A long season of football will begin for the Penrith Panthers tomorrow (Friday, February 3) when they travel to Queensland for their first trial of the year against the Ipswich Jets.
It’s the first of three trials for the Panthers, who get their first run under new coach Ivan Cleary.
Cleary will use the trials to test combinations and finalise his desired line-up for Penrith’s round one showdown with Canterbury next month.
After Friday's trial, the Panthers travel to Port Macquarie where they will take on Newcastle on Saturday, February 11 at 7.30pm.
Then it’s back home for the pre-season’s biggest test – the ‘battle of the west’ trial against Parramatta at Centrebet Stadium on Friday, February 17 from 8pm.
Once the trials are out of the way, the Panthers will launch the 2012 season in style at the EVAN Theatre on Saturday, February 18.
Meanwhile, the Western Weekender understands that the Panthers could be poised to announce a major sponsor as early as next week.
The club has been looking for a new major partner after its relationship with SANYO came to an end due to a takeover of the electronics giant.
