'Not over yet': Panthers insist premiership reign is only on pause

The Panthers will not feature in the NRL Grand Final for the first time since 2020 but coach Ivan Cleary believes the four-time premiers may be better positioned to return to the top than they were to stay there.

Penrith’s record run of four consecutive premierships in five grand final appearances may be over after the Broncos snatched a dramatic 16-14 win on Sunday but Cleary and his players insist the loss isn’t the end of the greatest team in living memory.

For the first time since their reign began, the Panthers will start next season with an almost unchanged line-up after losing the likes of Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris, Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau and Matt Burton from the premiership winning teams of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

“Who said it's over. I’d like to think there’s more in us,” Ivan Cleary said. “We are not going to win it this year, but we definitely showed a fair bit to fight back from a poor start.

“I feel like we’ve got some real strides with some young guys this year and the core of our team is going to still be there next year, and hopefully they use this feeling, which we haven’t had for a while to spur us on into next year.”

The Panthers were last on the premiership ladder after 12 rounds and needed to defy history by becoming the first team of the NRL era to win from outside the Top 4 after finishing seventh.

Since “the loss they had to have” against the Storm in 2020, the Panthers have re-written the history books by becoming the first team to win:

• back-to-back grand final since Brisbane (1992-93)
• a premiership three-peat since Parramatta (1981-83)
• four grand finals in a row since St George (1963-66)

In doing so, the Panthers became the most successful team of not only the salary cap era but also the limited tackle era, which began with the introduction of four tackle sets in 1967 after the Dragons won a world record 11 consecutive premierships (1956-66).

Penrith's five consecutive grand finals was the most since South Sydney in 1967-71 and if they had defied the odds to win the premiership from last place it would have been the best comeback since the Rabbitohs of 1955.

Star halfback Nathan Cleary said the loss to the Broncos hurt but was confident that Penrith’s time at the top isn’t finished.

"I'm excited for the future. I wouldn't say anything's over yet," he said.

“As Dad touched on, there’s a lot of young guys that can take a lot of experience out of this final series, but also the season as a whole, like a lot of us older guys, as leaders can take a lot out of it too.

“I think we’ve really had to grow as leaders, and quite frankly, we weren’t doing it well enough this year.

“I’ve found it a really enjoyable season, but one where I’ve learned a lot and going into off-season now, it’s like an opportunity to grow even more and come back stronger.”

Cleary was one of seven Penrith players to feature in all four premiership triumphs, along with co-captain Isaah Yeo, secondrower Liam Martin, fullback Dylan Edwards, winger Brian To'o, prop Moses Leota and forward Scott Sorensen.

The Panthers fielded 14 members of the 2024 grand final winning team against the Broncos, with centre Casey McLean, five-eighth Blaize Talagi and backrower Isaiah Papali'i the new faces.

Bench utility Brad Scheider is the only Penrith player departing after signing with the Dolphins for 2026.