penrith panthers un-sign nathan cleary due to the lssues with his……
Multis are being torched and Cuban cigars binned because for the first time this decade, Penrith are wobbling like a soapbox car’s wheel nut.
The reigning premiers have been belted at home, they’ve lost their five-eighth, their minor premiership claims are in question, and in the biggest twist since Ricky Stuart’s last bench, it’s actually Nathan Cleary who’s neutered without Jarome Luai, not the opposite.
Yep, this juggernaut has been exposed as fallible, gettable and possibly even human- and they are ripe for the taking.
Sitting snugly inside the top two after losing twice in your last 15 games is not a classic example of panic stations, much like a billionaire choking on his châteauneuf-du-pap when $25,000 is wiped off the stock market.
But scaled to their standards, losing an Origin star to injury and getting scrubbed 13+ at home to Clint Gutherson – even with a host of stars rested – is almost equivalent to three years as a Dragons fan.
After three years of subordinance to this Death Star, we’ve finally got the blighters where we want them- all that matters now is whether the rest of rugby league can get its act together and capitalise on this rare offer, because it’s only available for a limited time.
Much like a Russian rebel shooting his shot, the rest of the competition has one chance to sink the Panthers- because fail, and we risk life under an eternal reign of Clearys.
Why?
Because the Panthers have approximately 435 future generations of talent, and despite best efforts, we can’t rely on every one of them being cheque-booked by Canterbury.
Until now, Penrith’s 2023 premiership campaign could only be derailed by complacency or death cap mushrooms.
Despite losing a number of key players to injury and departure, the side has quietly crucified opposition sides each week while the rest of us were busy gawking at the Broncos.
With a September-hardened squad of racehorse backs and buck-nasty forwards, everyone expected them to saunter to grand final day and father a new brother for their sons at Parramatta.
That was until Luai crunched his shoulder and this 99.98% premiership guarantee nosedived to a critically low 97%.
Yes, the most chilling concern for Panthers fans was the second half performance of Cleary, with his inability to conjure a one-man comeback leading to allegations he’s a software halfback that shouldn’t eat ice cream before big games.
On the eve of finals, it’s left Ivan Cleary and his makeshift attack in an unfamiliar search for answers, a search that’s already going to some weird places if Soni Luke is any indication.
Despite being totally cooked, rivals aren’t the only winner to emerge from their new-found mortality.
At least while ever Luai is sidelined, any further failed three-peats from the Panthers will augur fabulously for his market value.
That’s why if the off-contract playmaker is serious about maximising his time while injured, the only way he should be treating that busted shoulder is with 4 weeks of bricklaying.
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