Dream draw could help Penrith do unthinkable
But a State of Origin period that looked terrifying on paper has turned their season around, with Penrith going from last spot on the ladder after 12 rounds to now sit sixth with a clear path to the top four thanks to a dream draw.
The Panthers have won four games on the trot, including a hard fought win over the Eels where their Origin players backed up, a thrilling win over Jarome Luai's Tigers, a stunning upset victory in Auckland without their rep stars and then an epic 8-6 result against the high-flying Bulldogs in the best game of 2025.
A perfect June has helped them become one of the most dangerous teams in the comp, with coach Ivan Cleary keen to see what his troops can do going forward, starting with another game against the Eels this weekend.
'It's hard to measure it against other years, but I've definitely been happy with this period,' he said.
'It's very challenging, maybe more so this year (with us) not starting the season well.
'The boys have just put their heads down, worked hard and managed their way through as best we could.
'It'd be nice to get to the end of it (the Origin period) and set sail for the rest of the year, but I've been pretty happy with it.
'As a club and as a group, we just had to improve. We weren't doing enough often enough earlier in the season to win games, but I feel we've made those changes. It's up to us now to keep it going.'
Defence has been the cornerstone of their sustained success, which explains why they were struggling so much at the start of the season as rival teams scored tries for fun.
Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas killed them in the opening 25 minutes in Bathurst, but since then, the Panthers have allowed just nine tries in their past nine halves that has taken the pressure off their attack, which continues to develop.
'We played the Knights in Bathurst before Origin I, so we didn't have our Origin players and we had a few other guys missing as well,' Cleary said.
'That was probably a performance that we weren't proud of, but since then we've definitely turned it around.
'Defence has definitely improved. The game we played Parramatta, which was the week after the Knights game, there were some signs that day that our defence was getting back to the quality you need to win games regularly.
'We've shown that since as well, so hopefully that can continue.'
Cleary said that the challenging start to the season was a necessary part of the journey but dismissed suggestions that early losses made them rethink their 2025 goals.
The top four seemed an impossible target just a month ago, but they're only five points behind the Warriors and get to play the bottom five teams over the next five weeks before things heat up against the top three.
'We know where we wanted to finish at the start of the year and we didn't really change our mind on that,' Cleary said.
'It's more a case that we're focused on the very short term. We'll worry about the ladder and whatever else down the track because it doesn't really matter at the moment.
'You've got to prepare well and play well, and if you do that often enough then you'll win enough games.'
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