Rebuild 3.0. How the Panthers have become title contenders – again
August 12, 2025 — 7.33pm
You could have been forgiven for concluding, during the weeks Penrith spent at the bottom of the NRL ladder, that the wheels were falling off, and the juggernaut would grind to a halt.
It was a case of forgetting about adding to their four consecutive premierships. The once-mighty Panthers appeared in danger of going from first to worst.
The engine may have been spluttering, but with the benefit of hindsight, it wasn’t beyond repair. It was just a case of replacing key cogs and recalibrating.
And now, here we are, a month out from the NRL finals, and the machine Ivan Cleary has built and rebuilt is humming along ominously.
After an inexplicable five-game losing streak between rounds two and six, Penrith have won nine games straight to surge into the top four.
They’ve done it without Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris – cornerstones in their four grand final triumphs – as well as Sunia Turuva, who featured in two of those victories and was their leading try scorer last year.
Following the departures in previous seasons of Matt Burton, Api Koroisau, Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau and Spencer Leniu, it was widely assumed that the loss of “Romey”, “Fish” and “Tito” would prove the tipping point.
Instead, the Panthers have spent the past nine weeks reaffirming the theory that nobody is irreplaceable.
How have they done it?
The first step was a quick fix that was in stark contrast to Penrith’s grow-your-own policy. They went out and signed three strategic recruits – and not necessarily like-for-like replacements.
Isaiah Papali’i, the New Zealand international forward, was enticed from Wests Tigers at the end of last season. And while he is a different style of player from Fisher-Harris, the statistics would suggest he is proving as effective.
Next came teenage utility back Blaize Talagi, whose 20 games in his debut season with Parramatta were mainly spent at centre, wing and fullback, with only two appearances as five-eighth.
Last but by no means least, Penrith threw a train-and-trial lifeline to winger Thomas Jenkins, who was preparing to play for St Mary’s in the Ron Massey Cup after an unhappy season with Newcastle.
Between them, Papali’i, Talagi and Jenkins have played their support-cast roles to perfection, allowing the likes of Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo to carry on being superstars.
Talagi v Laui
Blaize Talagi 2025
Key stats: 16 games, 6 tries, 10 try assists, 92 ave metres, 354 tackles, 6 forced dropouts
The former Parramatta tyro took his time settling into Penrith's backline but is having more impact each game. Was outstanding in last week's win against the Knights, carrying the ball 172 metres and producing two try assists.
Jarome Luai 2024
Key stats: 24 games, 4 tries, 15 try assists, 102 ave metres, 314 tackles, 17 forced dropouts
An integral member of Penrith's four premiership triumphs, Luai has been hugely influential since joining the Tigers, as both a playmaker and a leader.
Versatile enough to play on an edge or in the middle, Papali’i is averaging more metres and tackles per game than Fisher-Harris did last season.
Overlooked for the first two games of the season, Talagi has since entrenched himself as Cleary’s long-term halves partner. While not as crafty as Luai, his six tries suggest he’s more of a running threat.
Jenkins, meanwhile, is Penrith’s joint leading try scorer with 12 and was rewarded mid-season by being invited to train with the NSW Origin squad as a standby player.
Reflecting on Tuesday on the evolution of his team, coach Cleary admitted Luai, Fisher-Harris and Turuva left “big holes to fill ... not just how they play, but their connection to the team and leadership and the other types of things”.
But he could hardly be happier with how their successors have slotted in.
Jenkins v Turuva
Thomas Jenkins 2025
Key stats: 18 games, 12 tries, 19 line breaks, 149 average metres
Initially expecting to play for St Mary's in the Ron Massey Cup, Jenkins has been a revelation on Penrith's left edge. The 24-year-old rates as one of the bargain buys of the season.
Sunia Turuva 2024
Key stats: 23 games, 17 tries, 21 line breaks, 150 average metres
Turuva was a quiet achiever at Penrith, helping them win the 2023 and 2024 grand finals. He's since become a key man for the rebuilding Tigers.
“I think everyone understands ‘Milky’s’ [Jenkins’] story, so that’s been spoken about,” Cleary said. “Pretty cool story.
“Blaize is a young kid on the rise. He’s got so much in front of him.
“Isaiah is probably one that not a lot of people have noticed and spoken about, but he’s just been going about his work week-in, week-out. He’s an international, a real good player.
“I’ve always thought he’d fit into our team well. I’m not saying he’d like-for-like for ‘Fish’ because he’s not really, but his performances have been excellent for us.”
Martin, another mainstay of Penrith’s four premierships, said it was “incredible” to see the improvement in the off-season recruits.
“You can just see them each week getting more and more confident in their role and in their abilities,” he said.
“It’s great to be a part of. They’re all something special.
“They’ve played such a huge role over the last nine weeks in the success we’ve had. Hopefully, they can just keep building on that and keep getting better and better.”
Papali'i v Fisher-Harris
Isaiah Papali'i 2025
Key stats: 17 games, 3 tries, 27.7 ave tackles, 18 offloads, 116 ave metres
Papali'i has proven an astute signing by the Panthers. Capable of playing on an edge or in the middle, his high work rate allows Penrith's stars to shine.
James Fisher-Harris 2024
Key stats: 23 games, 4 tries, 26.7 ave tackles, 14 offloads, 105 ave metres
Fisher-Harris was Penrith's pack leader during their four premiership triumphs. He has been similarly inspirational this season for the Warriors.
All that being said, it would be simplistic to declare that Penrith’s off-season recruits have alone solved their problems.
Existing squad members have also stepped up and increased their input.
Props Moses Leota and Lindsay Smith, in particular, have helped compensate for the loss of Fisher-Harris to the Warriors.
Both have played every game this season and improved their statistics in the process. They are gaining more metres in attack and making more tackles than last season.
Towering centre Casey McLean has also established himself as a genuine top-grader.
After playing three games last season as an 18-year-old, McLean has featured 17 times in this campaign, scoring 12 tries to sit alongside Jenkins as Penrith’s equal leading scorer.
There should be no doubting his toughness, after weathering a storm known as Stephen Crichton to help outgun Canterbury 8-6 in round 17 – a victory that confirmed the Panthers were back in title contention.
The final factor in the Panthers’ renaissance has been settling into their new base at CommBank Stadium, a stopgap arrangement while a new stadium is being built at Penrith.
They lost their first three games at CommBank, where they will host Melbourne in a blockbuster grand final rematch on Thursday night, but have since won six straight.
Cleary admitted “it probably took longer than we thought” to start feeling at home in their new surrounds.
“But like anything, you’ve got to adapt,” he said.
“If you’re going to do anything in this competition and be half a decent team, you’ve got to adapt to all different things. And that’s just been one of the things we’ve had to adapt to.”
Quiet achievers stand tall to help superstars get premiership defence back on track.
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