I can’t believe that they tried to park the bus in that second half. What happened to the attack in the first half?
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Brisbane with the week off seemed very fresh. Liam martin couldn’t move at one point. Mitch Kenny had to move out to second row with Shniddy defending in the middle. That Scott Sorensen HIA didnt do us any favours, but thats football. It only takes one bounce of the ball or injury to end a season.
Super proud of the boys, they kept swinging. Onto next year.
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What a year it’s been! Dead last after 12 rounds to 3 minutes from a 6th straight GF! I think the grind caught up with us these last 2 weeks, you could see the drop in intensity in the 2nd half both games. But nothing lasts forever, and to see how Smith stepped into Fish’s shoes, Talagi into Luai’s, Jenkins’ comeback, Papalii’s growth into the side etc etc was fantastic! There were a lot gains this year. I just hope everyone can get a long rest for the off season, they’ve played a LOT of footy over the last couple of years.
I couldn’t be prouder of everyone in this team. What an inspiration they are, and what heart & commitment they all have!
Best of luck to the Broncos & Storm next week. Hope it’s a cracker!
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Great result for Melbourne Storm that’s all I can say. To get to the last four considering where we were after round 12 is a remarkable achievement. Proud to be a Panthers fan….hopefully our depth for 2026 is OK…considering all the players who have been released there must be some good juniors coming through. Best wishes to all who have contributed to this forum look forward to hearing your views for next year. LetsgoPanthers.
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Now that the dust has settled, and I’ve had time to reflect on the season, just a few final thoughts.
While I’m obviously disappointed our streak ended in the prelim today, I’m proud of the team for the way they overcame adversity & fought their way to within minutes of a sixth straight Grand Final.
The player drain of the last few years hit us hard this year, and it took a while for us to find our groove, with new combinations & inexperience costing us a few games early in the season.
Sitting last after Round 12, most people were saying the finals were beyond us. We never gave up, got our season back on track, and proved the doubters wrong.
The last few years have been incredible, and have been amazing time to be a Panthers fan. We have achieved what many thought was impossible. Something we will remember and celebrate for the rest of our lives.
While we have fallen short this year, this ride is far from over.
GO THE MIGHTY PANTHERS
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Still feeling gutted, 4 hours after the game. It’ll take a lot more before the feeling disappears. For me, some of the key points were :-
Losing Sorensen so early was crucial on a hot afternoon, and helps explain being stretched at the very end.
Two of the Brisbane tries came from lucky bounces from balls on the ground.
What was Martin thinking, rushing in like that? We had to play smart football, not giving the officials the chance to deliver the result that the NRL wanted.
The disallowed try was a killer. Since when do linesmen make such crucial calls? How far was McLean off side?
That was typical Ch 9. How many Qld ex-players featured, clearly willing Brisbane to win? Even Johns was wetting himself with excitement, probably hoping to support his long held belief that we couldn’t win from so far down the ladder. It was sickening, but typical.
We could still have won, but then we stopped playing smart.
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Fox was no different. All the commentators willing the donkeys to win.
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I have had that replaying in my head since the game finished, at the time I thought it was very line ball at the least, will have to watch the replay to see
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At the end of the day the NRL got what they wanted, the Broncos in another GF. I cannot believe the NC decision, even Cronk said, that is a tough one, that is a penalty to Penrith every day of the week in the regular season. Did Marto get replaced after that because of his aggression? He lost the plot.
For mine, and he had a GREAT season, but Blaze found out what pressure really is, he dropped one cold in our own half and then had 2 “play at the ball” efforts on 4h & 5th tackles in our 20 in the 2nd half. They were all within a 10 minute window and broke us defensively.
Calling McLean offside was a joke, he stood still for a second before attempting the intercept.
Don’t they use the bin for Cannonball tackles?
I hope Mam gets his jaw smashed in next week, the grub should be in jail not on a footy field !!!
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I suggest that the poor start to the season was a reflection of the impact of not having a real home ground. It was impossible to create a ‘fortress’ mentality at the Eels’ stadium. I wonder what the date is for completion of Penrith Park.
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Well, I had a night to sleep on it.
Was I frustrated at full time? Yeah.
Did it hurt? A little.
Was I proud of the effort? Over the season… yeah.
When you put it all into context, we had a bloody good season. I know the team enjoys a challenge, but I’d dare say this was the toughest one we’ve faced in recent years.
We lost two anchor players in JFH and Jerome Luai , some massive departures. Their replacements have plenty of talent, but it was always going to take time for them to get fully onboard with the Penrith system.
Even though the team would probably never admit it, you could see the fatigue creeping in. We started strong with that win in Vegas in Round 1, but over time, the wear and tear showed. Long seasons, representative call-ups (both State of Origin and international duty), add it all together, and even peak athletes can burn out.
The team knew they’d be on the road all year, with no real home advantage. Say what you will about CommBank Stadium, but to the fans, it doesn’t feel like home and I’m sure the players felt the same. Training out of the academy and travelling to Parramatta every week to “host” games is a tough ask. Watching those three finals matches this year, you could really see how much a home crowd and home ground advantage matter.
At the midpoint of the season, sitting last on the ladder, even the most rusted-on Panthers fans probably had one eye on 2026, thinking it was a bridge too far just to make the finals. But not only did we get there we finished just two points shy of a sixth straight Grand Final. That’s nothing short of extraordinary.
It’s been an incredible 1,457 days. Every great story has an ending, and right up to the final whistle, they fought for every minute of it. It might be the end of this chapter, but not the end of the saga. We’re losing the fewest key players we have in years, and the hunger to prove ourselves again will be stronger than ever.
Bring on 2026. Penrith Panthers 2: Electric Boogaloo. 
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You could see how much NC was burning in the press conference, imagine how Marto, Yeo and Moses etc are feeling.
Prediction - Panthers 2026 Premiers
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Well I’ve had a little bit of time to gather my thoughts. Was sad that we didn’t get to defend our title next Sunday but so proud of our club for the efforts to get to within touching distance of the GF. All I can ever ask is for us to put up a credible defence of our crown which is what happened.
As I have said before, it has been an incredible ride for us all since we hit rock bottom in Magic Round 2019. A few missed chances in the second half that would have put the broncos away proved costly.
Onwards and upwards to 2026 and beyond. I hopefully have a few more years left in me, and everything points to us being right on the mix during those years.
Thanks to all the contributors on here & to Steve for making it possible. Enjoy the rest of the year & stay safe and catch you all again in 2026.
Proud to be a Panther 
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I thought that Willison is the same ilk. And the Brisbane crowd reacting to McLean being called back after the intercept - going feral like a bunch of neanderthals.
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Fatigue was the deciding factor in the game. The week off that Brisbane enjoyed was the telling factor.
At the time I was a bit surprised that IC didn’t rest the players for the final round as well as the one before. That, assuming we lost the game, would have avoided the trip to NZ.
Still, water under the bridge. Roll on next season.
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Does anyone else feel like the end of the Truman Show now that nothing interesting is happening in the NRL for the rest of the year? Changing channels and checking out what else is happening in the world.
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Yes, everything changed at FT on Sunday & I have lost interest in this week, and I don’t think it’s just me, or you HillsPanther. I was talking to a rusted-on supporter this week, who watched the prelim on Sunday with extended family. When the whistle blew to end our season, someone asked where they would gather for the GF. General position was no-one cared about the GF!
Looking ahead, I think our ‘star’ players are worn out & carrying injuries after 6 seasons of regular season, finals, SOO & post-season rep games. Selfishly I hope that they all elect to miss the upcoming rep games, rest up & spend time with their families and come back all refreshed first week of January for a full-on tilt at the 2026 title.
They may not get the rest & recovery they deserve, but I will 
I will be wearing my Panther gear thru the off-season - the last 6 seasons give all Panthers the right to proudly wear our gear, every day for the rest of our time.
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I clocked off for sure. Haven’t been following any of the Grand Final stuff at all. There is a strong chance I may just check in to the Grand Final broadcast a few times over the day.
I wish they could both lose.
March 2026 can’t come soon enough.
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I have to laugh at all the other NSW teams complaining for the last 4 years, “why can’t we get a go”. They still miss out this year.
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My disinterest in the GF is off the scale. Also zero interest in the Dally M rubbish.
Might have to take up knitting.
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