2020 QF1 (1 v 4) - Panthers 29-28 Roosters @ Panthers

[soc123_au]

It's an interesting situation though.

Penrith have - you have to admit - had a pretty cruisy last 2 months, but have performed every week.
Roosters has certainly been tougher, and they haven't always performed. Serious physical and mental knocks have been taken.

Penrith are fresh but haven't been forced to scrap.
Roosters have scrapped hard but have been worn down as a result.

I guess we find out in a few days. The thing that gives me confidence is that we beat Storm at pretty much full strength (missing JAC) Were the better team apart from a 10 minute lapse against Parra when they were still good & destroyed Canberra while also in form. Apart from that you can only play what's in front of you.

We also only got the bye against the Dogs & Broncos once as opposed the the gift 8 points awarded to other teams.

It's all piss and wind now anyway. The comp starts again on Friday night & I'm nervous but excited about our chances.

 

[Valheru]

I guess we find out in a few days. The thing that gives me confidence is that we beat Storm at pretty much full strength (missing JAC) Were the better team apart from a 10 minute lapse against Parra when they were still good & destroyed Canberra while also in form. Apart from that you can only play what's in front of you.

We also only got the bye against the Dogs & Broncos once as opposed the the gift 8 points awarded to other teams.

It's all piss and wind now anyway. The comp starts again on Friday night & I'm nervous but excited about our chances.

My only the complaint with the draw snd this has nothing to do with panthers is that every team should have played each other once after the COVID break

 

[Aliceinwonderland]

I think you should start a thread about this. It went so well last time.

I'm suddenly feeling sleepy again.

I get the giggles when folks go about .......team having a soft draw.

You can only play who is put in front of you.

 

[soc123_au]

I'm suddenly feeling sleepy again.

I get the giggles when folks go about .......team having a soft draw.

You can only play who is put in front of you.

This one is before your time Alice, it's @Tommy Smith at his finest in 2014.

https://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/penriths-draw-this-year.436020/

 

[The_Frog]

My only the complaint with the draw snd this has nothing to do with panthers is that every team should have played each other once after the COVID break

The table was never going to be reset, even for the Roosters. But you would have got an easier week 1 game. I'm guessing the Roosters would take 3rd, not taking the 52 point F/A hit from the last round.

If every team played the others once (the first time played only), 8th would have been much more interesting, in fact I'm not prepared to declare a winner, and worst of all the Broncos would not have got the spoon.

Panthers 27
Eels 24
Roosters 22
Storm 22
Raiders 22
Rabbitohs 18
Knights 17
Sharks 12
Titans 12
Warriors 12
Tigers 12
Dragons 12
Manly 10
Cows 8
Broncos 6
Dogs 4

 

[Valheru]

The table was never going to be reset, even for the Roosters. But you would have got an easier week 1 game. I'm guessing the Roosters would take 3rd, not taking the 52 point F/A hit from the last round.

If every team played the others once (the first time played only), 8th would have been much more interesting, in fact I'm not prepared to declare a winner, and worst of all the Broncos would not have got the spoon.

Panthers 27
Eels 24
Roosters 22
Storm 22
Raiders 22
Rabbitohs 18
Knights 17
Sharks 12
Titans 12
Warriors 12
Tigers 12
Dragons 12
Manly 10
Cows 8
Broncos 6
Dogs 4

No I'm not saying it should have been reset.

I am saying every team should have played each other once after the break for 15 games and then repeat 3 opponents to make 18 post COVID games.

We played Broncos, Storm, Raiders, Souths and Dragons twice after the break. I would much rather have replaced two of those games with Penrith and Manly (our first 2 opponents) whilst still counting the result of the first game.

 

[pantherz9103]

 

[GongPanther]

Meanwhile the remaining 1908 clubs have fought each other over tiny historic areas,

There was a period in the NSWRL when you could only have players in your side from the area your club represented. Maybe they might have had an exclusion for one or two "imports", can't remember. St George great Ken Kearney was born in Penrith, so I don't know how that worked out.

 

[GongPanther]

You're kidding aren't ya?

We rolled over twice

And right in front of the Prime Minister. Wonder if Buzz was there with his nurse at hand.

 

[GongPanther]

Chin is the new Pearce he is not a big game player

Every origin he has played he’s gone missing

Keep em coming Rhyno. Easts supporters are going to love you for every time you troll us, it's a little more luck to us.

 

[GongPanther]

We have a much better fullback, better wingers, better centres, the game's best half, the game's best front row, a better backrow and bench; but apart from that I reckon Penrith are within a chance.

Congrats Penrith and their fans on an amazing season btw. What a decade you have ahead of you.

P.S. Geez you merkins had a soft draw in the back half of the year! Ripe for the picking

Ah good old Tommy...never change.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

There was a period in the NSWRL when you could only have players in your side from the area your club represented. Maybe they might have had an exclusion for one or two "imports", can't remember. St George great Ken Kearney was born in Penrith, so I don't know how that worked out.

I think you were allowed 13 imports or so across all three grades.

 

[The_Frog]

I think you were allowed 13 imports or so across all three grades.

Different era to the residential rule.

 

[adamkungl]

My point was referring to how the size of respective areas have developed over the years.
Souths once had the boundaries redrawn to benefit them over Easts, and later another block of clubs was lost from East to South. Additionally Souths have benefited from the death of neighbouring clubs and absorbed their areas.
When Norths fell out of top grade, you could argue that their region should have been split between Easts and Manly - but still it stands.

Ultimately in the professional era none of this matters a whole lot and players come from far and wide. Large junior areas are for the most part a quirk of history and luck - the teams that came about in the expansion eras of the NSWRL represented much larger regions than the originals - which is why all of the originals have since fallen over, merged, rebranded. Souths try to claim purity but they've chased more fans out west. The teams in the ARL expansion era are bigger regions again.

Panthers can hold the size of the junior area over us, but it's not really any more of an achievement than having a wealthy board as a result of happening to be based in the richest part of town. What you do with the tools available is the achievement, and both clubs are currently succeeding in that area.

 

[Valheru]

My point was referring to how the size of respective areas have developed over the years.
Souths once had the boundaries redrawn to benefit them over Easts, and later another block of clubs was lost from East to South. Additionally Souths have benefited from the death of neighbouring clubs and absorbed their areas.
When Norths fell out of top grade, you could argue that their region should have been split between Easts and Manly - but still it stands.

Ultimately in the professional era none of this matters a whole lot and players come from far and wide. Large junior areas are for the most part a quirk of history and luck - the teams that came about in the expansion eras of the NSWRL represented much larger regions than the originals - which is why all of the originals have since fallen over, merged, rebranded. Souths try to claim purity but they've chased more fans out west. The teams in the ARL expansion era are bigger regions again.

Panthers can hold the size of the junior area over us, but it's not really any more of an achievement than having a wealthy board as a result of happening to be based in the richest part of town. What you do with the tools available is the achievement, and both clubs are currently succeeding in that area.

Adding to that, being a junior of a particular club in the modern era is nothing more than a statement of where your parents decided to live.

Take Nathan Cleary for example, will anyone argue that he wouldn't have been a superstar had Ivan decided to stay in the Northern Beaches?

 

[Kamara]

Game of the round. Can't wait.

Winner to play Melbourne in GF.

 

[adamkungl]

Take Nathan Cleary for example, will anyone argue that he wouldn't have been a superstar had Ivan decided to stay in the Northern Beaches?

I disagree here, because it diminishes the actual work successful clubs do.
It's how people claim Roosters don't develop players, despite putting huge numbers of players through grades and rep football over the years. "Someone else would have done it anyway"

Panthers are becoming very good at turning that junior pipeline into first graders and winners. They had lapsed badly in the previous years, with some of their best and brightest poorly handled and eventually winning comps at Easts and Cronulla. It looks like they've learned from that experience.

You only have to look at how clubs like Broncos, St George, Gold Coast and Canterbury have handled their young players over the last 5 years to see that stardom isn't guaranteed. Imagine Lomax coming through the Roosters system!

 

[adamkungl]

Game of the round. Can't wait.

Winner to play Melbourne in GF.

A GF replay of this game would be the best result.
Maximum drama.

Most neutrals would hope for Panthers v Raiders GF so neither Roosters nor Melbourne are anywhere near another premiership.

But Roosters v Penrith would be the most exciting by far. So many great stories and angles.

 

[myrrh ken]

Smug V Smugger. Who cares.

 

[adamkungl]

Smug V Smugger. Who cares.

You can afford to be smug when you've managed to beat even a single top 8 team