The NRL’s Magic Round will see thousands of footy fans from around the country descend upon Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for three days of rugby league action.
But while their opponents in the Broncos are coming off a huge win over ladder leaders Canterbury last week, the Panthers are keener than mustard for the challenge.
“Those away trips are great,” Liam Martin told Extra Time this week.
“I think it’s something that we do really well, that we get away and sort of are able to connect just that little bit more… get to know each other a little bit deeper and stuff like that, so it’s good for connection.
“And then our opponent, they obviously played extremely well last weekend and they have talent right across the board. It’s our home game but up there at Suncorp at Magic Round, I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully we can make a statement.”
Penrith’s lone two wins of the year have come on the road, with centre Izack Tago also getting behind the importance of an away trip to bond a team together.
“It’s good for the team because everyone comes together,” he told Extra Time.
“It sort of forces us to be together off the field as well. In saying that, a lot of the boys get together on the off days too, but it’s just a good opportunity to connect as a team and hopefully bring that connection into the game.”
If you somehow woke up from a five-year-long coma this week you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Panthers barely know each other after such a disastrous start to the season.
Tago said that couldn’t be further from the truth, with the team tighter than ever because of the adversity of the last eight weeks.
“If anything, our connection is only getting stronger,” he said.
“The boys really lean on each other and we’re the only ones that can get ourselves out of where we are at the moment, so it’s important we stay like that,” he said.
New fans of Penrith may not remember but in 2019 – Ivan Cleary’s first year back at the club – the Panthers started that season in similar fashion, winning just two of their first 10 matches.
Martin, who made his NRL debut that year, said he can see similarities between that season and this one.
“That was my debut year and I think my first seven games of NRL I lost. It was a bit of a tumultuous time,” he said.
“Thinking back, it was similar to this. We knew what we had was a good thing, but the results weren’t happening. I think we just missed out on the eight that year and it’s a long season. There’s still plenty of football to go, we’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Following the disappointing 2019 season, in which Penrith finished 10th, the club would go on a historic run of five straight Grand Final appearances.
Tago, who debuted in 2021, said he’s never experienced a season like this as a first grader.
“Nah not really. Since I came in, we’ve barely lost a game, so it’s a bit different for me,” he said.
“When I first started, I was playing during the Origin period, so my first few games we lost but it was nothing like this. It’s sort of uncharted territory, but it’s about getting through it.”
And while Panthers supporters have virtually given up on a sixth consecutive trip to the Finals, the players and coaching staff have not, with all of them believing they can and will turn things around.
“I did not imagine we’d be in this position but there’s only one way for us to go and that’s up. We still have full belief in what we do and in each other, but we just have to keep working hard,” Martin said.
“Ivan is still acting the same but it’s probably a bit different for him too. He hasn’t experienced this for a while, but he’s been here before, and he’s pulled the boys out of it before too. He’s got full confidence in us, and we have full confidence in him,” Tago added.