One of the few things left on Cleary’s bucket list is a Dally M Medal. But he will be heavily favoured to achieve the feat if he plays more than 20 games, something he has done only once in the past three years. He will also head into the season with no niggling injuries, and a solid pre-season following shoulder surgery in November.
It was only four years ago Ivan was being compared to Brian Smith, a top-shelf coach in his own right, but one who had never won a premiership.
Ivan said at the time: “I just haven’t been able to quite climb that mountain yet. At the end of the day, it won’t define my life. It’s not the exclusive reason I get out of bed. But it’s something I definitely want to do.
“I’m confident I can be part of a premiership team one day.”
That must feel like an eternity ago for Ivan. What also helps Ivan is having a settled coaching staff, with assistants Peter Wallace, Ben Gardiner and Ben Harden all having been part of the team for several years.
Team of leaders
James Fisher-Harris and Jarome Luai have departed for the New Zealand Warriors and Wests Tigers respectively, but Penrith still have the big-game experience of Cleary, Yeo, Dylan Edwards, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Moses Leota.
A healthy sprinkling of seniority is a non-negotiable for any team wanting to win a premiership, according to Panthers legend Greg Alexander. The Storm had it in 2020, and so did the Sydney Roosters in 2018 and 2019.
Alexander won the 1991 title with fellow experienced campaigners Royce Simmons, Steve Carter, Paul Clarke, Colin van der Voot and Paul Dunn, to name just a few.
“The loss of Fisher-Harris and Luai are significant, but Penrith still have the best senior players in the game, led by Isaah, Nathan and Dylan,” Alexander said.
Generation next Panthers
While there is experience, the Panthers also have one eye on the future with plenty of youngsters coming through the system, including the McLean brothers, Jesse and Casey, who are just 20 and 18 respectively. New recruit Blaize Talagi is 20, fellow five-eighth contender Jack Cole is 21, as is centre Paul Alamoti.
Yeo (30), Matt Eisenhuth (32) and Scott Sorensen (31) are the oldest in the group, but still only drag the average age up to 24.8 years.
There are also high hopes for hooker Billy Scott and fullback Jaxen Edgar, while their SG Ball team has been rated one of the best the club has assembled in years, and includes a rare external signing, former Eels forward Tyson Sangalang.
New recruits
Parramatta did their best to keep rookie Talagi, but the 20-year-old found the offer to potentially play in the halves alongside Nathan Cleary too good to refuse. And he quickly proved to everyone last season why the Panthers were so keen to lure him further down the M4 Motorway.
Talagi played 19 games and scored 11 tries, never lacked toughness, and played with a lovely mix of speed and grace in 2024. He is in a four-way No. 6 shootout with Daine Laurie, Cole and Brad Schneider, but can also play in the centres, or loom as an ideal No. 14, especially in the first half of the year as he finds his feet within a new system.
Isaiah Papali’i failed to fire at the Wests Tigers, but proved what he is capable of in an established system at the Eels, which is something in place at the premiers. He can play on an edge or middle, but will likely focus on the former where he will act as bodyguard for the new five-eighth, or even switch with Liam Martin to the right side of the park to protect Cleary.
Lindsay Smith is tipped to be a straight swap for Fisher-Harris in the front-row, and earned a Kangaroos’ call-up for his excellent form last season, while fellow prop Liam Henry is a young player who loves physicality and will improve on his first full year in the top flight.
Rivals have not improved
Every team is trying to catch Penrith, and how many rival clubs have significantly improved their roster over the summer? None.
The biggest three threats have lost titles to Penrith in the past four years.
Grand finalists Melbourne will be there again, have signed Tigers prop Stefano Utoikmanau, and will hope Cam Munster and Nelson Asofa-Solomona play more than 20 games this year, something they failed to do in 2024.
The Broncos also deserve to be deep in the premiership conversation, especially with the addition of experienced international Ben Hunt to plug the halves or hooker. It will also not be lost on new coach Michael Maguire his predecessor Kevin Walters had to contend with stars Reece Walsh, Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas only being fit for half a season.
The return of Wayne Bennett – and trouble-free pre-season for Latrell Mitchell – means South Sydney are worthy of being top-four contenders.
Manly with a fit Tom Trbojevic, North Queensland with Tom Dearden, and Canterbury led by Stephen Crichton are arguably the only other clubs capable of jagging a top-four finish.
And one reason why Penrith might struggle
Panthers officials are unsure how many fans will make the trek to Parramatta as the Panthers are forced to play at CommBank Stadium this season while their home ground undergoes a $309m redevelopment.
BlueBet Stadium has become a fortress in recent years, especially once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and regularly reached the 21,500 capacity.
But Panthers Group CEO Brian Fletcher said the losses of food and beverage sales on game day, corporate hospitality and on-field signage comes at a cost. CommBank Stadium is run by Venues NSW, while Penrith own their own stadium. Fletcher added up to $100,000 could be made alone by fans who visited the Leagues Club across the road after any given win.
CommBank can seat an extra 8500 fans, but Fletcher said “time will tell” if supporters leave the Penrith region.
When asked about the $3m loss this year, Fletcher said: “That is what we view as the worst-case scenario. If we come out of the blocks well and win games early, hopefully we get more people to come along to the ground, which will help ease [any loss].”
The Panthers have taken a game to Las Vegas, where they stand to collect more than $350,000 for doing so, and will also host games at Magic Round in Brisbane, Bathurst and Mudgee.
