{"id":561727,"date":"2026-03-24T19:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/561727\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T19:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:21:13","slug":"the-panthers-have-been-sensational-to-start-the-year-its-a-shame-they-can-not-draw-a-crowd-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/561727\/","title":{"rendered":"The Panthers have been sensational to start the year. It\u2019s a shame they can not draw a crowd at home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Christian<\/p>\n

March 25, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n

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Senior Panthers players cannot recall playing such a complete brand of football so early in an NRL season.<\/p>\n

Now their only wish is that their fans make the trek down the M4 Motorway to their temporary home in Parramatta to see it.<\/p>\n

The Panthers have obliterated premiers Brisbane<\/a>, Cronulla<\/a> and the Sydney Roosters<\/a> in the opening three rounds, conceding just two tries.<\/p>\n

Yet club officials were expecting a crowd of just 15,000 at CommBank Stadium for Saturday evening\u2019s western Sydney derby against Parramatta. That figure was revised to 18,000 late on Tuesday once Parramatta\u2019s team list was announced.<\/p>\n

The four-time NRL premiers have been forced to relocate while their Penrith base undergoes a $309 million re-development.<\/p>\n

Former Panthers Group CEO Brian Fletcher said at the start of 2025 about the impending move<\/a>: \u201cIf we come out of the blocks well and win games early, hopefully we get more people to come along to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NathanNathan Cleary has started the year brilliantly for Penrith.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Last season, the Panthers won two of their opening eight games, and averaged just 14,564 fans at CommBank. It was a huge drop from the near-20,000 they averaged the year before inside the old Penrith Park, which had a capacity of just over 21,000.<\/p>\n

Not helping the Panthers this year is their own scintillating form, which has left opposition fans reluctant to fork out money to watch their own team blown off the park. Early ticket sales indicated there is zero appetite from Parramatta fans and members to attend this weekend.<\/p>\n

Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo, who acknowledged the uninterrupted pre-season had been a big reason for the club\u2019s fast start, said it was not easy for fans to complete the 70km round trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took us some time to find our feet last year, but once we started progressing throughout the season, the fans jumped on board,\u201d Yeo said. \u201cYou\u2019d love to see that happen at the start this year rather than midway through it.<\/p>\n

\"Co-captainCo-captain Isaah Yeo would love to see fans travel to CommBank Stadium onb Saturday.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery player wants to play in front of a packed house. The loudest game I\u2019ve been a part of was at CommBank when Australia played against Tonga [in 2024].<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stadium is our home for another 12 months. We need to bite the bullet, and know we\u2019ll be back in Penrith in the next 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back-rower Liam Martin added: \u201cWhat we always experienced at Penrith Park was hard to put into words. We fed off that passion, and while I know getting fans to travel to CommBank is a big ask \u2013 especially for families with some of the timeslots \u2013 it means a lot.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Penrith<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying inside bigger stadiums when they\u2019re empty can sometimes make it feel like a library. You have to rely on your teammates for that energy. I\u2019d love to see a decent crowd this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin suffered a grade-two calf tear a fortnight before Penrith\u2019s first trial, and after feared he might struggle to win back his starting spot on the right edge despite being one of the first back-rowers picked for NSW and Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little bit nervous and probably felt a bit of pressure coming back into the side because the boys had played so well,\u201d said Martin, who became a first-time father to a boy, Joey, late last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018What if I lose my spot?\u2019 and, \u2018I hope I don\u2019t disrupt the rhythm of the team\u2019. The first ten minutes against the Roosters was a bit of a shock to the body, but then I went after it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeo said this was the best opening three weeks he had been involved in, \u201cespecially defensively, in terms of the tries we\u2019ve let in\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe start of the year is always hard because teams are finding their feet, there\u2019s no real form guide, and you can only trust your pre-season and the reps you\u2019ve done,\u201d Yeo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as [coach] Ivan Cleary always says, \u2018You never remember the start of the season, you only remember the end of it\u2019. It\u2019s still nice to put ourselves in a better position than what we were last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

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