{"id":638548,"date":"2026-04-29T13:52:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/638548\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T13:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:52:21","slug":"multiple-clubs-set-to-chase-too-the-western-weekender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/638548\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple clubs set to chase To’o \u2022 The Western Weekender"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To\u2019o set for heavy interest<\/p>\n

One of the most in demand backs in the competition come November 1 could be Panthers four-time Premiership winner Brian To\u2019o.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m hearing that To\u2019o is in the sights of several clubs.<\/p>\n

While no offers or formal discussions can happen prior to November 1, whispers are strong about St George-Illawarra, Parramatta and the PNG Chiefs having a serious crack.<\/p>\n

There would be some romance attached to To\u2019o joining Jarome Luai at the Chiefs in 2028 given the Wests Tigers captain has now committed to the franchise.<\/p>\n

To\u2019o will be 29 when his contract is up at Penrith, and his next deal could be the final big-money contract of his career. It\u2019s unlikely Penrith will get as high as offers likely to come from elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Panthers winger Brian To\u2019o. Photo: NRL Photos.<\/p>\n

Chiefs have eye on Panthers<\/p>\n

Make no mistake that the Chiefs believe securing the services of Jarome Luai significantly increases their chances of luring more Penrith players over to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n

The club is keen to create a community feel and some of the off-contract Panthers, along with Luai, were key to creating that at Penrith during the Premiership years.<\/p>\n

Royce out of retirement<\/p>\n

Is Panthers legend Royce Simmons planning to add to his rugby league honours by taking up another sport? I hear Simmons was spotted playing table tennis at The Royce last week. Despite talking up his chances early, he was ultimately defeated by his wife Liane.<\/p>\n

Quirky slice of history<\/p>\n

For the first time since entering the competition way back in 1967, the Panthers have won nine straight games at an opposition venue.<\/p>\n

The victory at McDonald Jones Stadium over Newcastle on Sunday confirmed the rather odd piece of history.<\/p>\n

The run started back in 2016 when the Panthers ran out 42-6 winners over Newcastle at what was then Hunter Stadium.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, the Panthers have scored over 40 points four times out of the nine straight wins.<\/p>\n

Penrith have quite the impressive history in Newcastle \u2013 they also won their first five games straight there between 1988 and 1992.<\/p>\n

Spotted: Former Panthers five-eighth James Maloney enjoying a game of two-up at Panthers last Saturday as part of ANZAC Day.<\/p>\n

Spotted<\/p>\n

Panthers captain Isaah Yeo and Knights veteran Daine Gaigai swapping jerseys after Sunday\u2019s clash in Newcastle.<\/p>\n

Gaigai is collecting jerseys from every club in the NRL, and is aiming to get his hands on the jumper of the player he has played against the most in each club.<\/p>\n

35-year-old Gaigai is likely to retire at season\u2019s end, though is yet to make a formal decision.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dane Gaigai and Isaah Yeo. Photo: NRL Photos.<\/p>\n

Giving cancer the boot<\/p>\n

The NRL in partnership with national insurer Youi, is taking up the fight against kids\u2019 cancer through a new fundraising initiative to be launched during Magic Round.<\/p>\n

The two organisations have teamed up with all 17 NRL Clubs and 11 paediatric cancer centres in Australia and New Zealand to launch Kick for a Cause, with the aim of raising $1 million to improve the care, comfort, and outcomes of every child facing cancer across Australia and New Zealand. The centres are located in every community that an NRL club exists.<\/p>\n

Youi has pledged a $1,000 donation for every successfully converted try and penalty goal attempt at the highly anticipated three-day festival of rugby league to be held in Brisbane from May 15-17.<\/p>\n

They have also doubled the pledge for every successful field goal across the round.<\/p>\n

Feeling like home<\/p>\n

I\u2019m told that Panthers is already working on some excellent concepts next year to make sure the game day experience feels unique and very \u2018Penrith\u2019. This may also include the return of a few past initiatives.<\/p>\n

Panthers knows the new stadium won\u2019t quite feel like the old Penrith Park, but they\u2019re keen to make sure it doesn\u2019t have that bland, plain stadium feel.<\/p>\n

Spotted<\/p>\n

This enthusiastic fan in Newcastle last week very proud of his Nathan Cleary sign. Well done young fella!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A passionate Nathan Cleary fan. Photo: NRL Photos.<\/p>\n

Big names for long lunch<\/p>\n

Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns has been secured as the big-name guest for Emu Plains Junior Rugby League Club\u2019s 2026 Sportsmans Luncheon, to be held on July 17 at St Marys Band Club.<\/p>\n

Premiership winner James Maloney is also on the guest list, with Triple M\u2019s Anthony Maroon to host the afternoon\u2019s festivities. Tickets are $180 with tables of 10 available.<\/p>\n

Mum\u2019s the word, sort of<\/p>\n

A host of Penrith officials and coaches were called to a meeting last week where a reminder about confidentiality and keeping things \u2018in house\u2019 was delivered. Apparently the club is unhappy about a few leaks to the media in recent times.<\/p>\n

Liam Henry mystery<\/p>\n

Liam Henry\u2019s return to first grade has been further delayed after he apparently picked up a minor hamstring injury.<\/p>\n

Henry is yet to play in the NRL this season, but was making his comeback through the NSW Cup before the latest setback.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s interesting is that his omission from the team sheet each week is essentially a mystery. The club remains very tight-lipped when it comes to injuries these days.<\/p>\n

Panthers podcast<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget the Weekender\u2019s \u2018Tension\u2019s Running High\u2019 podcast, released weekly on Wednesdays. Troy Dodds and Nathan Taylor share their opinions on everything Penrith Panthers and rugby league, and usually stray off-topic with some highly entertaining banter. Head to http:\/\/www.westernweekender.com.au\/podcast<\/a> or search Western Weekender wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/p>\n

Spotted<\/p>\n

Panthers recruitment guru Jim Jones continues to cut laps around Jamison Park every morning.<\/p>\n

Spill the tea<\/p>\n

Spotted a Panther out and about? Got some news? Email [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Masked Panther is the most mysterious journalist of all. He has the inside word on everything happening in rugby league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To\u2019o set for heavy interest One of the most in demand backs in the competition come November 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-638548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}