2023 Preview: Penrith Panthers

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Back to back premierships are the toughest thing in the NRL era - and going for a threepeat is unheard of during the NRL era.

But for the Penrith Panthers, the confidence is high that the side that has always promised dominance can continue their dynasty on in 2023.

After an arguably more dominant season in 2022 than in their 2021 premiership year, Penrith only failed to finish the round at the top of the ladder just twice in the season (after R2 and R9) and lost just four games during the regular rounds.

The rise of the Panthers youth was once again what made them a scary proposition, with fringe players coming in and just slotting into position, performing strongly along with unheralded bench players like as Jaeman Salmon and Scott Sorensen.

As the Panthers gear up for 2023, they've enjoyed a strong pre-season, despite only managing one win - an impressive effort by a young side over grand final rivals Parramatta, but a more complete lineup fell short in golden point during the World Club Challenge against St Helens, played under thunder and lightning at Penrith.

Why they'll win it

The Panthers are a confident side that won't let anything stop them, and the fact that they have managed to go back-to-back shows they aren't a team that is ever happy with just a win.

The combination of Cleary and Luai is a constant for the Panthers and the strength of their partnership can drive the Panthers around the park, and with a strong spine remaining including star fullback Dylan Edwards, the Mountain Men will again be a team to beat.

Why they won't

Losing the likes of Api Koroisau and Viliame Kikau are massive for the Panthers, with the skill from dummy half of Koroisau almost unmatched in the competition. Mitch Kenny is a strong player, but not the dynamic hooker that Koroisau is.

Kikau's departure sees them lose some of their power on the edges as well as most of their offload potential, which becomes an issue for Penrith given the strength of their second-phase play.

Although they have some good young players, a potential lack of depth and experience if some of the key men go down, there will be a reliance on players who (whilst being strong in their own right) are not as experienced as what's needed to achieve greatness once more.

Key player

Despite the obviousness of the Cleary-Luai combination being key, the main player for the Panthers will be the 2022 Clive Churchill Medal winner, Dylan Edwards.

The impact that the Panthers number one has is arguably the most important factor for the team with their go forward, and his organisation of the defence. The Panthers were missing Edwards during last weekend's clash with St Helens and it showed, with Penrith struggling to make metres and a lack of coordination down back.

Rookie to watch

For the Panthers there are always a number of key rookies, but the one who will get the biggest chance in 2023 is going to be Sunia Turuva. The Fijian international isn't a new name to NRL fans having made his debut for the Panthers last year, but with Taylan May now out for the season with an ACL concern, Turuva is set to make the wing spot his own.

Turuva showed his qualities for Fiji during the mid-year test match where he starred scoring a try and ran for more than 250 metres, which put his name on the map, and was a feat that was consistently matched during the NSW Cup season.

2023 Panthers squad

Player movement

Gains: Luke Garner, Tyrone Peachey (Wests Tigers), Zac Hosking (Brisbane), Jack Cogger (Huddersfield)

Losses: Api Koroisau, Charlie Staines (Wests Tigers), Isaiya Katoa, Robert Jennings, Sean O'Sullivan (Dolphins), J'maine Hopgood (Parramatta), Viliame Kikau (Canterbury), Christian Crichton, Kurt Falls (released)

Best 17

1.     Dylan Edwards
2.     Sunia Turuva
3.     Izack Tago
4.     Stephen Crichton
5.     Brian To'o
6.     Jarome Luai
7.     Nathan Cleary
8.     Moses Leota
9.     Mitch Kenny
10.  James Fisher-Harris
11.  Liam Martin
12.  Luke Garner
13.  Isaah Yeo

14.  Soni Luke
15.  Scott Sorensen
16.  Spencer Leniu
17.  Jaeman Salmon

2023 Panthers fixtures

Some statistics from RLP.