2015 in review - Penrith Panthers

Coming into 2015 the Penrith Panthers were fancied to continue their resurgence under coach Ivan Cleary after bowing out in the Preliminary Final against Canterbury the year before.

With the arrival of South Sydney premiership winner Apisai Koroisau the mountain men wasted little time asserting themselves with comprehensive performances in the opening two rounds; but once again a slew of injuries took its toll on the young Panthers.

Fielding their best spine (Moylan, Soward, Wallace & Segeyaro) on just three occasions, the Panthers often gave up a wealth of experience to their opponents, while only three players appeared in all 24 matches.

Turning Point
The Friday night encounter against arch-rivals Parramatta at Pepper Stadium epitomised the Panthers season. Losing star fullback Matt Moylan with a season-ending ankle injury, the Panthers remained competitive with the Eels during the game, but ultimately the lack of experience and reliance on untested talent ensured the Panthers were unable to replicate the feats of 2014.

The Good
While injuries played a major factor in their season, the Panthers were once again able to develop a number of promising youngsters that had risen through the lower ranks. Seven players made their first grade debuts throughout the season, with prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard and outside back Waqa Blake representing City Origin after less than 10 games each. Further development from Isaah Yeo and Will Smith showed plenty of positive signs for years to come, while Bryce Cartwright showed incredible skill to cement a place in the starting lineup.

The Bad
Throughout the season Penrith displayed a resilience few expected given the extent of the players missing, but despite their competitiveness the Panthers found winning tight matches a struggle. Going down on six occasions by eight points or less, the inconsistency in key positions burdened the Panthers with over ten different halves combinations making it difficult to establish cohesion throughout the season.

Best Players
For a player few had heard of before 2015, rookie prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard was a standout. Forcing his way into the starting side, the local junior appeared in all 24 games and has been touted for higher representative honours in the near future.

Another play to shine throughout the season was veteran winger David Simmons. Destined to spend the year languishing in reserve grade, Simmons stepped up to fill the breach left by injury and played some of the best football of his career. Crossing for 4 tries against Wests Tigers, the former Shark retired at the end of the year with 103 tries in 200 NRL games.

Disappointing Players
Having starred last season, back-rower Adam Docker had a year to forget for Penrith. Managing just one game in first grade, injuries and suspension saw the Country Origin representative languish in NSW Cup throughout 2015 before being released at seasons end.

Recovering from a serious knee injury, Kiwi playmaker Isaac John also finished his tenure at the Panthers unfavourably. Playing just seven games, the New Zealand international was often left out of the NRL side in favour of back-rowers Tyrone Peachey and Bryce Cartwright.

Rookies
Brothers George and Robert Jennings continued the legacy left by older brother Michael with solid rookie seasons. While both spent large portions of 2015 on the sidelines, the brothers look set for more time in first grade in years to come.

Making their debuts in the final round against Newcastle, Christopher Smith and Sione Katoa also showed signs of promise after toiling away in the lower grades.

2016 Chances
While a number of established first graders have left the Panthers including representative forwards Brent Kite, Sika Manu, Lewis Brown as well as hard-hitter Nigel Plum; the arrival of Australian forward Trent Merrin headlines a number of signings intended to usher in a new dawn for Penrith. Aside from Merrin, new signings include French international Benjamin Garcia, as well as exciting youngsters Te Maire Martin, Viliame Kikau and AFL convert Josh Hall.

If the Panthers can stay injury-free, 2016 may see the mountain men bounce back and return to the finals.

Predicted 2016 Finish: 6 to 10th

Best lineup for 2016

1. Matthew Moylan
2. Josh Mansour
3. Dean Whare
4. Jamal Idris (Waqa Blake)
5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
6. Jamie Soward
7. Peter Wallace (C)
8. Sam McKendry
9. James Segeyaro
10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
11. Trent Merrin
12. Bryce Cartwright
13. Elijah Taylor

14. Tyrone Peachey
15. Jeremy Latimore
16. Benjamin Garcia
17. Isaah Yeo

Ins: Trent Merrin (Dragons), Zach Dockar-Clay (Eels), Benjamin Garcia (ESL - Catalan), Andrew Heffernan (Raiders), Viliame Kikau (Cowboys), Te Maire Martin, Sitaleki Akauola (Wests Tigers)

Outs: Lewis Brown, Apisai Koroisau (Sea Eagles), Brent Kite, Adam Docker, David Simmons, Shaun Spence, Nigel Plum (all retirement), Kieran Moss (Eels), Sika Manu (ESL - Hull FC), Ben Murdoch-Masila (ESL - Salford), Isaac John, Sam Anderson (all released)