rely on inexperienced players. The situation became laughable when one player who Missio called on Saturday night was out on the drink, and had to get himself ready to play the next day after the unexpected call-up. There were reports that some players were even being introduced to each other in the dressing room before the game. Incredibly, the Panthers won the match – one of the upsets of the season in any grade.
The Panthers still have one spot to fill in their top 30 after Tyrone Phillips parted ways with the club last month. However, the club will need to find a bargain buy if they’re to add a new recruit to the ranks, with Phillips’ salary hovering around the NRL minimum wage. There’s still plenty of talk that there’ll be a bit of movement at the foot of the Mountains before June 30, so watch this space!
The daughter of Penrith legend Mark Geyer has commenced legal proceedings against the administrator of a Facebook page over allegations relating to a sex tape, which surfaced in the pre-season. Montana Geyer has now filed a Statement of Claim in the District Court and is seeking damages from the administrator of the “NRL Memes” and “NRL Quality Memes” pages.
Penrith have quietly parted ways with Liam Coleman, who was thrust into the spotlight when he was charged with ‘indecent assault’ late last year. With Coleman also involved in the sex tape scandal that rocked Penrith’s pre-season, the club saw very little light at the end of the tunnel for the young halfback.
James Maloney scored his 1800th career point when he booted a goal for Penrith against the Raiders last weekend.
Word about Isaah Yeo’s season being over leaked out on Monday, but it baffled Penrith officials and Yeo himself. The 24-year-old hadn’t even been for scans yet when the first story was published. As it turns out, Yeo will only miss around a month of football.
The Panthers head to Bankwest Stadium for the first time on May 23 when they meet the Eels. It’ll be the stadium’s first big test given the way Penrith are playing and the difficulty of a Thursday night scheduling. Thanks to the folks at Bankwest Stadium, The Masked Panther has a family pass to give away to the Panthers v Eels match! For your chance to win, send an email to [email protected] with ‘Bankwest Stadium’ in the subject line. Entries close Wednesday, May 15 and the winner will be notified by email. Tickets to the game on May 23 are on the sale now.
Brian To’o and Matheson Johns have earned selection in the NSWRL Canterbury Cup NSW Residents team to take on the Queensland Residents team at Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe on Sunday.
Masked Panther
The Masked Panther is the most mysterious journalist of all. He has the inside word on everything happening in rugby league.