In the Panthers’ quest for a quintuple, Thursday’s clash served as a litmus test. By the result alone – a 30-24 loss against the Storm in Melbourne – they failed. But while the scoreline says one thing, their performance says another.
This defeat was paradoxically why Penrith shouldn’t be written off yet in a fast-crystallising 2025 NRL season. It was one of those rare “good losses”, a display that shows that Penrith – despite shortcomings – are on the right track.
The premiers clearly lacked quality at key moments, and stumbled when victory was in reach. But the men in pink, led by veterans Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo and Brian To’o, and supported by a willing if slightly unrefined ensemble, showed they will not easily vacate their throne.
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said Melbourne’s “key guys got the job done when they needed to” but he was proud of his team’s effort. “There’s lots of things that we didn’t help ourselves throughout the game, clearly a lack of cohesion at times which is understandable,” he said. “But from a cultural point of view, I thought they were very brave.”
On a night in Melbourne Park vibrant despite the rain, pop superstar Dua Lipa at Rod Laver Arena and Hawthorn’s Hokball at the MCG vied for the city’s attention. But from this physical, gritty contest that swung back and forth with increasing frequency it was hard to look away.
The Panthers were swamped early, then surged back for the lead. They rallied after going down again, and appeared to be finishing stronger. But the Storm – thanks ultimately to a Cameron Munster grubber finished in a flash by Ryan Papenhuyzen that put them 10 points ahead in the final stages – had too much polish. Despite a late Penrith try that brought the visitors back to within six points, Melbourne did just enough to deny their undermanned opponents.
After losing James Fisher-Harris, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva in the off-season, the Panthers’ famed propensity for renewal has accelerated. If every cell in the human body replaces itself over seven years, the premiers are on a similar trajectory. Just four players from the grand final side that lost to the Storm in the 2020 decider were playing in the second-half against Melbourne.
Injuries haven’t helped in 2025. Fullback Dylan Edwards and deputy Daine Laurie had left the premiers short before kick-off. The coach snuck utility back Blaize Talagi – signed from Parramatta in the off-season – onto the bench before the game but stuck with the bold selection of winger Tom Jenkins at fullback. Nervous Panthers fans were scouring Jenkins’ junior history hoping they could unearth at least one game he has played at No. 1.
But fullback was to be the last of Cleary’s worries. Talagi’s inclusion instead proved critical when Nathan Cleary was ruled out after failing a head injury assessment seven minutes in. The halfback hit his head into the turf after falling awkwardly in a collision with Jahrome Hughes.
Without the veteran leader, Jack Cole and Talagi – with the combined experience of a season’s worth of first grade games – helped engineer a comeback from 14-0 down that handed the Panthers an unlikely second half lead. “Losing Nat’s a pretty big thing, not just technically and how the team goes, but obviously mentally against a great team down here, and I just thought that they really hung in well,” Cleary said.
They were not perfect. Cole struggled with kicking for touch from penalties, and Talagi showed little of the searing speed and agility that makes him a running threat. Their coach conceded afterwards both would be better playing alongside a genuine halfback. But Nathan Cleary will miss next Thursday’s clash against Wayne Bennett’s Souths with concussion protocols, forcing the Panthers to revisit their halves again as they hope to ignite their season.
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The Storm are now two-from-two, and started both matches in terrifying form. However, the side is yet to put together a complete performance. Coach Craig Bellamy described his team as “complacent” but he would always take the two points against Penrith. “They’re such a professional team, they’ve been to the last five grand finals and won four of them, so they know how to win.”
That may have been the case for half a decade, but only September can say whether the reputation survives 2025. Three weeks into his bid for five premierships, Cleary – despite the injuries, despite the lack of depth, despite having a target on his back – will not be making excuses.
“We’ve obviously lost a few players that have been key, but we’ve done that before, and I suppose our depth has got younger certainly over the last couple of years,” he said. “But you know, it is what it is.”
