NRL Profile: Penrith Panthers

Penrith Panthers will be out to win their fifth premiership on the bounce when they embark on the upcoming 2025 NRL campaign.

It has been a staggering run from the Panthers, and it would take a brave man to back against them go all the way once again.

Despite seeing key players move on after every premiership win, the Panthers seem to have no issues replacing them.

There is also no sign of the Panthers losing the appetite to win and they are sure to be in the mix once again in the season ahead.

Penrith have made a habit of peaking at just the right time, and with another star-studded roster available to head coach Ivan Cleary, they will be the team to beat.

Let’s take a look at the Panthers ahead of the 2025 NRL campaign.

Cleary can do no wrong

After guiding the Panthers to four straight grand final wins, Ivan Cleary has already written himself into club and NRL history.

There is zero pressure on Cleary heading into the season, apart from the pressure he puts on himself to achieve more success.

Cleary has shown that he and his players do not lose the appetite for grand finals wins and he will have them fired up to go once again.

The Panthers domination will have to come to an end at some point, and it could be 2025, but if they are to go down, Penrith will go down fighting.

Penrith may have lost some big names, but they have the roster to make the top four, and once in finals they have been unstoppable.

Cleary is in his second spell with the club, and during the 156 games he has coached from 2019 onwards he has a win percentage of 76.

Top trio move on

Penrith will be without premiership heroes Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva, who have all moved on.

But like previous seasons, the Panthers have a new breed that are ready to step in and help fill the void.

Blaize Talagi is ready to step into the halves and take Luai’s No.6 jersey, while fellow starlet Casey McLean has already shown he has what it takes to replace Turuva on the wing.

Lindsay Smith, who recently made his Test debut for the Kangaroos, is the man to help fill the hole left by Fisher-Harris.

The biggest plus for the Panthers is the fact they still have star trio Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards and Isaah Yeo, who have won all four premierships, in the ranks.

With those three on the pitch, anything is possible and the Panthers will fancy their chances of having another strong season.

Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny, Liam Martin and Scott Sorensen have also been there since the start of the winning run in 2021 and their experience will also be key.

Penrith Panthers odds

Melbourne Storm are the hot fancies to win the grand final at 3.75, while the Panthers can be backed at 4.50 to make it five in a row.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.