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It’s a commonplace position for the Pumas to be in, but once once more Ivan Cleary’s men enter a modern season as ruling premiers without two key players.
Stephen Crichton, who left for the Bulldogs, and Spencer Leniu, who marked with the Chickens, have both been indispensably figures within the Penrith line over the final three seasons.
Presently without ostensibly the competition’s best middle and an noteworthy affect forward, can the Pumas make history and gotten to be the primary NRL-era group to win four in a push?
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For rugby association legend Cooper Cronk, Penrith have appeared over the final three a long time they are able to discover victory in any circumstance that presents itself.
“If you need to compete within the NRL, especially when a comp, you likely got to do three things well. You would like to be a good defensive team. You’ve got a few great ability in your decision-making positions,” Cronk said to foxsports.com.au.
“And you would like to be rationally and physically extreme and prepared. The Pumas do that, right? So they’re as of now ahead of a few groups some time recently a ball has indeed been kicked.
“But they’ve had a few changes once more that brings them back to the field and other teams will accept that they need to go after them. You saw that within the World Club Challenge.
“So it’d be absurd to say they can’t do it… the most amazing thing approximately the three-peat for me was that they did it three distinctive ways.
“First year against Souths it was a big-time fight, against Parramatta they blew them absent and after that against Brisbane, they came from behind in that gigantic surge.
“So they can win any amusement in any circumstance. That’s one hell of a thing to have going into a season after you need to win four in a row.”
Taylan May will supplant Crichton within the centres, having went through the 2023 season sidelined due to an ACL harm after a breakout year in 2022.
In the mean time, Liam Henry looks the likely man to require over Leniu’s bench position and the nation item may be a bulky center forward.
Cronk accepts that any player who gets tossed into the Jaguars squad is being put in an environment that nurtures success, with a star-studded spine.
In case May carries from the back-field with power, and Henry infuses snort into the center of the stop off the seat, Penrith’s playmakers will do the rest.
“I think once you’ve got the establishments of Fisher Harris, Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards as the illustrations and the leaders,” Cronk said.
“It’s easier for all those other players to come in and be appeared illustrations of what it takes to be elite. If you don’t, at that point you discover your way out.
“If you are doing you’ll be able be portion of one of the foremost effective groups. I do not think it’s as basic as like fair take somebody out and replace them. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Ivan and his stars.”
Penrith have demonstrated over the last three seasons they can supplant key stars, with the likes of Api Koroisau, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton moving on.
But once once more, Penrith’s steady victory basically comes down to the “elite” players like Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai who provide week in, week out.
Nathan Cleary of Penrith Jaguars warms up ahead of the Betfred Super Alliance Last coordinate between Wigan Warriors v Catalans Winged serpents at DW Stadium on February 24, 2024 in Wigan, Britain. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Pictures)
Nathan Cleary of Penrith Jaguars warms up ahead of the Betfred Super Association Last coordinate between Wigan Warriors v Catalans Mythical serpents at DW Stadium on February 24, 2024 in Wigan, Britain. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) Source:
Getty Pictures
“It’s a compensation cap. Once you take out an first class player, you can’t exactly replace them with another first class one,” Cronk said.
“The truth is, I think on the off chance that you make changes otherwise you have wounds or whatever, you’ve still got the most excellent players in the position in other areas as long as they’re sound.
“A lot of people were saying, no Api Koroisau, what are Penrith aiming to do? Well Mitch Kenny still passes the ball to Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary.
“I think once you’ve got that key spine that I talked around, you need to a few consistency in folks that are fair getting to compete on everything.”
The as it were trophy that has escaped Penrith along their chain of victory has been the World Club Challenge.
In 2023, the Pumas went down to a St Helens side at BlueBet Stadium, losing to a Lewis Dodd brilliant point field goal.
At that point in 2024, they voyage to a sold out DW Stadium, going down to the Wigan Warriors on their home turf.
Whereas they weren’t able to secure the tricky trophy, Cronk believes the Jaguars will shrug off the pre-season misfortune.
“I do not think a group like Penrith stress almost wins and misfortunes as such at this organize of the year,” Cronk said.
“It’s probably about how they played, what was the prepare, all those small things that include up to a triumph. As you saw final year, they had a few ups and downs to begin the year, but ultimately their direction is where they wanted to get to.
“So no, I do not think it’s an uplifting thing that they misplaced the World Club Challenge. I think their solidarity, I think their environment, I think the fact they adore speaking to their community and playing with each other.
“I think that’s a greater thing than losing the World Club Challenge. It’s a thing that’s not in their trophy cabinet after all that victory but I think they’ll be alright.”
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Here foxsports.com.au breaks down all the key components for the Pumas heading into the 2024 season!
STRENGTH
Their parts and involvement. Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai are apparently the best playmaking matching within the competition and have inspired the Panthers to three premierships in a row. The duo compliments each other, with Cleary’s hierarchical skills allowing Luai to make the most of his running and creative abilities. Somewhere else, the encounter of the squad as a whole can’t be downplayed and each part of their group knows what it takes to win. Penrith have overwhelmed to competition for a long time for a reason and their ruthless nature is irresistible, with each unused player who connect the squad exceeding expectations beneath Ivan Cleary whose impact on the side hasn’t been proclaimed sufficient. The Jaguars don’t seem to be abating down and have a chance to secure a notable four-peat.
IT’S A Huge YEAR FOR
Jarome Luai. The weapon five-eighth will have his last season with the Jaguars in 2024 and he will be frantic to leave with another prevalence ring. Luai signed a mega-money bargain to connect the Tigers in 2025, having cemented himself as one of the competition’s best playmakers. But with the merger club having won the final two wooden spoons, it appears improbable Luai will be competing for flatware amid his time in Leichhardt unless they immensely improve. Therefore, he will be as hungry as ever to secure another title and take off the foot of the mountains with four to his title in an impressive stretch at the club he came through the junior ranks of. It’s too a big year for Jack Cole who will be trusting he gets an opportunity to grandstand his abilities exterior of the World Club Challenge and succeed Luai within the No.6 jersey.
WHO’S Beneath Weight
Taylan May. The Jaguars have misplaced arguably the NRL’s best middle in Stephen Crichton this season. Subsequently, May has some big shoes to fill and will be trusting to fire on return from a season-ending knee injury suffered earlier to the 2023 season. The 22-year-old played on the wing in his breakout campaign in 2022, scoring an amazing 16 tries exterior of individual youthful weapon Izack Tago. Be that as it may, it remains to be seen whether May has the ability to cut it within the centres and his defence may well be the vital viewpoint of his game that comes beneath the magnifying lens beneath Ivan Cleary. Penrith have a few rising stars who might be gunning for his spot counting Jesse McLean, whereas off-season recruit Daine Laurie might indeed make a case to begin in the backline in the event that May doesn’t deliver.
THE RISING STAR
Liam Henry. Filling Spencer Leniu’s shoes will be no simple task, but the Panthers have enormous wraps on Henry. The 22-year-old prop joined the club in 2019, making his way through Penrith’s Shirt Flegg and NSW Container group some time recently making his NRL make a big appearance in 2022. Henry included two more diversions to his count in 2023 and the nation boy who hails from Blayney in Central West NSW is set to win the empty seat spot. Henry has a big outline and Cleary will be trusting he can create the affect Leniu was able to provide off the seat. In the interim, in case Sunia Turuva has another solid season, he may ended up one of the competition’s best and most solid wingers, so the Fiji universal will be frantic to back up his 2023 campaign.
THE Unfortunate ONES
The Pumas are so strong, several NRL-quality players miss out on playing each week. Matt Eisenhuth has been a solid forward for the Pumas for several a long time, having been in and out of first grade over the final three seasons. In the interim, youthful weapon Mavrik Geyer is another rising star who is stuck behind two gun backrowers in Scott Sorensen and Liam Martin. The son of legendary forward Check Geyer has reportedly built his outline in an attempt to move into the center of the stop, but still he remains fair exterior the best 17. Somewhere else, Luke Sommerton may well be surrendered to holding up in the wings, having been picked in to begin with review for Circular 1 due to Mitch Kenny’s suspension. In any case it looks like he will withdraw the side once the reliable No.9 returns. In the interim, Tyrone Peachey played within the No.14 against Wigan, meaning Soni Luke may moreover miss out on a seat spot in 2024.