THE PERFECT OFF-SEASON: PANTHERS
Just when everyone is wondering if the roster drain has finally reached breaking point, and the players have inevitably lost motivation, the quest for a fifth consecutive premiership is ON.
No team has done that bar the mythical St George outfit that won 11 straight and the mighty 1920s Rabbitohs, and the chance to make that sort of history is irresistible, surging through the playing group as Ivan and Nathan Cleary return to mastermind another campaign.
Jarome Luai is out – Blaize Tulagi is in, with massive upside; James Fisher-Harris out – Lindsay Smith up and Isaiah Papalii in, with plenty to prove; Sunia Turuva out – Casey McLean, just give us some of that New Zealand Test form and we’ll make you a superstar, young man.
Pre-season gets each of the new men humming and come Round 1, they’ll be mighty thirsty for their own chapter of Penrith folklore. The culture of success makes them feel 10-feet tall and the risk of failure seems nil.
When you run a well-oiled machine that has demolished the NRL four years in a row, the trick is just to keep it oiled. Dylan Edwards and Isaah Yeo come back after Kangaroos glory healthy and hungry, as do grand final heroes Liam Martin and Paul Alamoti from injuries, and the belief burns as bright as ever that it’s their title to lose.
No one in the NRL era has done perfect quite like these Panthers, roster drain be damned. There are no major contract sagas looming this time, with every key player locked away, so every moment is spent thinking about lifting that trophy again.
It’s that brief, beautiful time of year where hope springs eternal. Anything is possible - even a premiership. Here is the best-case for your NRL team's off-season
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