The Penrith Panthers have booked their place in yet another preliminary final but it was their choice of jersey on Friday night that raised a fair few eyebrows.
As the Panthers stormed to a 24-0 lead to crush the Sydney Roosters in their final match at Bluebet Stadium before it is demolished, fans noticed that the players were wearing the same strip debuted in round three in heritage round.
The Pasifika jersey, which former players Frank Puletua and Joe Galuvao helped design, was launched earlier this year as the club’s round three multicultural round jersey.
And the club has elected to use it during the finals to honour departing stars Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris who are headed for Wests and the New Zealand Warriors respectively.
‘It means a lot,’ Luai said.
‘By Ivan (Cleary) doing that, it does add to the emotion of it all. Culture means a lot to me and Fish.
‘It’s a pretty special addition and really thoughtful from coach. By him doing that, he is showing how much his players mean to him and we are so grateful.’
Luai says Penrith could only ‘giggle’ as critics questioned their premiership credentials prior to an emphatic qualifying-final win on Nathan Cleary’s return from a shoulder injury.
The Panthers are now only one win away from the chance to play for a historic fourth consecutive premiership after Cleary laid the platform for Friday’s 30-10 victory over the Sydney Roosters.
The Penrith Panthers wore their Pasifika jersey in their NRL final against the Sydney Roosters
The jersey was chosen to honour departing stars Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris
Penrith’s return to their disciplined, uncompromising best came after their ability to sustain premiership dominance was questioned in a patchy month without Cleary ahead of finals.
But despite a loss to Canberra and an unconvincing six-point defeat of Gold Coast, Cleary’s halves partner Luai said the Panthers never doubted their ability to rediscover top gear.
‘People should know us by now. We’re a confident side,’ Luai said.
‘When the big occasion arises, we’re ready for it. There was a bit of chat about us not really being ready for this finals series. They’ll be looking over their shoulders now.
‘(The doubt) makes us giggle more than anything. You can never count us out, even when we’re down in games.’
The man of the hour, Cleary admitted he was ’embarrassed’ by his rotten luck with injuries after his first game since aggravating a shoulder injury originally suffered in the pre-season.
Over recent years, the 26-year-old’s regular-season campaigns have been severely impacted by injury only for him to come back and help lead the Panthers to three consecutive NRL premierships.
Before suffering a shoulder injury a month out from the finals, Cleary missed the State of Origin series with a hamstring complaint.
Luai departs for the Wests Tigers next season but is seeking a record fourth premiership with the Panthers before he leaves
But now the playmaker is desperate to make up for lost time and lead the Panthers to a fourth-straight NRL grand-final win.
‘It’s been a frustrating year. The times I have been injured I just feel bad that I’m not out there and going to battle alongside my brothers,’ Cleary said.
‘It’s almost embarrassing sometimes getting those injuries and having to take time out again.
‘So it’s been an up-and-down year, but I’d set sights on this game and just had to get over it.
‘There was no point moping around, I had to be a positive influence on the team, even though I wasn’t playing and then in the background working hard to put my best foot forward.
‘I’m really happy with how tonight went but, obviously, there’s more ahead of us, and I’ve got to keep working hard.’
Cleary’s side will not find out who they will meet in their preliminary final for another week and that last-four clash could potentially be the halfback’s last shot at silverware alongside Luai.
Five-eighth Luai will head to Wests Tigers at the end of this year, bringing an end to a halves combination that has delivered titles in three consecutive seasons for the Panthers.
‘I just want to enjoy the time we have left together, we’ve obviously been playing together since we were 16 years old,’ Cleary said.
‘Obviously it’s going to be a sad time when it does come to an end, but that’s not yet.’
