Cardboard cut-outs: the cold June night that sparked Penrith Panthers’ NRL premiership run

It was in front of 105 people and some cardboard cut-outs that the Penrith behemoth was first born against their grand final arch-rivals Melbourne.

Now regarded as one of the greatest teams in the game’s history, the Panthers’ rise to the top is deeply entwined with the Storm.

Most consider the 2020 decider as the Panthers’ turning point, and the 2021 preliminary-final win over the same team as the moment they rose to the top.

But in truth, the Penrith machine that is now dominating the NRL first clicked into gear in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic on a cold Friday night at Campbelltown against the Storm.

This was the first time Penrith had all the pieces of their puzzle on the table, even if they weren’t quite in place yet.

Dylan Edwards returned from injury, and the spine of he, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau all played together for the first time.

Isaah Yeo was having one of his first long stints at lock, after James Fisher-Harris moved from No.13 to the front row.

Viliame Kikau, labelled “the flying mop” by Brad Fittler in commentary, propelled Penrith to a 21-14 win when he launched himself into the air to take a Nathan Cleary kick and score late.

Asked afterwards if his side were now the real deal, coach Ivan Cleary noted his team could grow in confidence after getting another notch on their belts.

Craig Bellamy lamented that Melbourne had been “outplayed, out-enthused and out-aggressed”, while noting Penrith had a bit more about them in 2020.

Penrith players have different memories of when they first started to believe what was possible.

Liam Martin felt it in the 2020 pre-season and Edwards in the opening round when they beat the back-to-back premiers in the Sydney Roosters.

Fisher-Harris took a little longer to fully believe, only recognising the true might of the Penrith machine when they beat the Roosters in week one of the finals.

Almost all agree, though, that night at Campbelltown was a seminal moment for the Panthers, who had lost 18 of their previous 20 games to the Storm.

“I think we had a lot of confidence in ourselves to start off that year, given the pre-season we had been wanting to turn around the year before,” Nathan Cleary said.

“The fact we had beaten the Roosters and Melbourne early in that year, it definitely kicked our confidence up early in the year. I just remember that.”

The Penrith side of June 2020 was still some way from the juggernaut now vying for the first “four-peat” in almost 60 years.

Yeo wasn’t ball-playing as much from the middle, but when he did, it led to a Brian To’o try.

The timing wasn’t quite there yet, nor the attacking precision Cleary and Luai now operate with in the red zone.

A last-tackle pass hit Edwards’ head out of dummy-half, and Cleary cannoned another ball into Kikau’s head.

But there were signs of what was to come, and what Penrith aim to dish out again against the Storm at Accor Stadium on Sunday.

Penrith’s defence was air-tight back in that 2020 clash and they dominated territory off the back of early runs from To’o and Josh Mansour.

Cleary was clinical when it mattered, Edwards was attacking down the right, and a short-haired Luai showed off his step and set up a try with his short-side play.

“Our game has definitely evolved,” Yeo said.

“It evolved more so in 2021 after we got beat in the grand final and understood what worked for us and what didn’t.

“But we set ourselves a game style early on.

“It’s not as pretty as other teams, but we’re really good at sticking to our game and everyone knowing their role in that system.”