NRL: Penrith Panthers’s Unbeaten Record Gone

Thirteen games have now been played of the 2021 season and Penrith have lost just once. The loss came in the twelfth game against Wests Tigers.

In a match which was played at the Leichhardt Oval, it was the weakened Penrith side who lost their unbeaten record, losing 26-6 to a rampant Tigers side, that now have back to back wins.

It was a terrific season in 2020 for the Penrith Panthers. losing just twice. Once in the regular season, and then crucially losing out to Melbourne in the Grand Final, Ivan Cleary’s side has started 2021 pretty much where they left off.

Since rejoining the Panthers from Wests, head coach Ivan Cleary has lost just seventeen games since the start of the 2019 season and fifteen of those games came in the 2019 campaign. Along with his son, halfback Nathan Cleary, the two have strung a connection together with the rest of the Penrith team. It has taken them to within eighty minutes of the clubs second-ever NRL Premiership title in the 2020 season, and one that looks set to continue having won twelve out of a possible thirteen games so far in 2021.

With many first-team players missing for the game versus the Tigers, due to state of origin selection. Cleary played a weakened side in the Sydney suburbs. Penrith had to do without some of their star names. Table-topping Panthers had Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian T0’0, Api Koroisau and Kurt Capewell all unavailable. So it was the time for in-form centre, Matt Burton who did his best to steer Penrith from five-eighth and halfback Tyrone May to step into the fray.

In a game that was pretty cagey for the first ten or so minutes, but on the fifteen-minute mark, the home side hit the front and took the lead. From the minute the Panthers went behind, they were always on the back foot and never really looked like getting into it. The loss of their seven key players really hurt them and has halted their fantastic start to yet another positive looking season for Penrith.

In saying that, it took them till Round five to be defeated last season, so going twelve games unbeaten so far this year was a brilliant achievement. Many would have thought losing the majority of your first team to representative selection would have played a big part in the Wests Tigers’ win.

With a week to go now until their next game which is away against steadily improving Cronulla, it’ll be another tough test with those state of origin players still missing.

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