Team List Warriors vs Panthers - [Round 16, 2025]

[Makasene]

Whilst I agree with previous posters that this is a game we should win well, we need to show Penrith the respect they deserve as 4 time reigning champs. Yes, this is not the side that won the last 4 years straight. But there is still enough quality in this side to cause us trouble if we make the mistake that the Sharks made a few weeks back in thinking all we need to do is turn up and we'll win against origin depleted opposition (Roosters in their case).

This game is forever etched into my memory of what can happen if we treat an origin depleted panthers lightly. Back in 2018, when we were 4th and Penrith were 5th, we were coming to Penrith expecting to win this. The result was an absolute spanking given to us by the baby panthers. Many of these penrith cubs are terrorizing the NRL today:

Match Highlights: Panthers v Warriors - Round 17, 2018

A masterclass from rookie halfback Jarome Luai has propelled an undermanned Penrith Panthers outfit to a 36-4 win over the New Zealand Warriors

www.nrl.com

My confidence in a big win comes from the fact that we will be taking the game very seriously. No doubt about it, which is why I think we will go well.

I'm not seeing too many parallels between this week and 2018.

That game was away and 2018 ended up being the closest top 8 ever with 8th placed Warriors finishing 2 points behind 1st place Roosters. Looking at that Warriors line up it's hard to believe we thought that side had a chance of doing something that year.

I think another thing to consider is that Penrith team in 2018 is us now - we went and got blasted by a young crop that turned into many of the top players in the game.

Now they are bringing a journeymen side to Mt Smart and I just don't see how they will contain us.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

My confidence in a big win comes from the fact that we will be taking the game very seriously. No doubt about it, which is why I think we will go well.

I'm not seeing too many parallels between this week and 2018.

That game was away and 2018 ended up being the closest top 8 ever with 8th placed Warriors finishing 2 points behind 1st place Roosters. Looking at that Warriors line up it's hard to believe we thought that side had a chance of doing something that year.

I think another thing to consider is that Penrith team in 2018 is us now - we went and got blasted by a young crop that turned into many of the top players in the game.

Now they are bringing a journeymen side to Mt Smart and I just don't see how they will contain us.

In many ways I think the 2018-2019 Penrith period mirrors our 2023-2024 experience. In 2018, Penrith still had Maloney and many of their gun experienced players running around who had one last strong year left in them. 2019 they transitioned to their youth and suffered a setback by missing the 8 altogether. With the benefit of hindsight, 2019 was the year they had to have and a minor speed bump for them in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully in a couple of years, we will look back on 2024 in the same way.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

In many ways I think the 2018-2019 Penrith period mirrors our 2023-2024 experience. In 2018, Penrith still had Maloney and many of their gun experienced players running around who had one last strong year left in them. 2019 they transitioned to their youth and suffered a setback by missing the 8 altogether. With the benefit of hindsight, 2019 was the year they had to have and a minor speed bump for them in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully in a couple of years, we will look back on 2024 in the same way.

Yea but Panther 2019 was a youth team. Warriors 2024 was the oldest in the competition.

I think Websters transitioning slower trying to avoid the drop from to much youth. It worked for the Panthers but could backfire if the confidence goes.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

Yea but Panther 2019 was a youth team. Warriors 2024 was the oldest in the competition.

I think Websters transitioning slower trying to avoid the drop from to much youth. It worked for the Panthers but could backfire if the confidence goes.

That's a fair pt. As for Webby's slow transition approach, it's clearly bearing fruit for us this year.The great things we are seeing probably wouldn't have happened if webby had thrown them all into the deep end at the end of last year as part of a desperate push for finals. Look at how parra and dragons are going right now having gone down that route of throwing all their promising youngsters in at once. Both are in for at least 3-4 years of rebuilding.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Look at how parra and dragons are going right now having gone down that route of throwing all their promising youngsters in at once.

It can really mess up the players development too. If any club knows this, it's ours.

Webby copped alot of shit last year for holding back. He's looking pretty good right now.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

It can really mess up the players development too. If any club knows this, it's ours.

Webby copped alot of shit last year for holding back. He's looking pretty good right now.

I always wonder if we would be where Penrith are today if we had kept Cleary instead of going down the Bluey route. He did a great job during his time year of cultivating talent across the grades over several years to the pt that we made all three grand finals in his final year(NRL, NSW, NYC). Locke, Fish, Hurrell, Lolohea, etc. We were the envy of the NRL during that time talent wise. We could have been anything if Cleary had stayed and managed their development appropriately.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I always wonder if we would be. where Penrith are today if we had kept Cleary instead of going down the Bluey route. He did a great job during his time year of cultivating talent across the grades over several years to the pt that we made all three grand finals in his final year(NRL, NSW, NYC). Locke, Fish, Hurrell, Lolohea, etc. We were the envy of the NRL during that time talent wise. They could have been anything if Cleary had stayed and managed their development appropriately.

We were a basket case admin and culture wise though. Even as recently as 2016 when RTS signed.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

We were a basket case admin and culture wise though. Even as recently as 2016 when RTS signed.

I was just going to reply with something akin to this.

There's been a top down change since the start of 2023. I wonder if we almost needed a low point (COVID) to really see how the bottom of the barrel felt like.

Someone drew a line in the sand.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I was just going to reply with something akin to this.

There's been a top down change since the start of 2023. I wonder if we almost needed a low point (COVID) to really see how the bottom of the barrel felt like.

Someone drew a line in the sand.

I think it happened early, piece by piece. Even Kearney had the right ideas, but didnt have the right support, or players. As did Cappy, but he wasnt a good HEAD coach. Even RTS above brought a winning culture and habits. But I think all these 1% built up to something just like they do on the on the field.

Signing Webby seems to be the catalsyt for proper change for sure though.

 

[juju]

I was just going to reply with something akin to this.

There's been a top down change since the start of 2023. I wonder if we almost needed a low point (COVID) to really see how the bottom of the barrel felt like.

Someone drew a line in the sand.

We were quite harsh on Robbo and CG in the early days of Robbo totally owning the club.
But man they have really seem to have transplanted the good things you hear about Autex into the Warriors business side while also understanding how to unlock the Warriors cultural brand.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

I think it happened early, piece by piece. Even Kearney had the right ideas, but didnt have the right support, or players. As did Cappy, but he wasnt a good HEAD coach. Even RTS above brought a winning culture and habits. But I think all these 1% built up to something just like they do on the on the field.

Signing Webby seems to be the catalsyt for proper change for sure though.

People crap on about Webby bringing Ciraldo's defensive structures over here, but I get the vibe that Webby is more holistic in that he's probably a bit better than Ciraldo at identifying different parts of the game that he likes and bringing them all together.

 

[Lance155]

I was just going to reply with something akin to this.

There's been a top down change since the start of 2023. I wonder if we almost needed a low point (COVID) to really see how the bottom of the barrel felt like.

Someone drew a line in the sand.

That is the turning point for me. I'm not a big merch buying fan despite being a loyal follower since about 2002. I bought my first ever 'proper' jersey in 2023 because I felt this was the change and I wanted to acknowledge it

 

[Get them onside ref!]

My confidence in a big win comes from the fact that we will be taking the game very seriously. No doubt about it, which is why I think we will go well.

I'm not seeing too many parallels between this week and 2018.

That game was away and 2018 ended up being the closest top 8 ever with 8th placed Warriors finishing 2 points behind 1st place Roosters. Looking at that Warriors line up it's hard to believe we thought that side had a chance of doing something that year.

I think another thing to consider is that Penrith team in 2018 is us now - we went and got blasted by a young crop that turned into many of the top players in the game.

Now they are bringing a journeymen side to Mt Smart and I just don't see how they will contain us.

They will
Good juniors
Still got some guns
Wahs
Watch out
Could be an ambush
With no Indians

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

They will
Good juniors
Still got some guns
Wahs
Watch out
Could be an ambush
With no Indians

Gotta ask.

Do you have ADHD?

 

[ThePaKid]

Gotta ask.

Do you have ADHD?

Maybe conjunction 'itis' ? (An affliction to use words that join sentences together) I just made that shit up.

 

[Makasene]

They will
Good juniors
Still got some guns
Wahs
Watch out
Could be an ambush
With no Indians

Not quite a haiku but I like it

 

[sup42]

It can really mess up the players development too. If any club knows this, it's ours.

Webby copped alot of shit last year for holding back. He's looking pretty good right now.

We drop young players after they have had good games on debut or whatever (Healy and so many others).

We do that as a mandatory part of our pathways map.

While dumb fans type "Player X did nothing wrong, should be playing this week, Webster hasn't got a clue".

 

[BarnesNZ]

We are kinda decimated this weekend..no Capwah..no Barnett...the pink pussycats are also decimated..it's a battle of the young guns. On a positive i can't remember the last time we had 2 origin reps in the team.

 

[watcher]

We drop young players after they have had good games on debut or whatever (Healy and so many others).

We do that as a mandatory part of our pathways map.

While dumb fans type "Player X did nothing wrong, should be playing this week, Webster hasn't got a clue".

Young players can have good games, however they start to struggle with continuous games. It takes time to season players for the week to week grind.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

On a positive i can't remember the last time we had 2 origin reps in the team.

Campion & Pj Marsh early 2000s maybe? Price & Tate a little later also?