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Penrith's Expansion Plan

Vee

First Grade
Messages
5,080
Haven't got the link but I read an article a couple of weeks ago in Fairfax that detailed Penrith's plan to expand their interest around Bathurst, having signed on for another 5 (10?) years to play one game per season there, adopt and brand with the area around Bathurst, fund development officers, set up academies in Bathurst and two other country towns (Orange and Cowra?) to allow juniors to stay at home while still having a pathway into the NRL.

It certainly read well and didn't seem to be a club press release, more like a genuine blueprint for a club taking responsibility for a country area that many on here advocate.

I checked the Panthers' forum but couldn't see it. Anyone able to reproduce it?
 
Last edited:

OldPanther

Coach
Messages
13,404
Haven't got the link but I read an article a couple of weeks ago in Fairfax that detailed Penrith's plan to expand their interest around Bathurst, having signed on for another 5 (10?) years to play one game per season there, adopt and brand with the area around Bathurst, fund development officers, set up academies in Bathurst and two other country towns (Orange and Cowra?) to allow juniors to stay at home while still having a pathway into the NRL.

It certainly read well and didn't seem to be a club press release, more like a genuine blueprint for a club taking responsibility for a country area that many on here advocate.

I checked the Panthers' forum but couldn't see it. Anyone able to reproduce it?

http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/stor...-role-in-western-juniors-development/?cs=3810

The Penrith Panthers NRL club is spreading its reach even further west and looks set to play a major role in the development of junior talent in the region.

While a report in metro media on the weekend had many thinking the Panthers club was keen to be part of a competition in the western area, the focus will instead be on junior talent.

Any move still needs to be cleared by the Country Rugby League (CRL) board but Penrith is keen to take a more hands-on approach in junior coaching in teams under the Western Rams banner while also potentially fielding sides of its own in an expanded Southern Pool in the Country Championships.

Penrith is formulating that plan with the view to reportedly eventually field an Intrust Super Premiership side out of Bathurst, to help juniors from the region ease into the NRL program rather than packing up their lives and moving to the city.

The CRL’s Regional Manager Western, Peter Clarke, said any move like that is a long way down the path but said it was likely the NRL club would using its expertise and facilities to help young, country-based players.


The Panthers has already been helping develop talent in the region, having assisted in pre-season academy session for the past three years.

“It will be an extension on those,” Clarke said.

“There’s been one at Dubbo and Bathurst in the last couple of years to assist and help develop players and get them to a certain level without having them have to leave home.”

Panthers’ high performance manager Matt Cameron has been a major player in the club’s movement into regional areas and has been on hand at academy sessions in the past.

He and the club’s chief executive Brian Fletcher, himself originally from Coonamble, are keen for the Panthers to increase the club’s footprint in the western area even more.

With the club already linked with Bathurst, the NRL side will play a match a season there until 2028, the plan is for an Intrust Super Premiership side to be based there to help players avoid any issues which could occur when moving to the city at a young age.

"We're excited by it, we believe it's a blueprint for other regions in the future," CRL Operations Manager Bert Lowrie said, before reiterating the fact his board would have to give it the green light first.

The success of Penrith's regional programs adds further weight to the push for NRL clubs to be assigned a grassroots country area to invest in.

"The NRL is talking about spending $100 million on grassroots," Fletcher said.

"If everyone was doing this, you'd only need to spend about $20 million and save $80 million.
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,402
Yep the Panthers are at the forefront.
Wish other clubs would follow suit.
Doesn't the Roosters do a lot of development work on the CC? Ditto Canberra in the Riverina?
 

Blues Riff

Bench
Messages
3,326
Here's a bit more on the subject in the Western Advocate.
http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/4754900/new-direction-for-our-region/

Penrith Panthers discuss academy setup in Central West
NICK GUTHRIE
27 Jun 2017, 10 a.m.

See your ad here
The Penrith Panthers feel an “obligation” to help develop players and the club is taking its plan to the next level by increasing its presence in the western area.

r457_572_3983_2849_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

VISION: Penrith's Matt Cameron spoke to a number of local league identities during his visit to Dubbo last week. Photo: NICK GUTHRIE

Penrith High Performance Manager Matt Cameron was at Dubbo last week, meeting with local rugby league stakeholders while also scouting locations for one of three expanded academies the club wants to have in conjunction with the Western Rams.

Cameron’s vision proposes academies at Bathurst, Dubbo and Forbes, who would work with the Western Rams under 16s and 18s sides in a pre and post-Christmas block of 10 weeks.

The Panthers would not take over, the respective teams would still have local coaches, but the NRL club would be able to help assist and develop the coaches and programs.

With so much potential change in the NRL in the coming years, Cameron and his club is doing this to further strengthen its connection with the western areas, something which is set to be hugely beneficial for both parties.


Penrith already has a deal with Bathurst through the Panthers league club and the fact it will be taking one NRL match to the city until 2028 but Cameron says his club is determined to develop its relationship with the entire region.

“It looks like the stipulation will be NRL clubs won't be able to bring players down until they're 19 so philosophically we've decided if we can't bring the players to us then we'll bring Penrith to the where the players are, hence the setting up of these three academies.”
 

OldPanther

Coach
Messages
13,404
This part get my attention the most:

""If everyone was doing this, you'd only need to spend about $20 million and save $80 million."
 

Blues Riff

Bench
Messages
3,326
Nah, the clubs are losing money. They can't be trusted with grass-roots development. Better leave that to the experts.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
Yeh those 43k people in Bathurst are far more valuable to the nrl than Perth or Adelaide lol

Well done to panthers, good to see clubs connecting with communities beyond their boundaries
 

soc123_au

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
18,458
Yeh those 43k people in Bathurst are far more valuable to the nrl than Perth or Adelaide lol

Well done to panthers, good to see clubs connecting with communities beyond their boundaries

The are a lot more than 43k surrounding Bathurst. Bathurst is well within reach of anyone from the Mudgee, Orange, Wellington, Dubbo, Cowra, Young and Lithgow areas. Most of the people there give a f**k about Rugby League. We arent talking about an NRL team from that area, just a pathway that is less disruptive than the ones available now. Perth/Adelaide would provide more viewers for the NRL than this initiative. But if your mob ever do get an NRL team you should drop to your knees and take a hearty gulp of Panther jism in thanks to them helping develop players for your team. As much as I love Waqa Blake, he isnt a team on his own.
 

soc123_au

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
18,458
You mean like Waqa Blake, you know the panther that came through the Pirates system lol
The Pirates weren't even a thing when Waqa came to Penrith. Pretty sure it was still the Reds. Semantics I know, but I expect better from Perths resident RL expert
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
Yeh those 43k people in Bathurst are far more valuable to the nrl than Perth or Adelaide lol

Well done to panthers, good to see clubs connecting with communities beyond their boundaries

Yes
Yes they are

I love Bathurst
...and I don't know one thing about car racing.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
The are a lot more than 43k surrounding Bathurst. Bathurst is well within reach of anyone from the Mudgee, Orange, Wellington, Dubbo, Cowra, Young and Lithgow areas. Most of the people there give a f**k about Rugby League. We arent talking about an NRL team from that area, just a pathway that is less disruptive than the ones available now. Perth/Adelaide would provide more viewers for the NRL than this initiative. But if your mob ever do get an NRL team you should drop to your knees and take a hearty gulp of Panther jism in thanks to them helping develop players for your team. As much as I love Waqa Blake, he isnt a team on his own.

So we'll get an entire team from that region, sweet. Can you please tell the nrl.
 

Blues Riff

Bench
Messages
3,326
So we'll get an entire team from that region, sweet. Can you please tell the nrl.
The thread title is a bit misleading actually. This is not about expansion. It's more of a development / pathway issue. It's not Penrith's responsibility to create new franchises for the big TV show. We are a genuine RL club dedicated to the improvement of the sport in those areas served by Panthers clubs (including Bathurst Panthers).
But yeah, please tell the NRL.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
The Pirates weren't even a thing when Waqa came to Penrith. Pretty sure it was still the Reds. Semantics I know, but I expect better from Perths resident RL expert

Played for Joondalup as a kid then he debuted sg ball when they were reds in 2011 and played for the rebranded Pirates in 2012 before joining panthers u20 squad at end of the Pirates sg ball season

250 kids at nib today training with manly and warriors, hopefully some of them will one day get to play for a home town club.
 

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