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The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based 55 km (34 mi) west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith are the current reigning NRL Premiers, having won the title six times, including the last four times consecutively.
Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander, also known by the nickname "Brandy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator and rugby league journalist.
Ryan Girdler is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking centre, he played his club football for the Illawarra Steelers and the Penrith Panthers, winning the 2003 NRL Premiership with the Panthers.
Timothy Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. Head Coach of the Australia national team between 2009 and 2015, he has also been the head coach of National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, the Penrith Panthers, the Canberra Raiders, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Wests Tigers. As a player, Sheens was a prop forward with Sydney's Penrith club in the 1970s and 1980s before he retired and became their coach.
Phillip Ronald Gould, also nicknamed "Gus", is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and formerly a player and coach. He works as the General Manager of Football for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Jamie Soward is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and the former head-coach of St. George Illawarra Dragons Women in the NRLW.
Kevin David Walters is an Australian former professional rugby league player, coach, and pundit for Fox League.
Luke Lewis is an Australian rugby league commentator and former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.
Steve Walters, also known by the nickname of "Boxhead", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s who at the peak of his career was considered the best hooker in the game. An Australian Kangaroos and Queensland Maroons representative, he played in the Canberra Raiders' 1st, 2nd and 3rd NSWRL grand final victories.
Trent Merrin is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward for most of his playing career in the NRL.
Isaah Patrick Ferguson-Yeo is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock and second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and Australia at international level. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest locks in NRL history. He currently is co captain of the Penrith Panthers, Vice captain of the New South Wales Blues and is the captain of the Australian Kangaroos.
Nathan Cleary is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and Australia at international level. He won the Clive Churchill Medal in 2021 and 2023 as well as Dally M Halfback of the year in 2020 and 2021. As co-captain, Cleary also led the Penrith Panthers to 5 consecutive grand final appearances, including four consecutive premiership wins from 2021 to 2024. He is considered one of the best halfbacks of all time, and is predicted by several previous greats of the NRL including Cameron Smith, Andrew Johns, Cooper Cronk, and Johnathan Thurston to become the greatest player in history, should his career continue on its current trajectory.
Jarome Luai is an Australian rugby league footballer who represents Samoa. He plays as a halfback for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He previously played for the Penrith Panthers, where he was a four time premiership winning player; he has also represented Samoa at test and 9's level, the NSW Blues in State of Origin and the Māori All Stars in the annual NRL All Stars match. He won the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers.
Liam Martin is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and Australia at international level.
The 2020 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2020 National Rugby League season held at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on October 25. The match was contested between minor premiers Penrith Panthers and second-placed Melbourne Storm. Melbourne led the game 22-0 at half-time before holding off a late Penrith comeback to win 26-20, claiming their fourth premiership title. Melbourne fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the official man of the match. The match was attended by 37,303 spectators due to an enforced limit to stadium capacity by the NSW government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The game would be the last for Melbourne hooker and captain Cameron Smith after announcing his retirement in the following year, making him the most-capped player in the NRL with 430 games, and the most for a single club.
The 2022 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2022 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels on Sunday the 2nd of October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Penrith, who were both the defending premiers and minor premiers, won the match 28–12 to claim their fourth premiership title, and their first back-to-back premierships in the club's 56-year history. Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for being judged as the man of the match.
The 2023 Penrith Panthers season is the 57th season in the club's history. With head coach Ivan Cleary and co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, the Panthers competed in the National Rugby League's 2023 Telstra Premiership and won the minor premiership.
The 2023 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2023 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday the 1st of October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Penrith, who were the two-time defending premiers and the defending minor premiers, won the match 26–24 to claim their fifth premiership title, and became the first club in forty years to win three consecutive first-grade premierships, following the Parramatta Eels' three-peat from 1981 to 1983. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary, who scored the winning try for his team, was awarded his second Clive Churchill Medal for being judged as the man of the match. The match gained significant notability for featuring the largest comeback victory in grand final history, with the Panthers overcoming a 24–8 deficit after 56 minutes by scoring 18 unanswered points to ultimately win the match.
The 2024 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2024 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Melbourne Storm and the Penrith Panthers on Sunday 6 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. In front of 80,156 spectators, defending premiers Penrith defeated the minor premiers Melbourne 14–6 to extend their premiership streak to four titles in a row, and their sixth overall. The Clive Churchill Medal was awarded to second-row forward Liam Martin for being judged as man of the match.
References
- Whiticker, Alan; Hudson, Glen (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Gary Allen Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1.