Buster Hindmarsh has played his first game of NSW Cup for the Penrith Panthers after earning yet another promotion in his swift rise in rugby league. Buster – son of Parramatta Eels and NRL great Nathan Hindmarsh – was recently promoted to the Penrith Panthers’ Jersey Flegg side in a huge moment for the young talent.
Hindmarsh signed with the Panthers juniors on a two-year deal and played in the Penrith SG Ball side earlier this year. He was then promoted to the Jersey Flegg side last month. And the young second-rower has now made the jump up a grade.
Buster Hindmarsh, son of Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh (pictured left), has made his NSW Cup debut for the Penrith Panthers. (Images: Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Reporter Peter Lang initially confirmed Hindmarsh had been called up to the NSW Cup side to take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday. Playing in the same position as his father, Hindmarsh featured for 30 minutes in the thrilling 34-32 win over South Sydney.
The second-rower came off the bench to run for 49 metres from five runs and make 17 tackles. While the Rabbitohs staged a comeback after going behind early, a late Patrick Moimoi try got the Panthers over the line in a thriller.
Hindmarsh’s rise up the ranks through the Panthers has been impressive with his Jersey Flegg debut coming only a few weeks ago. His stint in NSW Cup is promising for the talented forward and it has excited some who were able to watch him make the jump up in class.
Buster Hindmarsh’s swift rise up the ranks
Hindmarsh played for the Bears in 2024 and there was plenty of interest in the highly-touted back-rower. Last year, Nathan Hindmarsh told Fox Sports there were a number of teams in the running to sign his son who had shown plenty of promise as a junior.
“Penrith gave us an invitation to go and check out their facilities, and they were really impressive,” Hindmarsh said earlier in the year. “The Bulldogs did the same thing. The Dogs were very close, too. They’ve got a great set-up.”
The young star is son of Eels great Nathan Hindmarsh. The forward played 330 games for the Eels and 17 for the NSW Blues. He also featured 23 times for the Kangaroos in a stellar career. Panthers fans are excited to see the progress of the young star.
Hindmarsh is in one of the best academies in the NRL with the likes of Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai all learning their trade in the Panthers juniors. The Panthers maintained their lead at the top of the NSW Cup ladder with the win, while the Rabbitohs dropped down to sixth place.