Do the Penrith Panthers really have an attitude problem?

Here we go again. 

Even when they lose, the defending NRL premiers can’t seem to escape accusations of ego and attitude unbecoming of professional athletes in a team sport. 

This time it was Nathan Cleary, who had the stunning audacity to employ a common gesture that he had ‘ice in his veins’ after making a sideline conversion with the game on the line against eventual World Champions St Helens. 

Disgusting. How dare he choose to remotely celebrate a vital clutch play in challenging conditions, especially in front of his own fans?

Two things are becoming increasingly clear about the Penrith Panthers as they attempt to become the first team to win three-consecutive first grade titles since the 1980s. 

The first is that they’re a very good football team who have a close-knit bond that looks (on the surface) focused on camaraderie and enjoying what you do rather than worrying about other people’s insistence on ‘humility’ when you reach the top. 

The second - and far more obvious - is that there is an unhealthy percentage of rugby league fandom obsessed with picking apart every little thing this playing group does with the hopes of portraying them as terrible people who are wholly undeserving of their success.

As we’ve seen in the other two dominant sides of the past 15 years - Melbourne and the Roosters - part of this unhealthy public obsession is an inevitable by-product of being the best. It’s simply what happens when a team moves beyond that fairytale, drought-breaking title (which we all enjoy) and into an era of dominance. 

But while the Roosters have constantly endured allegations of salary cap manipulation and the Storm were actually caught in the act, all Penrith have to do to upset people is enjoy themselves while winning. 

TRACK RECORD

That’s not to say that the Panthers haven’t had their moments of ill-repute. Tyrone May is the perfect example of an accurate criticism of the team, convicted of a reprehensible act and then showing no remorse following Penrith’s first premiership of the current era. 

So what happened? The Panthers had followed the lead of every other club in the league by supporting him in court and not exonerating him after he was found guilty. But the moment he decided to repay their faith by showing a  callous lack of humility despite the nature of his crime, his contract was immediately torn up and he was thrown out of the club altogether. 

That doesn’t sound like an organisation with a discipline or ego problem. The club supported him, he showed a blatant disregard for that support and was dealt with accordingly. 

Jarome Luai is another one who has caught the ire of rugby league fandom, with his repeated use of pejorative words as terms of endearment and overtly larrikin nature, he’s bound to ruffle some feathers.

But for all of his antics, he’s never done anything violent, misogynistic or illegal to drag the club into disrepute. Yes, he’s made some poor - or at the very least questionable - decisions, but who hasn’t? 

Compared to acts committed by players who are free to enjoy their time in the league with far less scrutiny, you’d think Luai had done something truly terrible.  

Is it that simple? Is it success combined with his larrikin attitude that gets Luai and some of his team mates so far under the skin of other fans? Why do fans want to hammer the likes of Luai but never seem concerned about the actions of Isaah Yeo or Dylan Edwards?

Why do fans love ‘characters’ of the game like Brandon Smith, but can’t abide a similar personality in a Panthers jersey? 

CLIMBING OUT AND DIGGING IN

Every club is chasing a premiership, or at least a ‘premiership window’ - a period of consistent strength and success that offers the chance to claim the game’s highest honour. 

As we know, not all teams can get there - certainly not at once. 

In the last six years of the NRL, only three teams have won premierships. Prior to that we saw one-off fairytales for the likes of Cronulla and North Queensland, but while those teams’ fortunes have ebbed and flowed, they didn't remain a consistent premiership threat. 

While the Storm and Roosters have been consistently successful for over a decade, the Panthers took the long way. Ten years ago they finished 10th and had made the finals just once in nine seasons.

But unlike other struggling teams, the Panthers spent that time building themselves up, utilising their extensive junior set-up to establish a culture of success and reap the rewards for their patience. Sure, Phil Gould’s five-year plan was laughed at loudly and often, but although it was a little bit late, the Panthers are now well positioned for continued success.

The majority of this Panthers squad has played together through the junior ranks and lower grades, showing the true benefit of development. While a host of NRL squads look far and wideto acquire the talent that could hopefully improve their premiership prospects, the Panthers largely looked within. 

Others have roared into and out of premiership contention quickly during that time, but the Panthers have executed a long-term plan to ensure they remain a constant feature of the NRL finals for more than just a season or two. 

Worse than that, it’s delivered results! No wonder people don’t like them.

CLEARY’S CONTEXT

On track to become the game’s most prolific pointscorer and possibly even future rugby league Immortality, Cleary is at the top of the mountain as an NRL No.7 and it’s scary to think how high he could go. 

But despite his talents, the detractors revel in the fact that Cleary hasn’t won a Dally M Medal. The contempt gets so large that some NSW fans were almost celebrating Queensland’s Origin victory in 2022, because they revel in Cleary’s failure as much as they would a Blues’ series win. 

While Luai has put himself in questionable positions, Cleary does so rarely - which is likely why people are so eager to leap on his on-field actions. I’m sure if he had a choice between being criticised for his on-field actions or having his personal life scrutinised, he’d opt to maintain the current arrangement. 

Like it or not, until they’re usurped, the Penrith Panthers are the best in the NRL. If they can go on and make it three in a row, they’ll have secured their place as the greatest team of the modern era - and if they do, you can be guaranteed of two things.

First and foremost - they’ll celebrate in style. 

Secondly, plenty of people won’t be happy about it. 

But there’s also something else that all the column inches and social media conversations won’t cover. 

No one in Penrith cares.

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