well the day has arrived and who along with me longs for the old days when all 3 grades played starting about now
BBQ and Drinks fully stocked and TV locked on one station only
when the game was all over and done by 6pm
Not sure we will ever see that again but today is special and i feel a calm which is unusual.
Important for this team today and the club.
Go the Panthers.
Itās finally game day, and it seems to be dragging on. These next 6 hours canāt go fast enough.
This year is a different feeling to last year. All last season, up to & including the GF, I thought we were a year away. Today I donāt feel it. I think itās going to happen.
I had my doubts through the year, especially after Cleary, Luai & Toāo were injured. Our game against Souths 3 weeks ago was another one, when I thought we may have run out race.
Our game against Parra 2 weeks ago was the most nervous I have been before & during a game for as long as I can remember. When the siren went I had a huge sense of relief, and I think we turned a corner that day.
Since then I have been amazingly calm, more so than when watching games where the stakes arenāt so high. This carried through the Storm game last week, and is continuing through today.
Iāve picked the GF winner 19 years in a row as Iāve entered the ground (even when the result didnāt suit me). I donāt have the luxury of going to the game today, so Iām going to have to hope my gut feeling extends outside the ground.
Enjoy your a day Panther fans. Letās raise a glass to our boys.
Itās 31 degrees in Brisbane today. Itāll obviously be cooler by kick-off, but still a warm night. Whether that favours Souths or not depends on how much juice weāve used up the last few weeks.
i donāt think it favours one or the other as both teams have some big boppers in the squads
i am happy its dry although amazingly in the modern game the players skills are sublime even with wet conditions
watching a lower grade game now and the ground looks in superb condition
on the ground
The last loss by the Rabbits was at this ground to us.
https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/Custom/MTItLS0tLTIyLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLQ==
more omens
we won in 91 with #7 as Captain
we won in 03 with #7 as Captain
2021 with # 7 as Captain
3 x 7 = 21
Rubbish i know but funny
We wearing pink given the humid conditions ?
so Mutley and Steamboat are calm !!!
Iām not, I fear last weeks game took more out of us than we know.
We need the backs to stand up tonight, forwards canāt do it all.
Cleary might be the āgo toā man for kicks, but Iād like to see Burton sneak a few in unexpectedly. For mine Panthers 20-12 !!!
But Iād happily accept Panthers 2-0.
To quote Gus
āIf youāre nervous, be nervous. If you donāt have nerves, donāt try to invent them.ā
Iām thinking Panthers by about 8. I woke up yesterday morning with the score 12-4 stuck in my head, so Iāve put it on, although Iām expecting more points in the game.
Well, the day so far. Iāve had Grand Final Breakfast and Grand Final Lunch. Will have pre-game drinks a bit early and then Grand Final Dinner an hour earlier than usual at 6:00 pm.
Why have dinner so early you may ask? Because we donāt have Daylight Saving, sad to say.
On the bright side I will be celebrating an hour before you guys while you sweat out the second half although to be honest I think we will have this one sewn up by half time.
I was confident last week leading into the game against Storm and, at that time, I thought that we would flog Souths, being our bunnies. Getting nervous now though.
19-12,
18-6,
17-0.
there is an undefinable thing which happens in games like these and i listened to MG recall his moment in the GF win and its when he sensed Raiders were going to kick short from a line drop out and he simply charged onto the ball and as he broke through passed to Royce for him to score.
He spoke of the losing the year before and something deep inside which said they were unbeatable
Call it a gut feeling, call it what you will but its this which will seperate the 2 sides tonight
For me that āthingā was on full display when Sorenson along with JFH chased down Hughes last week.
They were tired, bruised and battered but when it counted they lifted and made the tackle.
You cannot coach that, that is pure desire.
Thats why i am calmā¦desire has been on show for me and i believe we will see it big time tonight.
I am nervous. Iām always more nervous watching on TV. I hate not being at the big games.
Iām still a bit concerned about the injuries.
If we play close to our best we should win. Fingers crossed.
Cāmon boys!!!
I think all my nerves are out the front door by now. Itās been a long week. Southās have tried deflecting all week with their weak attempts at getting under Penrithās skin.
But eventually all that will be left will be on the field.
Iām oddly calm and collected. I am thinking we win by 20+ And blow them out of the water.
At least on tv, most of the early crowd arrivals seem to be Penrith fans
Enjoy the game fellow Panther fans! I hope weāre all celebrating a Premiership victory at full time. And, seeing as Iām on medication & canāt have booze, Iād request everyone do me a favour & have a drink or 17 for me after we win!
Best of luck to you, boys! Fire up, go hard, smash those rabbits & WIN!
Martin starting
Kikau bench
Naden 18th man
Close game, just like I was expecting. Souths only points came against the run of play. For our part, with the possession & field position we have had I would have liked to be at least another try ahead. Going to be interesting to see who tires quicker in the back end of the game.
Credit to Southās I guess, but we look flat in attack, but for now strong defensively. Thisāll go to the wire !
We had the ascendancy leading into half time.
If we come out strong in the second half we could go on with this
Souths look defeated in the dressing room
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