Your First Panthers Game

[Fangs]

Inspired by the bye, the rain and some feel good shit in the 2019 thread.

Penrith v Balmain at home, sometime in the 90s. Family hill under the old try/no try sign.

Looks like this might have been the one:

https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nswrl-1993/round-4/penrith-vs-balmain/summary.html

 

[MrBlack]

Very early 1980's (I was about 11 or 12). We were doing the lawns in the backyard and heard an add on 2KA.

Dad decided to give it a try.

At Penrith Park vs Western Suburbs Magpies. We were beaten by about 50 that day.

Pretty much haven't missed a home game since. In fact have been sitting I the same seat in the Eastern Grandstand from the day they opened it. When Dad passed away I gave Dads seat to my wife.

 

[Panther_Daz]

Mid 90's against Wests. I don't recall much about the game. I stood on the Southern Hill with my dad under the scoreboard.

 

[The Teach]

Mid 80s, against Canberra. Sat on the fence on the eastern side. We won 30-22, but my biggest memory was from reserve grade. Canberra winger Chris Kinna (I think that was his name), broke his leg 2m in front of us. One of the scariest sounds I've still ever heard, and the worst bit was it took forever for the trainers to even realise he was down.

 

[OldPanther]

My first attendance was the 2004 season. I moved down with Dad and started working for the club, Dad did stats for the reserve grade that year. Before that I lived in QLD.

 

[betcats]

First one I can remember being at was Panthers V Cowboys up on the hill with the parents, I was very young and we lost, it was in the early to mid 90s. That's all I can recall haha,

 

[Panther Pete]

My earliest Panthers game memory was being at Penrith Park with my dad when I got Bill Ashurst’s signature on a rugby league magazine. He was still playing for Penrith at the time but was injured for that particular game so I guess it’s was in the mid ‘70’s.

 

[Abacus]

The earliest 1 I can remember is in the 80s, on the eastern fence heckling South's winger Longbottom - calling him short arse. Back then it was free entry at/after halftime and we lived close enough so that if Penrith were winning (listening to the radio), we'd jump in the car and head to the game. Yep, we were super cheap.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

1998 Vs Illawara Steelers

We won 38-14
Beckett got a brace.
The Falcon got a rare try.
Shaun Timmins tried to take Sid Domic's head off and was promptly sent off.
https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nrl-1998/round-8/penrith-vs-illawarra/summary.html

I have still got the match report from the paper.

 

[Aliceinwonderland]

I was 14. We lived in regional NSW. My aunt and uncle were HUGE western suburbs fans / members. I think it was about 1971. We came out from Strathfield with my folks, my maiden aunt, uncle and aunt. It was before the M4 I felt we would never get there.
The ground at Penrith was still an oval there was only a very small grandstand on the western side. There were a small amount of bench seating. The Penrith Panthers wore the goal bird strip brown and white jerseys.
It was very dusty. Dirt everywhere.
Western suburbs won

Many years later I lived at St Clair which was a newly opened estate, and the local footy team was Penrith Panthers.

I didn't attend many games till the mid 1990's/

 

[soc123_au]

78 or 79 against the Tigers. I dont remember who won. Just that it was the tv game & we watched it again to see if we got on tv. Sure enough we did, standing at the fence next to the goalposts at the paceway end.

 

[roofromoz]

First Panthers game I attended was the Round 1 match v Parra in 1998 at Parra Stadium.

First home game was v Norths in 1999.

 

[franklin2323]

Inspired by the bye, the rain and some feel good shit in the 2019 thread.

Penrith v Balmain at home, sometime in the 90s. Family hill under the old try/no try sign.

Looks like this might have been the one:

https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nswrl-1993/round-4/penrith-vs-balmain/summary.html

1st away game West v Panthers 1990.

1st home game Gowie's debut in 1996. Until a few pathetic efforts this year didn't miss a home game since

 

[Thunder Road]

1975 v North Sydney, lost 28-3 and my dad said as we were leaving that we were never coming back, he was more of a soccer guy. Luckily I was able to convince him to give it another go and we went to the Cronulla game later in the season and Penrith won by plenty. After that we only missed a handful of home games over the next 5 year until we moved away.

Funnily the Bears were always my second team after that first game

 

[Fangs]

1st away game West v Panthers 1990.

1st home game Gowie's debut in 1996. Until a few pathetic efforts this year didn't miss a home game since

First away hmm...Shark Park. We got toweled. God I hate the sharks. Funny that I took such a long time to go to one. Home games are always better.

Good record. I've missed plenty.

 

[Westernised Panther]

Not sure what round it was, but it was in 1983 and it was a home game against the Raiders.

Canberra lead after the the first half 18-14 but we came back and eventually won 28-24.

I was only 9 at the time and I was starting to get into Rugby League so I was still learning the rules. I actually thought we lost after the first half was played but realised that the game was played in two halves!!

 

[Dave's mate]

1975 v North Sydney, lost 28-3 and my dad said as we were leaving that we were never coming back, he was more of a soccer guy. Luckily I was able to convince him to give it another go and we went to the Cronulla game later in the season and Penrith won by plenty. After that we only missed a handful of home games over the next 5 year until we moved away.

Funnily the Bears were always my second team after that first game

I was a Bears fan until they were raped in the merger. Lucky I was only 12 and loved Girdler and became a Panther.....any older and id probably be lost to the game

 

[Pomoz]

Penrith vs Balmain 1989. We won the game and at that time Balmain had a really good side, Roach, Sironen, Elias and Pearce. In fact, half the Australian side.

It didn't matter, we had Brandy and the Penguin Graham Bradley and saw them off 28-8. My biggest memory is the sound of Blocker and Sironen tackling big MG and then Peter Kelly. That "oof" sound as big men collide and smash each other. Awesome. I got bruises just from watching them. Tough bastards the Balmain pack and they got their revenge later in the year.

BTW, if you thought Edwards was dodgy under the high ball, you should have seen the Panthers full back from that era - Neil Baker. Every time the ball went in the air I used to cross myself. Heart attack material, when Gus came on board he retired him. Probably put years back on Gus's life.

 

[snickers007]

Panthers v Eels at Parra Stadium in 88 or 89. We left the ground 5 mins early to beat traffic with Parra holding a 2-4 point lead. We heard Panthers score and win the match from outside the stadium. I cried all the way back to my Uncles place at Blaxland cause I missed the match winner. Have never left a game early since.

First home game was Panthers v Bears in 91. Don't remember anything about that game, I was too busy playing footy with the other kids on the Northern hill.

 

[franklin2323]

First away hmm...Shark Park. We got toweled. God I hate the sharks. Funny that I took such a long time to go to one. Home games are always better.

Good record. I've missed plenty.

I was different. Family went for other teams so took a while to hit home games.

That is a hole that place. A shame it is used more than Campbelltown