Latest news with #Talagi
Sydney Morning Herald
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I never wanted to leave Parra, but that changed after talking with Ivan'
'Blaize was a good kid; he was always in the same age group as Matthew. They'd play against each other at club level, together in the same rep teams – but Blaize was the one who always made a difference to his team,' Arthur recalls. 'I'd watch Blaize as much as my own kids. He always had that level of class, especially physically. We were down on troops last year when his opportunity to make his NRL debut came along. He was definitely physically ready, but in terms of his footy smarts and education, he had a bit of work to do. But he was only going to learn that by getting out on the field and playing. 'I still watch Blaize play now. He's getting better, and he's got a good educating half there in Nathan [Cleary]. Blaize's best footy is still a long way down the track – but his ceiling is pretty high. 'He's tough, humble, from a great family – he's the kind of player every club would love to have.' As five of his Penrith teammates were preparing for Origin III on Wednesday, Talagi sat down with this masthead outside the Panthers Academy to shed a little light on his upbringing, and the meeting with Cleary that sealed the deal on his move west. He grew up in Georges Fair, a newish suburb in south-west Sydney near Moorebank. Dad Byron is Samoan and grew up playing league before getting kicked out of the game, whereupon he took up rugby. Talagi jnr is unsure exactly why his father was banned from the 13-man code, but points out the father of Eels playmaker Joash Papalii, Pele, was his dad's rugby coach. Younger brother Ryda and sister Hayloh are both talented league players who are still signed with the Eels. Talagi played in an all-star Westfields Sports High team that featured Canterbury's Lachie Galvin, new Eel Tallyn Da Silva and Wests Tigers playmaker Latu Fainu. A talented No.10 and No.15 in rugby with West Harbour as a teenager, The King's School offered Talagi a scholarship in the hope he would quit Westfields and league. They were never in the hunt. Talagi's talents are not limited to the rugby league field – he has a wonderful singing voice, too. His Panthers teammates love it any time he breaks into a Bruno Mars song. And his girlfriend, Ashley Triana, is a rising tennis star. Forever grateful to Arthur for giving him his start in first grade, Talagi was desperate to stay at Parramatta. He met with Cleary and Panthers football manager Shane Elford at Cleary's house last winter out of politeness more than a genuine desire to switch clubs. 'A few stories got out at the time about how my brother, Ryda, had been spotted leaving Ivan's house, and I thought to myself, people must think I'm massive, because Ryda is heaps bigger than me,' Talagi says. 'There were a couple of clubs interested in me at the time, but I only met with the Dragons and Penrith. 'I remember going to Ivan's house, which was on the river, and speaking to him and 'Spud' [Elford] in the backyard, and Ivan asking me about what I thought of my game, what my favourite position was, and while they'd love me to come to the club, there were no promises about positions. 'I never wanted to leave Parra, but that changed after talking with Ivan. I changed my mind so many times. In the end, I felt like I'd become a better player and better person by moving to Penrith. There have certainly been no regrets.' One of the first things Penrith told Talagi was that if he did end up in the halves, they were not expecting him to replace four-time premiership winner Luai. 'The club taught me to only focus on myself, not the outside talk, and that helped a lot early,' he says. The departure of Luai and the arrival of the much quieter Talagi has presented new challenges for some of the Panthers players, including hooker Mitch Kenny. Kenny said he found himself automatically passing the ball to Cleary, and almost avoiding Talagi, because of the yawning gap in experience. 'It's been a learning curve for me; it's so easy when you play alongside a guy like Nath to want to put the ball in his hands all the time,' Kenny says. 'But Blaize is here for a reason, and I've got to trust him to do his job. Each week he plays he gets better at that. 'It's a balancing act with him knowing when to call the ball off Nath, and me knowing when to give him the ball, and not just leaning on the best player in the competition. Blaize isn't Romy, he's Blaize, and we just want him to be the best version of Blaize.' Panthers legend Greg Alexander, one of the club's greatest playmakers, said Talagi's past six weeks of football had given fans a glimpse of what's possible. 'He will hit a hole where there isn't much space,' Alexander said. 'He's a very good runner of the footy – he's got a great ability to beat a defender with speed and footwork. 'His passing game and peripheral vision will develop the more he plays at five-eighth, and the more he realises what's going on around him. Loading 'When Jarome left, naturally you think, how do you fill that hole? Blaize is a different player to Jarome, but he's certainly making his own mark.' After a sloppy start, and having their season written off more than once, the Panthers are back. Their win over the Bulldogs before the bye showed there might just be a fifth straight title in them yet. There may still be more episodes in the Penrith dynasty story. Tune in on Sunday to find out what happens next. Talagi's old coach will be.
The Age
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘I never wanted to leave Parra, but that changed after talking with Ivan'
'Blaize was a good kid; he was always in the same age group as Matthew. They'd play against each other at club level, together in the same rep teams – but Blaize was the one who always made a difference to his team,' Arthur recalls. 'I'd watch Blaize as much as my own kids. He always had that level of class, especially physically. We were down on troops last year when his opportunity to make his NRL debut came along. He was definitely physically ready, but in terms of his footy smarts and education, he had a bit of work to do. But he was only going to learn that by getting out on the field and playing. 'I still watch Blaize play now. He's getting better, and he's got a good educating half there in Nathan [Cleary]. Blaize's best footy is still a long way down the track – but his ceiling is pretty high. 'He's tough, humble, from a great family – he's the kind of player every club would love to have.' As five of his Penrith teammates were preparing for Origin III on Wednesday, Talagi sat down with this masthead outside the Panthers Academy to shed a little light on his upbringing, and the meeting with Cleary that sealed the deal on his move west. He grew up in Georges Fair, a newish suburb in south-west Sydney near Moorebank. Dad Byron is Samoan and grew up playing league before getting kicked out of the game, whereupon he took up rugby. Talagi jnr is unsure exactly why his father was banned from the 13-man code, but points out the father of Eels playmaker Joash Papalii, Pele, was his dad's rugby coach. Younger brother Ryda and sister Hayloh are both talented league players who are still signed with the Eels. Talagi played in an all-star Westfields Sports High team that featured Canterbury's Lachie Galvin, new Eel Tallyn Da Silva and Wests Tigers playmaker Latu Fainu. A talented No.10 and No.15 in rugby with West Harbour as a teenager, The King's School offered Talagi a scholarship in the hope he would quit Westfields and league. They were never in the hunt. Talagi's talents are not limited to the rugby league field – he has a wonderful singing voice, too. His Panthers teammates love it any time he breaks into a Bruno Mars song. And his girlfriend, Ashley Triana, is a rising tennis star. Forever grateful to Arthur for giving him his start in first grade, Talagi was desperate to stay at Parramatta. He met with Cleary and Panthers football manager Shane Elford at Cleary's house last winter out of politeness more than a genuine desire to switch clubs. 'A few stories got out at the time about how my brother, Ryda, had been spotted leaving Ivan's house, and I thought to myself, people must think I'm massive, because Ryda is heaps bigger than me,' Talagi says. 'There were a couple of clubs interested in me at the time, but I only met with the Dragons and Penrith. 'I remember going to Ivan's house, which was on the river, and speaking to him and 'Spud' [Elford] in the backyard, and Ivan asking me about what I thought of my game, what my favourite position was, and while they'd love me to come to the club, there were no promises about positions. 'I never wanted to leave Parra, but that changed after talking with Ivan. I changed my mind so many times. In the end, I felt like I'd become a better player and better person by moving to Penrith. There have certainly been no regrets.' One of the first things Penrith told Talagi was that if he did end up in the halves, they were not expecting him to replace four-time premiership winner Luai. 'The club taught me to only focus on myself, not the outside talk, and that helped a lot early,' he says. The departure of Luai and the arrival of the much quieter Talagi has presented new challenges for some of the Panthers players, including hooker Mitch Kenny. Kenny said he found himself automatically passing the ball to Cleary, and almost avoiding Talagi, because of the yawning gap in experience. 'It's been a learning curve for me; it's so easy when you play alongside a guy like Nath to want to put the ball in his hands all the time,' Kenny says. 'But Blaize is here for a reason, and I've got to trust him to do his job. Each week he plays he gets better at that. 'It's a balancing act with him knowing when to call the ball off Nath, and me knowing when to give him the ball, and not just leaning on the best player in the competition. Blaize isn't Romy, he's Blaize, and we just want him to be the best version of Blaize.' Panthers legend Greg Alexander, one of the club's greatest playmakers, said Talagi's past six weeks of football had given fans a glimpse of what's possible. 'He will hit a hole where there isn't much space,' Alexander said. 'He's a very good runner of the footy – he's got a great ability to beat a defender with speed and footwork. 'His passing game and peripheral vision will develop the more he plays at five-eighth, and the more he realises what's going on around him. Loading 'When Jarome left, naturally you think, how do you fill that hole? Blaize is a different player to Jarome, but he's certainly making his own mark.' After a sloppy start, and having their season written off more than once, the Panthers are back. Their win over the Bulldogs before the bye showed there might just be a fifth straight title in them yet. There may still be more episodes in the Penrith dynasty story. Tune in on Sunday to find out what happens next. Talagi's old coach will be.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Talagi happy on slow road to preferred Panthers spot
Blaize Talagi has set his sights on being Penrith's five-eighth long into the future, adamant that with time he can replace Jarome Luai and become the perfect partner for Nathan Cleary. The 20-year-old arrived at Penrith over the off-season, with many expecting the former Parramatta utility to instantly fill the void left by Luai. But Talagi has had to wait his turn, initially overlooked for homegrown duo Jack Cole and Trent Toelau in Penrith's spine before being given the No. 6 jersey for the first time in their round six loss to the Dolphins. While his first outing at five-eighth was testing, Talagi showed signs of a blossoming chemistry with Cleary and scored his maiden Panthers try in Saturday's 40-12 win over the Sydney Roosters. Isaah Yeo puts it on the spot for Talagi! 🧵#NRLRoostersPanthers Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) April 19, 2025 "I knew I had to come in and earn my stripes, I wasn't just going to slot in straight away," said Talagi. "I had to earn it but I think the timing's been perfect, and the more games I play the better I'll get. Everything happened the way it should've. "It (Penrith's system) is different, it took me some time to learn but it suits me. "If I see something, I can take it and I see plenty off the back of Nathan and Isaah (Yeo) so it's pretty cool. "I've learnt a lot of things (from Nathan Cleary). We do video together, the little things he sees are very detailed, I love learning from him." The Panthers' win against the Roosters snapped a run of five-straight losses to put the defending premiers at 2-5 ahead of Saturday's clash with an injury-depleted Manly. Talagi experienced plenty of defeats in 2024, winning just four games through his debut season at the Eels. But the Samoan international feels the Panthers' slow start to 2025 is about to pick up speed. "Ivan knows what he's doing," Talagi said of Penrith coach Cleary. "He's stayed the same the whole time. That gives the boys confidence knowing he hasn't lost it. He has stayed calm the whole time. "I do think we have turned a corner. "We do have it in us, now we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks."
West Australian
21-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Talagi happy on slow road to preferred Panthers spot
Blaize Talagi has set his sights on being Penrith's five-eighth long into the future, adamant that with time he can replace Jarome Luai and become the perfect partner for Nathan Cleary. The 20-year-old arrived at Penrith over the off-season, with many expecting the former Parramatta utility to instantly fill the void left by Luai. But Talagi has had to wait his turn, initially overlooked for homegrown duo Jack Cole and Trent Toelau in Penrith's spine before being given the No. 6 jersey for the first time in their round six loss to the Dolphins. While his first outing at five-eighth was testing, Talagi showed signs of a blossoming chemistry with Cleary and scored his maiden Panthers try in Saturday's 40-12 win over the Sydney Roosters. "I knew I had to come in and earn my stripes, I wasn't just going to slot in straight away," said Talagi. "I had to earn it but I think the timing's been perfect, and the more games I play the better I'll get. Everything happened the way it should've. "It (Penrith's system) is different, it took me some time to learn but it suits me. "If I see something, I can take it and I see plenty off the back of Nathan and Isaah (Yeo) so it's pretty cool. "I've learnt a lot of things (from Nathan Cleary). We do video together, the little things he sees are very detailed, I love learning from him." The Panthers' win against the Roosters snapped a run of five-straight losses to put the defending premiers at 2-5 ahead of Saturday's clash with an injury-depleted Manly. Talagi experienced plenty of defeats in 2024, winning just four games through his debut season at the Eels. But the Samoan international feels the Panthers' slow start to 2025 is about to pick up speed. "Ivan knows what he's doing," Talagi said of Penrith coach Cleary. "He's stayed the same the whole time. That gives the boys confidence knowing he hasn't lost it. He has stayed calm the whole time. "I do think we have turned a corner. "We do have it in us, now we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blaize Talagi cops stunning new snub amid surprise axing for Penrith Test player
Penrith recruit Blaize Talagi has copped a brutal new snub from coach Ivan Cleary after once again being overlooked in the starting side. And the Panthers coach has swung the axe for Thursday night's game against Souths, with Kiwi Test star Casey McLean dropped from the 17 altogether, for the clash at Accor Stadium. The Panthers have shifted Paul Alamoti onto the wing to replace McLean, with young gun Tom Jenkins rewarded for last week's performance against the Storm by being named in the centres. Daine Laurie returns at fullback in the continued absence of injured No.1 Dylan Edwards after being a late scratching from last week's brutal grand final replay against Melbourne due to a quad injury. Co-captain Nathan Cleary was knocked out in the opening stages of the six-point defeat to Melbourne and is subsequently ruled out of the Rabbitohs match, with father Ivan handing Trent Toelau a shock call-up to wear the No.7 jersey in place of the champion halfback. Talagi was expected to partner Jack Cole in Nathan's absence but will have to be content with an interchange role after being named in the No.14 jersey. It's the latest snub for Penrith's high-profile recruit, who was brought to the club from Parramatta in the off-season, and was expected to be Jarome Luai's successor at five-eighth. Instead, coach Cleary has preferred Cole at No.6 to start the year, with Talagi having to bide his time in NSW Cup for the first two rounds. Talagi got his first chance to impress after featuring on Penrith's interchange last week, and will once again have to be content with a similar role on Thursday night after being overlooked for the unheralded Toelau. "We've got a lot of time for Blaize," Panthers coach Cleary said. "He wouldn't be here if we didn't see a lot of future in him. He's certainly got that NRL quality about him, but there's still a long way to go as well." Toelau has never started before in the NRL, with his previous 12 games coming off the bench. But the 25-year-old impressed in pre-season trials and played a starring role in an unlikely win over Manly, while Penrith's entire first grade squad were in Las Vegas. Talagi and Cole had helped the Panthers put 24 points on the Storm last week without Nathan Cleary, with only goal-kicking the difference in the loss. "It wasn't the ideal situation but sometimes when you just get thrown in, you've just got to adapt as best you can," the Penrith coach added. "I thought Coley in particular, where he had to step up and take the main playmaking role there, did a really good job in difficult circumstances." Kiwi Test star McLean's axing is also another brutal blow for the young gun, who looked to have won the battle to replace Sunia Turuva on the wing for Penrith this season. McLean suffered a concussion in the Vegas opener and has put in some mixed displays in the two games since, with Cleary naming the speedster at 18th man. Tom Jenkins moves to centre, Alamoti moves to the wing and Casey McLean drops out. Laurie comes in at FLB and Toelau replaces Cleary out in concussion protocols. — The SuperCoach Brain 🧠 (@SC_Brain) March 25, 2025 Souths coach Wayne Bennett has also made a number of changes for Thursday night's match, with club record try-scorer Alex Johnston named to start after returning from a long-term Achilles injury. Johnston will come straight back onto the wing, with Isaiah Tass named at centre and Campbell Graham ruled out with a niggling injury. RELATED: Manly CEO reveals coaching offer for DCE in stunning twist to saga Truth emerges about Manly bosses as fans lash DCE over 'greedy' move Broncos starting player axed as David Fifita footage raises eyebrows The Rabbitohs go into the clash one spot ahead of the Panthers on the table, with last week's defeat against Cronulla coming after wins in their opening two games. While the Panthers will be desperate to avoid a third-straight defeat after losses to the Storm and Roosters in consecutive weeks, but they'll have to do it without their star halfback. with AAP
