The 'heart and soul' of the Panthers who helped unearth club's hidden gems
Adam Pengilly
October 22, 2020 — 12.01am
Phil Gould once asked his recruitment officer to head to a Catholic schoolboys carnival in Queensland and find the Panthers a winger.
"He said to me, 'I want a big winger. The biggest, fastest one you can find'," laughed Penrith's long-time scout Jim Jones.
"I went up there and rang him, 'I've got two'. He said, 'no, we can only afford one'. One was Wendell Sailor ... and I took the other fella."
The story is an urban legend within the four walls of Penrith. In his trademark style, Jones laughs how he messed that one up.
There are many people who have helped Penrith to a record-breaking season and grand final appearance against the Storm, but none have had the longevity – or perhaps impact – of Jones.
An emotional man at times, the 64-year-old sat high in the stands at ANZ Stadium last Saturday night and might have shed a tear or two as Ivan Cleary's men booked their grand final spot.
He's one of the few left who remember what it was like when they won their first title in 1991, and had his fingerprints all over John Lang's 2003 premiers. In 2020, he is still around for another shot at grand final glory.
A country boy himself, Jones' office has a picture of The Dog on the Tuckerbox, the landmark famous in his hometown of Gundagai. Also in Jones' office is son Sam, who helps nurture the club's next batch of talent.
Jim is the longest serving employee at the Panthers, by a stretch, and a large part of what makes the club tick. Panthers chairman Dave O'Neill describes him as "the heart and soul" of the place, a sentiment echoed by Gould.
"Success has many fathers, but the man who deserves most credit for where Panthers find themselves today is Jim Jones," said Gould, who first gave the former landscaper a job at the club as a coaching and development officer in 1990.
"A former Panther and Country player himself, Jim is not only the heart and soul of the club, he is the reason many of these kids found their way to Panthers.
"Whether they have emerged through the Penrith junior league or from NSW country areas, Jim is the man who scouted and identified these talented kids, and he was the first point of contact in bringing them to the club.
"He is a major part of the entire development process for every player. He's at every junior rep training session. He's at every junior rep game. He mentors and assists the junior rep coaches. His eye for young talent, with NRL potential, is second to none. He's the best in the game. He also perseveres with kids long after others have written them off. He sees the positive in them all.
"He has a relationship with every player during the entire development process. He also knows when a kid is ready to be tested at the top level. His opinion has been incredibly valuable to every head coach for many years."
Jones has enough stories to fill his own library, from signing Craig Gower on a $5000 contract to throwing Stephen Crichton into Penrith's SG Ball squad on the recommendation of one of his scouting network when they needed three more players to fill the numbers out to 50.
There are others, too.
He only offered Liam Martin a trial on a whim when he was doing work experience with Royce Simmons' brother in Sydney. He was so concerned Moses Leota was turning up to training late and tired because of his work as a concreter he offered him a job as a car detailer, and he's never looked back. He kept faith with Brian To'o when he was told by many he was too small. One day in a bush footy dressing shed Matt Burton said he "wouldn't mind having a go" at football.
"I told him, 'I can help arrange that'," Jones laughed.
A couple of years ago, Jones was reunited with Gower when they were both made life members of the Panthers. He fought back tears during his speech, remembering the time when Gould first brought him to the club.
"I think Gus gave me the 21s, then he took all my players," Jones recalled. "I said to him, 'I'm going to run last'. But he said, 'if you give me one first grade player then you've done your job'. Carl MacNamara came through and played first grade that year. We came last, but I did my job.
"This club gave me my first opportunity to play first grade and I think I owe them. I've always thought that. I've worked hard, long hours and I remember once I went away to a carnival for three days. I got home and [wife] Mary said, 'dad's home'. The kids said, 'where has he been?'
"But we've started to develop our own and it's slowed down a bit."
These days, the ones he's helped develop largely come out of Penrith's expansive junior base and the western region, which the Panthers have poured millions of dollars into in recent years. Jones has always had a fondness for the country kids, going back to last week's game-breaker Isaah Yeo.
As Jones walked out of Penrith's academy earlier this week, the NRL squad were going through a yoga and stretching session on the grass. The teacher instructed from one side of the rope due to biosecurity measures, the players on the other.
As Jones posed for a
Herald photo, the players started winding him up.
"Look at these blokes coming through," he said. "I feel proud about giving them an opportunity.
"My only hope is when they make it running around in first grade, when they walk past they say g'day. If they ignored me it would kill me. But I'm a Penrith man through and through and I'm proud of them."
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/th...earth-club-s-hidden-gems-20201021-p5673f.html
