Moylan move could dent Panthers revival

The surprising suggestion that Penrith skipper Matt Moylan could be on the way out of the Panthers organisation has the potential to leave the club’s revival with tainted and irreversible damage.

Make no mistake, Matt Moylan is the pin-up boy of the Penrith Panthers. 

He’s talented, has football nous and is a local prodigy. He plays a key position on the field, and is marketable, sleek and has the model looks off it.

PRODIGAL: Matt Moylan. 

If you rewind to Gus Gould’s arrival back at the Nepean in 2011, you’ll remember the gutting and broomstick he put through the club’s roster. You’ll remember the overhaul of the business, the bold statements about being the country’s most recognisable sports brand, and the now infamous five-year plan.

While you might question many of Gus’ claims and hang the plans out to dry, it is undeniable that the influence of Gould has almost single-handedly turned a floundering franchise into an NRL powerhouse.

Just this week, the club put out a statement detailing how every one of their sides had made the finals for only the fourth time in the club’s 50-plus year history. And in a first, they have achieved for a second consecutive year.  

Gould’s revolution was kick-started in 2012 when he brought in Ivan Cleary and began the turnaround.

Almost parallel to the new era was the emergence of Baulkham Hills-born Matt Moylan. 

A local junior who was first off what would turn into a conveyer-belt of NRL players produced from the local Penrith district.

Bryce Cartwright and Matt Moylan have been the leading figures in Penrith's impressive junior-to-NRL transmission rate. 

At fullback, Moylan played in arguably the most prodigious position on the field outside of the traditional owner of rugby league sides, the halfback.  

His playing talents quickly shone through; he began to find his feet in the media appearing on The Footy Show as a regular; and his quick-wit, humour and good looks would have had marketing guru’s rubbing their hands together.

He fitted in perfectly to the commercial and operational redesign of the Panthers at-large. So much so, in 2016 he was handed the club’s captaincy.

It was a valiant decision, and with a squad so young it had the potential to work.

Without drawing a comparison too wild, Moylan has a tinge of former Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard about him. And so does his situation.

Local junior, poster boy, all the talent in the world, the ability to influence others through his own actions.

POSTER BOY: Moylan appears to have it all. 

But what he hasn’t fully captured yet is the persistence of effort, a resilience. 

In the age of modern-day footballers, it’s probably no surprise. But will this be the career-defining learning curve for Moylan, or the signal of the end of his time at Penrith?

In 2015, Gus Gould made an eerily similar and surprising decision to sack then Panthers coach Ivan Cleary and bring in Anthony Griffin.  

At the time it was odd and didn’t really make sense.

While the merits of that decision are a debate for another article, Moylan was still able to continue his rise under new coach Griffin.

He made the New South Wales side, Australian squad and was instrumental in the club’s run into the finals last season.

All while wearing the captain’s metaphorical armband. So it’s hard to work out wear it’s all gone wrong.

MIXED FORM: Penrith's form this year has been indifferent, but they've made the finals. 

Indeed, maybe both parties have reasons for wanting a change.

It Moylan is unhappy and dismayed with his current predicament, maybe a move would be best the best thing for him. A shift away from the prodigal son paradigm.

Maybe the Panthers have realised they don’t have the full deck of cards required to achieve their goal of winning another premiership and see the departure of Moylan as a way of securing what or who they need.

Like the loss of Cleary, perhaps to get where you want to go, you don’t always arrive with those who you thought you would.

But there would be a real sense of disenchantment if Matt Moylan wasn’t involved in completing Penrith’s revival.

He’s been at the front of it, at the back of it, and in the thick of it.

Chronologically, in a positional sense, and in terms of the operation respectively. 

Panthers on fire, but Raiders coming home hot

WITH three games left to play in the NRL regular season and just six points separating the sides between fourth and tenth, the run into the finals is smothered in scenario-riddled matches.

Perhaps none more so than the match-up between the Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers this Sunday at GIO Stadium.

Canberra must win every game remaining to make the 2017 Finals.

Penrith have notched half-a-dozen straight victories and are flying high again, but even more intriguingly, Canberra, who appeared destined to be 2017’s biggest flops, have found a glimmer of life again on the back of three-straight wins.

Both teams enjoyed a stellar, out-coming year in 2016, which led to the league world’s cumulative preseason prediction that they would challenge for this season’s title.

However, for indifferent reasons, neither side has kicked on from last season’s red-hot form.

Penrith began this season with just two wins from the opening nine rounds. By anyone’s assessment it was a disaster given how they had captured our attention just six months earlier.

The start might have been a shock, but their next four wins in the middle of the season would prove to be crucial. Essential, even.

They spent five games away from Pepper Stadium during that period and after losing two on the trot to the Cowboys and South Sydney, they returned to their spiritual home and haven’t lost a game since.

Six games, six wins. Five at Pepper Stadium.

Three of their best: Nathan Cleary, Josh Mansour and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

They have the undisputed sensation of the season Nathan Cleary playing well beyond his years and in calculations for a representative call-up, and now their key stalwart Matt Moylan has returned from injury.

Under the guidance of Anthony Griffin, the play-making tutelage of club legend Greg Alexander and the behind the scenes advice of Phil Gould, Penrith could really give this competition a tilt if everything continues to fall into place like it has been.

While Penrith’s showing for the majority of this season has been mixed for a number of reasons, Canberra just haven’t clicked as they did in 2016.

They lost only Paul Vaughn and Edrick Lee in the offseason and kept virtually their entire line-up intact. They unearthed a potential franchise weapon in 18-year-old Nick Cotric and in somewhat of a surprise, handed Dave Taylor a train-and-trial contract.

Trying to work out where they’ve gone wrong this season is a tricky exercise, but identifying what went well for them in 2016 is an easy task.

The Raiders played a formidable and fear-invoking style of footy which allowed their attacking brilliance to shine as they won 13 from their last 15 games.

Comradery amongst the squad in the isolated nation’s capital under Ricky Stuart brought them together and momentum took them to within a dropped pass of the Grand Final.

Every team they faced was weary of playing the re-built Green Machine.

Even Paul Gallen was in tears of joy after the Sharks got out of GIO Stadium with a qualifying final win.

Perhaps the most endearing complement to Canberra was that only their own error prevented them from knocking off Melbourne in the preliminary final at the ‘Graveyard’ of AAMI Park.

It’s why should they win on Sunday afternoon, they must be considered a danger to any team that encounters them on their run into the finals series. That includes the Storm at AAMI Park in the final round of the season.

They might have left their run very, very late, but make no mistake, Canberra are coming home hot.

If they can build the confidence and find the spark that inspired their run last season, the Raiders are capable of beating anyone on their day.

Blake Austin found form against the Warriors last week, and will need to improve again on Sunday.

What a tantalising prospect the 2017 NRL Finals could be if the Green Machine make the cut.

It would only be a scrape-in eighth place finish, but goodness scarious, look out whoever runs fifth.

And for the Panthers, who knows what awaits for them.

A club still in a development phase, but well capable of going all the way should they play to their potential.

In last year’s semi-final Penrith went to Canberra and failed to match the Raiders, going down 22-12.

That match put them out of the finals series and they will be eager to revenge the loss in this Sunday’s blockbuster clash.

Cartwright Set To Stay At Six

Bryce Cartwright’s occupation of the Panthers’ number-six jersey will be extended after Penrith Coach Anthony Griffin rebuffed conjecture of the 21-year-old’s suitability to the role.

Bryce Cartwright has played the last five games at five-eighth. 

Cartwright had a mixed afternoon in Penrith’s 22-18 win over Parramatta at Pepper Stadium yesterday, making a number of errors in the first-half before scoring a try and putting in a valiant display to conclude the game. 

Since debuting in 2014, Cartwright has played in the back-row and in the lock position for the majority of his 46 NRL appearances. But for the past five rounds, Cartwright has been handed the number-six by Griffin in an effort to stimulate Penrith’s attack.  

His suitability to the role has been questioned by many in the game – from fans to pundits – and the promising Panthers’ junior has looked far from fluent in the more hands-on role. 

Speaking on Triple M’s The Verdict after yesterday’s game, former Penrith Grand-Final winner Ryan Girdler voiced one of the stronger opinions about the situation. 

“I just don’t think he’s a six,” Girdler said. 

“I think he’s playing out of position, he gets isolated defensively, again today he got carved up out wide.  

“There were two or three times there that Gutherson made him look silly.”

Girdler suggested Cartwright was the victim of his own strengths’ as he tried to play his natural back-row running game from the unaccustomed position of five-eighth.

“When you take away the role for Bryce to charge at the line as a back-rower and offload through the line, or after he’s made contact, then he feels like he’s a five-eight and he needs to pass before the line,” Girdler said. 

“I think you take a really good aspect of his game away which is punching into the line with his size and then using his ability with the ball after that.”

While Girdler was forthright in his opinion, co-host Gorden Tallis believed it was the inexperience of the Panthers’ playmakers as a whole, rather than Cartwright that need to improve their game.

“They’ve got to learn the time and space. The seven, six, and one have got to learn what does my team need me to do now,” Tallis said. 

“They’re brilliant; they can put on tries – but Cartwright, just because you’ve got the skill, doesn’t mean you have to use it every time.” 

With Jamie Soward moving to the London Broncos to prolong his own career and allow for the emergence of others, Penrith are stuck in a tricky situation when it comes to key positions. While Peter Wallace looks to have cemented his spot at hooker and Nathan Cleary has set-up shop at halfback, the five-eighth and fullback positions remain a talking point. 

Utility Tyrone Peachey has been forced to shift to centres with long-term injuries to Peta Hiku and Dean Whare, while Matt Moylan’s highly anticipated move to five-eighth came at the unlikely setting of representative level, and freshly-signed Super League Man of Steel winner Zac Hardaker spent the entire 80 minutes yesterday warming the bench. 

Griffin is surely finding it difficult to position his array of stars in their best and most natural positions. 

But the former Broncos’ mentor spoke glowingly of Cartwright’s performances in the halves, stipulating that the New South Wales development player will be set to stay there for the near-future. 

“I thought he did a good job tonight,” Griffin said.

“He scored a try, I thought he had a good balance of running the ball when he needed to, I haven’t got a problem with him.

“The beauty about Bryce Cartwright is he can play a lot of positions; you put him in the front row and he’d do a job for you.

“At the moment with the balance of our team, he’s doing a good job for us.”

Griffin suggested that it is more about the players around Bryce getting an education to how he operates in the position, while also making reference to the side as a whole needing to roll their sleeves up. 

With Cartwright’s stay looking more and more likely that it will be for the rest of the year, unless Te Maire Martin can return to the side from injury, Penrith’s edge players will need to develop a cohesiveness with Cartwright in order to become an effective and consistent threat.

Western Sydney Derby to break a season

Parramatta and Penrith have long enjoyed the healthy rivalry that comes with a local derby. Built upon geographical distance and maintained by the passion of loyal fans, local derbies present an opportunity to get one over your closest rival.

They allow one club to silence the other for another year, season, or until the next match. They also allow one set of fans to enjoy the satisfaction of the misery the losing team will suffer following the match.

Sometimes they’re pumped up; sometimes they’re under-hyped.

Regardless of the build up, this Sunday’s derby between the Eels and Panthers presents an opportunity for a season to be sunk – and a season to be kept alive. That is the predicament of both club’s situation as the NRL competition heads into round 19, with just seven games remaining after Sunday’s match.

Penrith enjoyed bragging rights in Round 5 with a 20-18 heart-stopping win.

While no doubt the Eels are under the most pressure to keep their season alive in what must be considered a do-or-die game in order for their final’s chances to remain, the Panthers will surely be feeling it too after coming off consecutive losses and still yet to find any consistency in their results. 

Sitting in 14^th position on the NRL ladder now that their points have been stripped for rorting the salary cap, Parramatta will likely need to win their remaining seven games to take their current points total of 12 to 26, to be any hope of creeping into the top 8.  

Five of those seven games will come against teams currently outside the top 8, with only Brisbane and Canberra to play from those sitting pretty. A win on Sunday could leave Parramatta as a realistic chance of making the finals.

Penrith on the other hand, sit in 10^th position with a total of 18 points to their name. Whilst in a higher position than Parramatta, their chances of final’s qualification hinge on whether they can produce some succinct performances and learn to put the opposition away.

A similar run home will see them take on just the Broncos and Warriors from the top 8, with an equal number of five games against teams from the bottom half of the table. With the touted number of around 28 points required to make the finals each year, Penrith still have some leeway to drop a few games along the way.

But they will need that leeway given their indifferent results across the opening 18 rounds. Unable to beat the sides they should like the Dragons and Titans; yet able to knock off Brisbane and go ever so close against Canterbury and North Queensland, Penrith’s season has been somewhat of a roller coaster.

A closer look reveals 13 out of Penrith’s 16 games this season have been won or lost by 8 points or less. They have consistently taken their games down to the wire and have struggled to show a killer instinct. It’s clear a loss this weekend could spell the demise of their season.

Parramatta’s form can be looked at in two ways: on the surface they have 10 wins from 16 games; however, if you view it from the time they were deemed under the cap and cleared to play for points, they have won 4 from their last 7.

A remarkable achievement considering how in tatters their house is, and how tumultuous their season has been. Eels’ coach Brad Arthur has managed to keep his team performing on the pitch amidst all the club’s dramas. A galvanising win last week over the Roosters will have them ready for Sunday.

Both sides have also had to cope with changes to their line-up and persesonal throughout the year. While Parramatta’s key loss of Nathan Peats was forced, their acquisition of Jeff Robson to cover for out-going half Kieran Foran was one they didn’t see coming. The Eels have dealt with the changes well, with minimal disruption to their overall performances.

Penrith elected to let Jamie Soward leave the club after the rise of Nathan Cleary, and lost livewire hooker James Segeyaro to the Super League. Both losses signal a change in direction by Anthony Griffin, but their loss to a depleted Cronulla last week showed they haven’t yet developed the fluency to be where they should be.

They moved to sign former Super League Man of Steel winner Zac Hardaker in an effort to replace injured centres Peta Hiku and Dean Whare. A handy replacement given his status in the U.K, but a mid-season switch doesn’t leave much time to build smart and strong combinations.

With both sides on the brink of either kicking on with it or falling away in 2016, the local derby will take on extra significance. The thrilling Round 5 victory by Penrith – at the death of course – seems like it was a world away, but it provides a tantalising insight to what Sunday afternoon at Pepper Stadium may bring.

Panthers lose control as Titans steal win

 

Penrith have witnessed the Gold Coast steal two competition points from right under their feet on Sunday at Pepper Stadium. 

The 24-28 loss was a cruel and disappointing end for the 11,210 fans who haven't seen a game of NRL in the Nepean since Round 6. 

For a full match report please visit the Penrith Panthers website or click here 

PROFILE: Suaia Matagi

Suaia Matagi is a man who has found meaning and purpose in a footballing life. His unique rise in the sport of rugby league can be put down to his key, core-life values of family, faith, and hard work. While the simple ideals have taken him a long way in a relatively short period of time, they are the principles that continue to drive and shape his life. 

Suaia Matagi

Born in Auckland, New Zealand to Samoan parents, Matagi has been able to realise a childhood dream of playing in the NRL. He debuted for the New Zealand Warriors in 2013, played for the Sydney Roosters last year, and is now making an impression at the Penrith Panthers. The quiet and unassuming 107kg-prop has represented both his heritage and origin by playing for Samoa and New Zealand respectively. One of six boys, he always wanted a big family of his own and now has four kids with his wife, Fai. He is a self-proclaimed man of faith, and a sharp and heedful individual who knows where he is going and what he is about.

But Matagi has traversed a very different path. He is an example of what it truly means to start from the bottom and climb to the top.

As a teenager, Matagi was arrested on assault charges and sentenced to three-years jail in a New Zealand prison. It serves as the most-defining moment in the Kiwi’s life, overwhelmingly changing him as a man. Locked-up and with the nothing but time to dwell on the consequences of his actions, Matagi used the period to reflect on who he had become.

 “I kept surrounding myself in the wrong crowd, and going down this path where I thought I could do anything I wanted to do,” he says.

“Eventually, consequences had actions and I learnt the hard way.”

It’s a personal history that holds a lot of emotion for the 28-year-old and a time that he recognises took a great toll on his family. The family that were there to support him during the difficult times, and the family that served as his initial inspiration and motivation to change the person he was.

“I came out really determined to take the shame away that I put my family through, and really try and make them proud,” Matagi says.

“I wanted to show my daughter at the time a message that I did fall down, but I was going to pick myself back up.”

Matagi’s personal transformation began with writing down a five-year goal that he chose as a path of reinvention. It’s a simple process the he believes is critically important for anyone to chase their aspirations.

“I remember writing down my goal, my five-year goal was to play in the NRL and it was way out of my reach,” Matagi says.

Proving that where you start, matters less than where you take yourself, is Matagi’s modest occupation in the early stages of his five-year plan. Beginning as a rubbish-truck assistant, Matagi was able to use the role to build fitness while charting his rugby league pathway. After three months hurling trash, he got a new job working as a delivery driver for a linen-cleaning company, which proved to be a test of both strength and commitment. Working 12-hour shifts and fitting in a daily training schedule created a grueling regime that tested the mental and physical fortitude of the kiwi strong man, but the exhausting devotion proved to be an emotional test as much as it was of the body.

“I’d come home exhausted, I wouldn’t even see the kids. I’d leave early in the morning at dark, and come home when it was dark,” Matagai reveals.

“I’m really grateful that that sacrifice paid off. But there were times when I nearly gave up, because it was draining having those 14-hour days.”

During those tough early years, two clubs – Te Atatu Roosters and Mount Albert Lions – gave Matagi the chance to learn his trade in the Auckland Rugby League competitions. While Matagi admits there are too many people to thank, he values the time and effort people gave up helping him.

“They definitely know who they are; I’ll always be thankful and cherish those people who invested in me during all those years,” he says.

“I’m really thankful for the teammates as well.”

Proving his humility again is Matagi’s stark admission that he was a complete rugby league rookie when it came to knowing the inner nuisances of the sport.

“I learnt that I didn’t really know the game, but I learned if you be like a sponge and just soak up any experience you can, and anything new, you’ll learn a lot,” he says.

“Going through those clubs, I learnt so much. I always look back to the steps that I came through.”

Training with the Warriors.

The humble beginnings aren’t lost on the kiwi-international, and the challenges and experiences coming from oblivion, to cementing a place in an NRL squad, allow him to provide valuable advice to many of the players in the Penrith system.

Fellow Panther, Leilani Latu, is quick to attest to Matagi’s devotion to help out those following a similar track.

“Every day he puts in the effort helping others, he’s the first to put his hand up to help out,” Lani says.

“He’s an awesome dude; an older brother to the some of the graduates and he just pours wisdom into the young ones.”

Despite being five-years younger than Matagi and an NRL rookie himself, Lani is able to provide an honest and respected assessment of a player who he concisely describes as “very wise”.

“He looks after his family; puts the family first and his faith as well,” Lani explains.

“He’s truthful to himself and to the boys, and that’s all you can ask for in a team environment.

“Suaia depicts the honesty and trust that we’re trying to build this team around.”

Clearly making an impact both on and off the field, Matagi has been able to utilize his background in an effort to inspire others. While playing for the Warriors in 2013, Matagi took part in a live stage show called ‘My Story’. It involved the rather reserved man overcoming a fear of shyness to verbally retell his story live on stage. He also had the opportunity to repeat the two-show performance to his former Warriors’ teammates.

“I thought that was the hardest experience I’ve been through in all my life,” Matagi ironically explains.

“That was definitely out of my comfort zone, but at the end of the day my motivation and goal was; if I could give someone hope, then it was worth it.”

While the show was designed to help others and one he hopes he can bring to western Sydney, it allowed Matagi to grow in confidence and realize that being out of his comfort zone helped him develop as a person.

In 2015, that comfort zone was tested again when he moved to Australia to play with the Sydney Roosters. Moving countries without his family would prove to be no easy feat, but Matagi credits his wife’s support throughout the process.

“She’s been my number one supporter,” Matagai says. “When times did get tough, she’s always been there to pick me up; keep pushing me forward and reminding me of how far I’ve come.”

With eight games to his name for the Panthers in 2016 and not a hint of slowing down, just how much further will Matagi go? For the time being, his focus remains on the here and now. His main aim is to cement a spot in the side on a consistent basis. No doubt a goal written down somewhere, but how will he achieve it? Just like any other.

“What you do today, determines your tomorrow,” he says.

A simple mantra that can have life-changing influence.  

This article also appeared on the Penrith Panthers' website. Click here to see the article & accompanying Fox Sports video.

Wallace wins it for Panthers in Bathurst

Panthers' hooker-come-halfback Peter Wallace kicked a match-winning field goal in the 79th minute to give his side a 19-18 victory over the Raiders at Carrington Park in Bathurst on Saturday. 

 

Penrith led the match 18-6 with 15 minutes left to play, but the Raiders fought back to almost steal the game. 

For a full match report, please visit the Penrith Panthers website or click here. 

Penrith fall short against Mounties

Penrith couldn't match it against Intrust Super Premiership NSW leaders Mounties at Carrington Park in Bathurst losing 30-18. 

 

After fielding a strong side, the Panthers had 18 points put on them in the first half, before scoring 18 in the second. 

For a full match report please visit the Penrith Panthers website or click here. 

Georgallis happy with NSW Cup progress

Penrith Intrust Super Premiership NSW coach, Steve Georgallis, has assessed his team's performance following their third win of the season against Newcastle on Sunday. 

To read the full article please visit the Penrith Panthers website or click here 

MWZ hat-trick lifts Panthers to Cup win

Malakai Watene-Zelezniak has gone one better than his brother's two-try effort in the NRL to help lift Penrith to a 28-16 win over Newcastle in the Intrust Super Premiership at Hunter Stadium on Sunday. 

For a full match report please visit the Penrith Panthers website or click here