Powerhouse Panthers are primed to be this decade’s glittering NRL dynasty

We’ve got some very, very good news Panthers fans — the rising western powerhouse at the foot of the mountain is on the verge of forging an NRL dynasty that could stretch throughout the 2020s, and it’s not just because of their 11-0 start this year.

Okay, we know what you’re thinking. “Mr. The Sporting Base, the Panthers just put 56 on top-four side the Rabbitohs. Of course they’re going well!” you may have just said.

To that we say; yep, fair.

There can be no denying the Panthers look the goods this year. An 11-0 start has been littered with half-ton demolitions, exciting footy, camaraderie, and an air of inevitability about the western club returning to the big dance after their heartbreaking failed attempt at the end of their undefeated 2020 campaign. Penrith are clear favourites, of that there’s no doubt.

There’s more simmering under the surface at the foot of the mountain though.

The first-grade team has marched their way to another undefeated start in 2021 so far, and seems destined for another run at the NRL’s big dance at the end of the year, but two grand final appearances does not a dynasty make. In fact, their regular-season record didn’t even translate to silverware.

Nevertheless, the Panthers seem to be right in pole position to unseat NRL juggernauts the Storm and Roosters, and claim the mantle of “the team to beat” for the next ten years.

Why, I can hear you already asking?

Well, the answer is twofold: one already well underway in the present, and one that will play a massive role in the club’s glittering future in the next five years or more.

Clearly and Luai have been electric so far in Penrith’s 11-0 start.

The dynasty’s central figures

There’s a not-so-secret phrase many in the NRL will use to talk about a club’s chances every year: their “premiership window.” The idea behind it is simple. You have a raft of star players on deals at the club, and that core will stick together for two or three years. Once that countdown hits zero, other clubs will circle and scoop up your outstanding best.

A prime example is the Raiders; they appear to have missed their window, as the downslide begins post-final appearance. The Rabbits are another — the South Sydney club is in the middle of theirs now.

Some would argue the Panthers, too, are right in their “window” at the moment.

Nathan Cleary and Jerome Luai are the lynchpins in that idea at the mountain club. Cleary is inked in until 2024 at $1m a year, alongside Luai’s wealthy $700k per season deal. Together, they have four more years together, at least.

Captain Isaah Yeo is in the mix too; he will be at Penrith until 2024.

Add in strike weapons like Brian To’o, Stephen Chrichton (2023), and star rake Api Koroisau (2022), and the core of the team has at least two years to push for those elusive NRL rings.

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The Penrith nursery

Here’s where the real clincher comes in for the Panthers though; they don’t need to look outward for their reinforcements, should one of their star players have their head turned in the next few years.

Time and again NRL teams have seen their “window” collapse after one or two departures. Fans and pundits alike are already tipping the Rabbitohs’ will slam shut once Adam Reynolds walks out the door to link up with the Broncos at Red Hill in 2022.

Just last year, the Raiders lost motor-man Johnny Bateman, and the green machine seemed to lose its wheels. The Bulldogs too. Just a half-decade ago they were title contenders, pushing for the final every year. A few key outs, and suddenly they’re battling to avoid the wooden spoon in 2021.

The once-unbeatable Raiders have imploded this year.

Not so in Penrith, The Sporting Base says. You just have to look at the Panthers’ nursery to know their dynasty won’t last two years; it will last the next ten, at least.

Across the year so far, every one of the club’s lineups has enjoyed glittering success in their leagues. What that means is the top-grade side will have a class of star players to pick from every season for the next 8-10 years, and then some. The juniors system Ivan Cleary and Gus Gould put in place nine years ago is finally paying dividends, in a massive way.

Right now, in 2021, the club is 40-3. That’s right. 40 wins in 43 games across all their teams, from the NRL down to St Marys.

Here’s the club’s full win/loss breakdown:

• NRL: 11 wins, 0 losses
• NSW Cup: 9 wins, 0 losses
• St Marys, Ron Massey Cup: 8 wins, 0 losses
• St Marys, Sydney Shield: 7 wins, 1 loss
• Jersey Flegg: 5 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses

It’s a near-invincible record that every other club in the NRL would be drooling over.

Cleary’s got his pick of the litter for as long as he wants.

It’s been a calculated road to total club domination too.

“All these results we’re now having basically reflect the hard work that has been put in by a lot of people over a long period of time,” Panthers football manager Matt Cameron told Christian Nicolussi at the Herald.

“But Ivan Cleary has been such an integral part of this whole process.

“It all started when he got here in 2012 and joined Gus.

“People don’t realise how long it has taken for us to get to this point. It’s not like you can package it all up, give the blueprint to another NRL club, then expect the same results in 12 months.

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“It’s all about alignment, from pathways programs through to the school programs to first grade, how the coaches coach, the relationship between the football club and leagues club … everybody knows their job and what the expectations are.”

Settle in Panthers fans; it’s going to be a great decade.

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