With The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup finals series right around the corner, nswrl.com.au previews each side in contention for the Premiership.
Season overview
Penrith Panthers picked up where they left off in 2022 after establishing themselves as the competition heavyweights over the past two years.
Last year will no doubt go down as an opportunity missed for the mountain men after they were placed first on The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, six points clear of second place, when the 2021 season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fast forward nine months and the Panthers, fresh off an NRL Premiership, have continued their winning ways in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup finishing in second place with a season record of 16 wins and five losses.
The Origin period proved a challenging one for the Panthers with coach Peter Wallace and NRL coach Ivan Cleary opting to rest several players in the week leading up to State of Origin selections in a bid to give them an extra week off bfore the rigours of week-in, week-out NRL football.
Having to fill the void left by Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton, Cleary turned to Robert Jennings, Charlie Staines, Kurt Falls, Sean O’Sullivan, Chris Smith and Matt Eisenhuth to help his heavily depleted side navigate the Origin period.
With a core contingent of the Panthers NSW Cup squad unavailable for selection, they slumped to three wins and four losses over the Origin period, while the NRL squad enjoyed a five-match winning streak over the same period.
The Panthers continued their red-hot form to finish the 2022 season with four wins, one draw and a bye.
By the numbers
So far in 2022, the Panthers have proven themselves the most dangerous attacking team in the competition.
They sit first in the majority of those statistics including points scored (665), tries (117), goals (97), field goals (3) and kick return metres (4,100). They also sit second in try assists (98), set completion (78 per cent), tackle breaks (790), runs (3, 749) and dummy half runs (254),
While the Panthers are dominating the stats, their discipline seems to be the one area letting them down in 2022, which will no doubt be an area of improvement Wallace wants. They currently sit second in penalties conceded, third in handling errors and fifth in errors.
Player to watch
The Panthers are stacked with talent across the park with players such as Charlie Staines, J’Maine Hopgood, Sunia Turuva, Kurt Falls and Tom Jenkins all proving their quality throughout the 2022 season.
While there’s plenty to choose from, hooker Soni Luke is shaping up to be the key man in Penrith’s push for their first NSW Cup Premiership since 2017.
Luke, a local junior who made his NRL debut this year at 26, has had a rollercoaster journey with the Panthers since winning the U20s Grand Final in 2015 alongside Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues five-eighth Jarome Luai.
Luke was awarded the Jack Gibson ‘Man of the Match’ award for his efforts and looked to have the world at his feet until a horror run of injuries put a pause on his aspirations of playing weekly for his beloved Panthers.
An opportunity with Wests Tigers and Western Suburbs beckoned and Luke made the switch for the 2019 season playing 15 games for the Magpies in what ended up being a disappointing season for the club.
After playing limited football in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, Luke has established himself as one of the premier dummy halves in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup in 2022.
His craftiness from dummy half, crisp passing, short kicking game as well as his ability to create ruck speed in the middle of the field has played a vital role in the Panthers success so far this year.
While Luke has had a great year with the ball in hand, his work defensively does not go unnoticed by his teammates. Luke is currently averaging 34.7 tackles per game at an efficiency of 93.4 per cent and sits second in try assists with 19 from 17 games and second in line-break assists with 22.
Road ahead
After securing the 2022 Minor Premiership, the Newtown Jets instead have the week off with the Panthers (2nd) playing the North Sydney Bears (3rd) at St Marys Leagues Stadium in the Qualifying Final on Saturday 3 September.
With the Panthers NRL squad securing their second Minor Premiership in three years, Ivan Cleary has opted to rest a whopping 13 NRL players. As a result, the Panthers NSW Cup squad will be without Charlie Staines, Christian Crichton, Sunia Turuva, Robert Jennings, Kurt Falls, Lindsay Smith, J’Maine Hopgood, Soni Luke as well as Eddie Blacker, Tom Jenkins, Liam Henry and Jack Cole who will all be making their NRL debuts.
