‘Difficult to work out’: Panthers dynasty on thin ice as big Cleary question raised

Are we witnessing the end of the Panthers dynasty? While their reign had to end at some point, it’s been quite the fall from grace this season.

Through eight rounds, the back-to-back-to-back-to-back are parked at the bottom of the table and are the only team in the league with at least six losses.

The change of venue from Penrith Park to CommBank Stadium hasn’t been ideal and star winger Brian To’o has missed nearly all of the season, but other than that, there haven’t been too many excuses in 2025.

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Of course, a champion team can never be counted out and there is still so much time left to mount a charge at a fifth-straight title.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said as much following his side’s loss to Manly on Saturday night.

“The ladder doesn’t really matter until July or August,” he said.

Despite Cleary’s claims, history suggests it’ll be near impossible for the Panthers to win a premiership from the position they’re in.

Veteran journalist Phil Rothfield isn’t counting Penrith out, but struggles to see how they can turn their form around quickly enough.

Rothfield also said that based on what he’s heard from Cleary’s press conferences, he’s unsure if the coach has “any idea how to fix” things.

“They started so powerfully. I still see them knocking off Cronulla over there at Allegiant Stadium,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast radio show.

“It’s really, really difficult to work out.

“Obviously they’ve lost players over the past four or five years since they’ve started making grand finals and winning competitions but I look at that roster and there’s still Nathan Cleary, there’s still Dylan Edwards, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo. Brian To’o has been out injured but they still have a roster other clubs would kill for.

“They were pretty ordinary on the weekend and you look at Ivan Cleary in his press conferences and I’m not sure he’s got any idea how to fix it, as great a coach he is.”

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Rothfield then put to Big Sports Breakfast co-host and Blues coach Laurie Daley that given Penrith’s poor form, it could be hard to select certain Panthers for New South Wales in Origin Game I.

“Laurie, you’ll obviously be loyal to the guys who have done a job in the past for NSW, but these guys you’d be picking are not playing good football at the moment,” Rothfield said.

“Having said that, I wouldn’t write them off. I’ve worked out that if they win 11 of their last 16 games, they’ll scrape into the field. But my goodness, on what they’re producing, it’s not going to be easy.

“They’re going to start putting their skates on,” Daley responded.

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