Penrith’s round 12 loss to the Knights has been widely regarded as the game that turned their season around, but there was another match a month later that was just as crucial in the eyes of the Origin stars who watched on as an inexperienced squad shocked the world with a road win in Auckland.
The Panthers had just enjoyed back-to-back wins over the Eels and Tigers after slumping to the foot of the ladder following a loss to Newcastle, but their momentum looked set to come to a grinding halt due to a brutal quirk of the draw.
The four-time premiers were drawn to play in New Zealand just three days after the Origin game in Perth, which prompted Ivan Cleary to rest Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Dylan Edwards for the trip across the ditch.
The bookies gave them no hope, but the Panther cubs lifted, with Blaize Talagi and Brad Schneider starring in the halves, while veteran Scott Sorensen bagged a double in the 28-18 win as they ran harder and tackled harder than their more fancied rivals.
“It was definitely a turning point,” coach Cleary said, with that victory giving them added confidence heading into the elimination final.
“We rested the Origin guys for that game and our young guys went over and had a really good experience.
“I actually think that game lifted our Origin guys with that performance, so we’ll go over there with some good memories.”
Star halfback Nathan Cleary praised his more inexperienced teammates for getting the job done when the club needed them most, with the Origin stars returning as the premiers went on a nine-match winning streak to save the season.
“I think that was a real good show of the club culture and the next-man-up mentality that we have,” he said.
“I think that gave the younger guys a lot of confidence that they could match it with such a great team, and it’s held them in really good stead for the rest of the season.
“It’s now about for those younger inexperienced guys to get the best out of them and for them to play their best footy.”
Edwards didn’t get to see the game live but was thrilled when he checked the NRL app to see his team had stolen the win.
“I think I was on a flight back home, so I didn’t actually get to watch it live,” the fullback said.
“I checked the score and watched it when I got home. It was great. It was such a great win for those boys to be able to represent the club the way that they did, especially coming off the back of such a disappointing performance a few weeks prior.
“Even earlier in the year, it was the less experienced guys who were playing the best footy, and then that continued through that Origin period where they built confidence.
“We’ve got trust in those guys to do a good job for the club, and the coaches have the trust that whenever they pull on the jersey that they’re going to put in a good performance that we can be proud of.”
Winger Brian To’o says that was the night that Talagi realised he belonged in the team after he was brought across from the Eels to replace Jarome Luai.
“They had all the pressure and expectation on them and people were doubting them, but those boys really turned things around for us,” he said.
“They were pretty much the reason why we turned our season around, so big props to Casey McLean, Blaize Talagi and all those young boys for stepping up to the plate.”
Prop forward Lindsay Smith was in the Blues squad but made the mad dash to Auckland where he took on former mentor James Fisher-Harris, who will be keen to take down his former teammates, even if there’s been no banter this week.
“He’s someone I looked up to and he taught me a lot, so I’ll be forever grateful for that,” Smith said.
“Fish and I play different styles, but as front-rowers you still need to have those basic skills and that aggression. That’s something that I learnt from him over the years.”
Originally published as ‘They were the reason why we turned our season around’: The undermanned Penrith team that saved their premiership defence