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Penrith have a problem with their spine and it isn’t the halves, says Ryan Girdler
May 09, 2019
Penrith great Ryan Girdler believes the Panthers have a problem in the spine, but it’s not their halves.
Five-eighth James Maloney and halfback Nathan Cleary have been in the crosshairs after the Panthers slumped to six losses in the opening eight rounds of the season.
Their only victories have come against Newcastle and Friday night’s opponents the Wests Tigers, and coach Ivan Cleary needed a last-minute conversion and a golden-point field goal from his son Nathan to get the win over the club he left last year.
Nathan Cleary and James Maloney aren’t Penrith’s issue says club great Ryan Girdler. Picture: Brett Costello
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Girdler, a 2003 Panthers premiership winner, said Penrith were lacking firepower at the ruck and at the back. He believed the inexperience of youngsters Caleb Aekins and Wayde Egan, who have been promoted into the starting side at fullback and hooker respectively, had hampered Penrith’s attack.
“Until they get those key positions sorted out they are going to continue to struggle to score points,” said Girdler, who calls NRL for Triple M.
“In the last couple of seasons they have struggled to get continuity at hooker and they don’t have a genuine fullback.
Girdler believes the Panthers need a ball playing fullback. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
“A fullback, if he’s really good at his job, he counts numbers really well and can identify short sides. If you go back to the days of Matt Moylan, they didn’t have that problem because he was a guy that was really good down short sides. He was also the extra man when they put on set pieces who could make that final pass.”
Outside back Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been vocal in the past about his ambitions to play in the No.1 jumper, but despite his experience, Girdler doesn’t think the New Zealand international is the answer.
“He has most of the elements but the ball playing, he hasn’t shown enough,” Girdler said.
“I don’t think he has soft hands. There are parts of his game he can work on but a lot of that is instinctive … he hasn’t shown those elements of his games.”
According to Fox Sports lab, on average the Panthers get tackled 34 times inside the opposition 20m per game — the most of any side in the competition — but have the second worst red-zone attack, needing 17 tackles to score a try.
Girdler said Penrith transition well from the back field, but struggle to reset the attacking line in the opposition 20m and are caught flat-footed when trying to execute big plays.
“I think sometimes they are working towards a part of the field and they’re sending people into the line one out, which generates slow ruck. Then you’re playing your big set pieces with no momentum,” he said.
“I’d like to see forwards pushing up with the football a little bit more, playing up with the advantage line and going in numbers and playing off the back of that.”
While the Panthers will try to kickstart their season with a second win over the Tigers this season, Girdler isn’t willing to write-off his former side from finals contention.
“No, it’s way too early in the season for that,” Girdler said.
“They have the side, that if they go on a bit of a roll on and hit a little purple patch they could win five or six in a row and go on to scramble into the eight.”
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