Record in sight
Nathan Cleary could own a new slice of Penrith history as early as Friday night against the Eels. Cleary has scored 1092 points for the Panthers, sitting just eight shy of club legend Greg Alexander.
The 24-year-old could jump ‘Brandy’ into second spot on the all-time Panthers point scoring table if things go to plan against Parramatta. It’d put Cleary behind Ryan Girdler, who still sits way out in front with 1690 career points.
Girdler, Alexander and Cleary are the only three players to have scored more than 1000 points for Penrith.
Eight’s great
Talking of records, the Panthers have become the first team in history to win eight games to start back-to-back seasons. It’s even more remarkable given this season is off the back of a Premiership year – defending champs often start slow or show signs of a Premiership hangover in the first part of the season.
Stadium rumours
New rumours are doing the rounds about the future of BlueBet Stadium and the possibility of it being granted a stay of execution for two years while the new stadium is built on an alternate site. There’s no doubt this is a possibility – but it’s far from locked in.
The situation has plenty of moving pieces and nothing is a certainty. At this stage the club is still preparing for the reality of moving away from Penrith for two years while a stadium is built on the current site.
Spotted
Sports Minister and Penrith MP Stuart Ayres and ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys chatting away just 24 hours after a media stoush over stadium funding and the Grand Final.
In an ironic piece of perfect timing, Ayres and V’landys had a long-standing commitment to appear at a Panthers corporate breakfast last Friday. There was no tension – in fact you got the feeling both of them are enjoying the banter.
Welcome Matt
Matt Eisenhuth is enjoying his footy at the foot of the Mountains but as each week goes on, he’s considering his future more and more. Eisenhuth is off-contract at the end of the year and is uncertain about where things will land.
“I would love to stick around but I’ve got a young family and I’ll make a decision for what’s best for them,” he said.
“I’d love to be here, I love playing here at the moment. I still have a few good years left in me, but it’s up to the club and I’ll just let my footy do the talking and my management will look after the rest.”
Abdo knows his audience
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo was in Penrith last Friday, and he kicked off his address to Panthers sponsors with this absolute pearler of a line: “It’s great to be here in Penrith, the home of the Viking Clap”.
Classy Cleary
By now everyone has seen the touching footage of Nathan Cleary climbing through the stands at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast to get a photo with a fan in a wheelchair.
It was a great moment but didn’t surprise anyone close to the halfback – Cleary is showing maturity beyond his years at present, fully aware of what his responsibilities are as one of the game’s best known players.
He’s very much bought in to the community spirit the club is trying to live by.
Nathan Cleary makes a young fan’s day. 👏❤ pic.twitter.com/9IJm5qEvAr
— NRL (@NRL) May 2, 2022
Bailey dumps Eels
Panthers ground announcer Zac Bailey has copped plenty of criticism about his dual roles at both Penrith and Parramatta. I can confirm that Bailey is no longer employed by the Eels and is working solely with the Panthers in terms of ground announcing duties.
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Masked Panther
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