So now that the Penrith "Six Again" Panthers are finished, was this the most overrated 'dynasty' in sports?
They were were a complete non-factor 2019 until in 2020 one of the biggest rule changes ever seen in our sport took place and they signed Api Korisau (big development club btw) where they were still embarrassed by the Storm who at this point were down to 1 of their big 3 in Cameron Smith.
Thankfully for the Panthers come 2021 the best players in the game had all retired and Cleary's young team were primed to take full advantage of this new version of rugby league. Still, it required some casual cheating via their trainer against Parramatta, a Storm forward injury in the opening minutes of the Prelim to get through to the GF (oh the poetic irony) and an Adam Reynolds special (more irony) to seal the deal in 2021.
Fast forward to 2022 and you will find probably the weakest competition of the modern era. Can anyone actually name a decent team outside Penrith that year? As in one that would make the top 4 in any pre-2020 comp? Their competition was a Mitchy Moses led Parramatta ffs. No doubt this was the best Panthers team of their run though They'd have a real genuine chance of winning comps pre-2020 or at least making a GF imo. I believe this was also the year of the unprecedented decision of delaying Taylan May's two week suspension until the following year so that he could play in the 2022 finals series because it's "what the (Penrith) fans want".
Does 2023 really need explaining? The best team all year who donated the MP to the Panthers by resting all their players in the last round choked in the big one - another Adam Reynolds special with support star Reece Walsh. Cleary Jr accolades reached their peak as he produced the 'greatest 20 minutes of rugby league ever' which was a stark contrast to the garbage 60 minutes he produced beforehand where Ezra Mam ran through him for his three tries. Was 2023 also the year where Luai escaped with a fine after he left his feet shoulder charging Nelson in the head? Peak Panthers right there.
2024. Their last hurrah. So much was made of how many players the poor Panthers had lost and how the Storm must be cheating the cap to keep their spine together yet one look at the 2020 GF teams with your eyes open will tell you that Storm lost more players between the two Grand Finals than the Panthers did. Cry me a river. Oh, but Panthers lost *better* players? No shit, they won 3 competitions in a row. They still kept their 'big three' in Yeo, Cleary & To'o.
So here we are, in 2025. They're getting desperate now because once again they've resorted to cheating with their trainers to win football games. Their team looks quite different to 2020 now but as mentioned above their most important core still remain. The reality is the 6 agains are finally drying up and the Panthers are notably struggling - it's no coincidence that when the Panthers received 0 six agains in the second half last night, they couldn't score a single point. Finally, Ivan's dropped his lightning in a bottle.
Cleary Jr realising that their red carpet run is almost over and lashing out with a closed fist at Mam over a legitimate tackle was a moment of triumph for the detractors such as myself. Naturally, he avoided any sort of punishment just like his mate Martin running in third man with a swinging arm direct to the head - but this is to be expected by now and this last gift from the NRL feels a little bit empty with no game to play next week.
When I look back at it, I can't help but see a club that greatly benefited from a major rule change more than any other, from their biggest opposition retiring and their contemporaries being notorious big game players Adam Reynolds, Mitch Moses & DCE, from a lack of any genuine injuries in finals throughout their entire run and all in all just an absurd amount of "luck" and bullshit rulings in their favour.
