Where will the Penrith Panthers finish in 2019?

[Daza06]

Same process as last season.


Who better to ask where a certain team will finish than the fans of the team themselves!


With their strongest line up where would you have them finishing?


1. Dylan Edwards
2. Dallin Watene Zelezniak
3. Waqa Blake
4. Dean Whare
5. Josh Mansour
6. James Maloney
7. Nathan Cleary
8. James Tamou
9. Sione Katoa
10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Isaah Yeo
13. James Fisher-Harris

Jack Hetherington
Moses Leota
Tyrell Fuimaono
Wayde Egan

 

[OldPanther]

I actually have a good bit of faith for this season. Excluding injuries I'm thinking we finish top 4.

 

[Black Magik]

I have to believe they will be top 4.

 

[Exsilium]

We are quite far off top 4 quality, especially in the forwards and particularly at hooker.

If we finished 5th or higher, id be stoked but I feel a 6th or lower is on the cards.

Plenty of improvement in teams around us and I can't see IC making us world beaters.

 

[umina panther]

Smack bang the same as last year. We will make the 8 with ease and then be no real threat

 

[franklin2323]

Agree with Umina & Exsilium. Same as the previous few years. We will have improvement as guys develop more.

Compare that too a new coach who has an average record. Yes ordinary squads but unproven in preparing Top 4 teams.

We are a season or 2 away from having the depth to cover the loss of 4 guys from our semi team.

Broncs and Dragons like us look weaker from last season. The rest of the 8 should Atleast hold strong.

Manly shouldn't of missed the 8 last season.

Cowboys have fixed the lack of speed and a fit front row will see them improve.

Then you throw in the Knights they look at top 8 team

A combination of all of this I think will put us 5-10th

 

[TheEroticGamer]

Quite far off the top four lmao.

We finished two points off in a year where we went through an apocalypse.

So far off.

 

[franklin2323]

Ave 22 points against top 8 teams. Hardly top 4 stuff that

 

[mxlegend99]

Our starting side is top 4 quality. But our bench and then depth quickly drop off IMO. The potential is there but they are still largely players very early in their development.

Our position on the ladder really depends on how well we do at keeping our starting 13 fit. I think we could almost interchange any bench options and not lose much. But starting injuries will really hurt us IMO. We will no doubt get a few of them.

Im going with another 5th to 8th placed finish. But to make week 3 of finals still if Blake and Kikau are fit.

 

[betcats]

I think we can finish in the top four, easily. Just need the halves to stay fit and in decent form and luck with injuries in general. Shit hook had a chance at getting this team into the top four with injuries, and he is a moron.

 

[umina panther]

I think we can finish in the top four, easily. Just need the halves to stay fit and in decent form and luck with injuries in general. Shit hook had a chance at getting this team into the top four with injuries, and he is a moron.

For a top 4 finish either Egan or Katoa will need to have improved dramatically over the off season. Seg played his best football under Ivan so it is possible

 

[franklin2323]

I think we can finish in the top four, easily. Just need the halves to stay fit and in decent form and luck with injuries in general. Shit hook had a chance at getting this team into the top four with injuries, and he is a moron.

If we get a winger hurt or a prop we are fine. When a centre or backrower go down we are skinny

 

[franklin2323]

For a top 4 finish either Egan or Katoa will need to have improved dramatically over the off season. Seg played his best football under Ivan so it is possible

he had on good year in his FG career. Hopefully one of them can have it go for longer

 

[Exsilium]

While we were two points off the top four, we are a long way off the polish and quality of a legitimate top four side.

Like us, the sharks limped into the finals. With sides like the Broncos and the Cowboys having average seasons, the run we have next year will be tougher.

We need to learn to close out games, improve our defence and discipline.

Losing peach IMO will be the defining point of our season. We have nothing off the bench which matches his quality.

I back IC to fix the defence but I think a realistic goal in the first year is to remain steady and get a better run into the finals.

Then who knows, maybe the talent gets us home

 

[franklin2323]

While we were two points off the top four, we are a long way off the polish and quality of a legitimate top four side.

Like us, the sharks limped into the finals. With sides like the Broncos and the Cowboys having average seasons, the run we have next year will be tougher.

We need to learn to close out games, improve our defence and discipline.

Losing peach IMO will be the defining point of our season. We have nothing off the bench which matches his quality.

I back IC to fix the defence but I think a realistic goal in the first year is to remain steady and get a better run into the finals.

Then who knows, maybe the talent gets us home

I think we were probably about a 100 points worse off defensively then we should be if we want to be top 4. That is a try a game. We lost by 2 points to Bulldogs, 4 to Sharks and 6 in Bathurst. They'd all be wins using that theory.

While we only lost by 1 point in the semi. We wouldn't of been in that situation so hard to guage if that would of seem us get further.

I think we can improve that much to fix that. The unknown is whether other teams improve by more. If we get out top 13 on the field comes finals time we are a chance. The issue is it takes a strong squad to put you in a position to use that come finals time

We lost a current origin utility. A backrower that travelled with the kiwis end of the year. 2 former internationals in Merrin and Mckendry. Then of course the starting hooker and captain. So the squad overall is weaker and a strong squad is what you need to finish higher up.

 

[Fangs]

Top 4 is possible. But I don't see how this side is better than last year. 5-8 finish for mine. Who knows how they will play in the finals this time round.

The going is tough when Ivan Cleary is your x-factor.

 

[franklin2323]

Top 4 is possible. But I don't see how this side is better than last year. 5-8 finish for mine. Who knows how they will play in the finals this time round.

The going is tough when Ivan Cleary is your x-factor.

It is always the quiet ones... That are the ones to watch

 

[TheFrog]

I think we can finish in the top four, easily. Just need the halves to stay fit and in decent form and luck with injuries in general. Shit hook had a chance at getting this team into the top four with injuries, and he is a moron.

Losses at home to Manly (second last) and Newcastle (their only win of the last 7 games) cost us dearly. We'd have been minor premiers had we beat those sides.

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

I honestly think we will take out the minor prem. Then move onto the big one.

Providing injuries don't cripple us...

 

[Crashtest]

For a top 4 finish either Egan or Katoa will need to have improved dramatically over the off season.

I agree that's a must if we are going to make the top 4. The teams that finished above us this year all had better performing and consistent number 9's.

Hopefully Egan is the one who can step up this year and deliver on the potential he showed in the lower grades.