The long waitis finally over

PANTHERS V BULLDOGS

INSIDE: OUR CELEBRITY TIPSTERS!

KEVIN KINGSTONSTEVE HARTJUSTIN PASCOEFAN OF THE WEEK

MERRIN ISA PANTHER

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Origin forward to join Penrith in 2016

Issue 001FRI 06 MAR 2015

PROUDLY INDEPENDENT

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Jamal Idris is ready to fire in season 2015

MATCH PREVIEW PANTHERS

1 Matt Moylan

2 George Jennings

3 Dean Whare

4 Jamal Idris

5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

6 Jamie Soward

7 Peter Wallace (c)

8 Sam McKendry

9 James Segeyaro

10 Brent Kite

11 Sika Manu

12 Lewis Brown

13 Elijah Taylor

14 Tyrone Peachey

15 Jeremy Latimore

16 Reagan Campbell-Gillard

17 Bryce Cartwright

BULLDOGS1 Brett Morris

2 Curtis Rona

3 Josh Morris

4 Timoteo Lafai

5 Sam Perrett

6 Josh Reynolds

7 Trent Hodkinson

8 Aiden Tolman

9 Michael Lichaa

10 James Graham (c)

11 Josh Jackson

12 Tony Williams

13 Greg Eastwood

14 Sam Kasiano

15 David Klemmer

16 Frank Pritchard

17 Tim Browne

You may think that the Penrith Panthers NRL team and Chinese astrology are worlds apart, but Im here to tell you that theyre not.

You see, it seems the Panthers are quite incredibly linked with the Chinese Year

of the Goat.It was the Chinese Year of the Goat in 1967,

when Penrith entered the top flight rugby league competition. The next Chinese Year of the Goat was in 1979, when Penrith won its first Harold Matthews (Under 16s) title. 1979 also marked the year that Phil Gould, who would later become a part of Panthers folklore, captained the Panthers.

It was Chinese Year of the Goat again in 1991, and we all know what happened then.

2003? You guessed it Chinese Year of the Goat.

And the best news in all of this is that 2015 is also the Year of the Goat, and just maybe, the year of the Panther.

If I was Ivan Cleary, Id be buying a pet goat almost immediately.

Clearys focus of course couldnt be further away from Chinese astrology. Hes been far more focused on dogs than goats in the last few weeks as he prepares for this Sundays opening round clash with the Bulldogs at Pepper Stadium.

In some corners, this game has been marketed as an opportunity for Penrith to seek revenge on the Bulldogs after last years Preliminary Final at ANZ Stadium. However, Id highly doubt revenge is on the mind of Cleary, who would be far more focused on what is going to happen this year rather than how 2014 ended.

Penriths trial form hasnt been great but you get the feeling that the side tiptoed its way through the pre-season, looking to avoid any sort of injury crisis like the one that beset the club last season. The fact that Penriths squad has largely stayed the same from 2014 to 2015 meant that the trial games were more about fine tuning

than putting a new team on the field for the first time.

Most expect Canterbury to have a strong season this year and theres no doubt that its a tough opening match for the Panthers.

Des Hasler has named an incredibly strong side for Sundays game with a fero-cious forward pack led by Aiden Tolman and new skipper James Graham.

Things will be a little bit different at the Bulldogs this year with the departure of

Michael Ennis, but the menace nickname can be easily transferred to Graham, who had such a strong back end to the 2014 season and could be shaping up for one of his best seasons yet.

Penrith has set tongues wagging by naming two debutants in the side for Sunday, namely George Jennings and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Both have been on the radar of Penrith fans for a while and their debuts this weekend are no real surprise.

The impressive thing about both sides is their bench. Penrith will add some spark to the game mid-way through the first half when Tyrone Peachey and Bryce Cartwright get a run, while the Bulldogs keep rolling out the big boppers with the likes of Frank Pritchard and Sam Kasiano sure to make an impact.

Like all round one matches, this is a toss of the coin and you just never know what youre going to get in the opening round. The fact that this game is at home means Im leaning slightly towards Penrith.

TIP: PANTHERS BY 4

Revenge not the key factor

FACT CHECK Penrith has a 39.5 per

cent winning record over the Bulldogs.

Penrith played their first ever premiership match against the Bull-dogs on April 2, 1967

These teams played three times last season, with Penrith winning two and the Bulldogs one

PANTHERS V BULLDOGS

SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 4.00PM

PEPPER STADIUM

REFEREES: BEN CUMMINS

AND GAVIN REYNOLDS

TV: CHANNEL 9 LIVE

RADIO: TRIPLE M, ABC LIVE

TROY DODDS @troydodds

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PANTHER RUMBLINGS with the Masked Panther

SEND YOUR PANTHERS GOSSIP TONEWS@WESTERNWEEKENDER.COM.AU

Patience paid off for the Penrith Pan-thers when they were able to announce the signing of NSW and Dragons forward Trent Merrin for the 2016 season. Hes signed a three year deal with some sug-gesting the contract is worth $750,000 per season. Im told third party deals are part of the contract Merrin has signed. Panthers boss Phil Gould certainly didnt hold back when praising Merrin: This is one of the most significant player signings this club has made in its 49 year history, Gould said. Its a big call, but you certainly cant doubt that its a significant signature and will boost Penriths forward stocks from next year.

The Panthers launched the 2015 NRL season over two separate days last week. On Thursday, a Civic Reception was held at Penrith City Council where Mayor Ross Fowler wished the side all the best for the long season ahead. Captain Peter Wallace and coach Ivan Cleary also spoke, while the players mixed with invited local juniors from various teams. On Friday, the clubs official season launch was held at Fernhill in Mulgoa, with anticipation building ahead of kick-off to the season this weekend. Probably the highlight of the season launch was a rousing speech from Panthers boss Phil Gould, who cer-tainly knows how to make a few hundred guests stand and listen to every word.

One of the highlights at the season launch at Fernhill was without doubt Jamal Idris singing ability. During the night, the towering centre got on the microphone and belted out a few bars of Boot Scootin Baby.

There is a bit of confusion surround-ing one of Penriths home games this year. Originally, memberships were sold on the basis that there would be only 10 home games at Penrith Stadium, with one match in Bathurst and another at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue, believed to be Christchurch. But theres some issues with the Christchurch deal, and 11 games have been announced for Penrith Stadium. Im told that the Christchurch deal is not necessarily dead and buried, although it is looking increasingly un-likely for this season particularly given itd cause some upset with the fan base when a scheduled match is moved.

Well wait and see what happens once the season gets underway, but Im told

Ben Murdoch-Masila has had a brilliant off-season with the Panthers. He played a key role in helping Penrith through the clubs horror injury run at the back end of last year, and has apparently trained the house down in the pre-season.

The NRL is back to releasing team lists on Tuesdays, after a failed attempt to move the deadline to Wednesdays. Team List Wednesday would have caused major problems for the games leading magazine, Big League, which would have had to print without team lists for the first time in 90 or so years. Thankfully, the NRL finally saw sense and normality has been restored.

Jamie Soward is expanding his media career by joining Triple Ms commentary team this year. Soward, who recently shaved off his rather questionable moustache, will call matches alongside Dan Ginnane and the rest of the team,

which is littered with some of the games biggest names from the past and present. Itll be an interesting year in radio land in 2015, with 2GB, Triple M and the ABC all believing theyre a chance of coming out as the top dog. 2GBs team will be led by Ray Hadley and new recruit David Morrow, but has been weakened by the departures of Andrew Moore and Steve Roach. Moore is now at the ABC, which will give them a huge boost, while Triple M continues to make inroads particularly with the younger market.

How good was it to see NRL 360 on more than once this week? The new expanded show is sure to be a winner with fans its by far the best NRL show on television.

Big Nigel Plum will retire at the end of the 2015 NRL season. Plum has been a key part of Penriths resurgence and itll be sad to see him finish up.

MERRIN TO JOIN PENRITH IN 2016

Phil Gould, Ross Fowler and Peter Wallace at the Civic Reception

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Panthers hooker James Segeyaro wont call this Sundays NRL season opener against the Canterbury Bulldogs a revenge game but, from a fans perspective, thats certainly

what it is.Fans were gutted last September when the

Bulldogs cut Penriths fairytale season short a game before the Grand Final, and now they want some good old fashion payback come this Sunday afternoon at Pepper Stadium.

To tell you the truth, I still have a fire burning inside of me, Segeyaro told Extra Time.

The Bulldogs were obviously the better team in the end [last year] but Im hoping we can go out there this Sunday and prove a point to ourselves and give our fans something to cheer about by getting off to a good start.

The Bulldogs are set to be a major contender for this years title and Segeyaro admitted he was very happy his side got drawn to play one of the leagues best teams in the opening round.

The Bulldogs have a massive pack, great players its going to be very physical and

come 4pm Sunday, I dare say it will be very hot too, he said.

One player who is calling this Sundays contest against the boys from Bankstown a revenge game is Segeyaros teammate Dean Whare.

I see this game pretty similar to the fans, the Kiwi centre admitted.

We were very disappointed about our performance against them last year the week before the Grand Final. I think we

just want to try and focus on ourselves more in this one.

Meanwhile, Segeyaro revealed how new recruit and fellow hooker Apisai Koroisau had taught him a thing or two during this years pre-season.

Were here to all help each other out, were all going for the same goal at the end of the day, he said.

Ive learnt a lot from him over the last couple of months.

NATHAN TAYLOR natetaylor87

FEATURE STORY

Segeyaro: Bring on the DogsPenrith has one of the toughest opening round encounters, but James Segeyaro says hes happy to face one of the heavyweights of the competition first up

James Segeyaro at weights training on Tuesday

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KEVS KORNER

Hey Panther fans!

I hope everyone is looking forward to the season as much as I am. Over the next few months I will be writing a column piece each

week, giving you an update on everything thats happening behind the scenes in Panther-land.

So first up, lets get stuck into how the pre-season has been for our boys, and how were shaping up as we stare down the barrel of our Round 1 clash against the Bulldogs at Pepper Stadium this Sunday afternoon.

After making it to within one game of grand final glory last year, the boys came back from holidays recharged and ready to fire.

We had quite a large injury toll to contend with and plenty of players who needed off season surgery.

But it hasnt stopped the team getting bigger, stronger, fitter and faster over the summer, and with our new strength and conditioning guru David Boyle running things, the boys are looking polished.

The last few months have given us a sneak peek of the young talent we have coming up through the ranks.

The Jennings brothers have been very impressive; George had a very strong showing at the Auckland Nines, while younger sibling Rob proved he is a serious first grade contender during our trials.

Christian Crichton is another young star who shone at the Nines and he continues to improve in leaps and bounds.

Reagan Campbell-Gillard is now knock-

ing on the door of a first grade debut, and Kieran Moss has been one of our best trainers and he is promising big things this season.

The Panthers were very much the underdogs in 2014 and we surprised a lot of people when we made it to the Grand

Final qualifier against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.

But our players and staff have worked hard to prove we can keep up with the best of them, and personally, I cant wait to watch our team run out in front of a packed house at Pepper Stadium this weekend.

TIME FOR THE REAL STUFF TO BEGIN

George Jennings is set to be one of Penriths biggest stars

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Hes the player that all Panthers fans had on their recruitment lists as next to re-sign, and now they can give the name Tyrone Peachey a big green tick after the news the

excitement machine has extended his stay at the club until the end of 2017.

The 23-year-old former Shark, who joined the Panthers last season, penned the new two-year deal last Thursday.

Joining Peachey for an extended stay in Penrith is emerging centre Waqa Blake, who signed a one-year contract extension that will also see him remain in Panthers colours until the end of 2017.

20-year-old Blake was part of Penriths premiership-winning Holden Cup team in 2013 before moving to the NSW Cup last season.

Its a real privilege to re-sign with Panthers for another year, Blake said.

Ivan and Gus are such great mentors and I have learnt so much during pre-season training. My goal is to try and make first grade this year, and Im really keen to see how far I can take my career with Penrith.

Despite rumours hed rejoin the Sharks,

a club that made his uncle David a house-hold name, Peachey said he was grateful to be remaining out west.

I have loved my time here so far and Ive made some really great mates, and the support from the members and fans has been amazing, he said.

I think Im playing my best footy at the moment, and Ivan is giving me plenty of opportunity to prove myself, which makes me want to work even harder.

Panthers boss Phil Gould said the acqui-

sition of Peachey and Blake was another step in the right direction for the Panthers.

To have both Tyrone Peachey and Waqa Blake agree to extend their contracts with our club is a huge vote of confidence in the culture, coaching and development programs our head coach Ivan Cleary and his team have created here at Panthers, he said.

We feel so fortunate to have young Waqa as part of our club for the next three seasons, and Tyrone Peachey excites me.

NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87

FEATURE STORY

Exciting duo stays at PenrithTyrone Peachey and Waqa Blake settled their immediate playing futures last week by signing new deals with the Panthers

Tyrone Peachey has re-signed with the Panthers

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PANTHERS IN PICTURES

Welcome back, PeteAfter missing Penriths remarkable run to the finals last year, Peter Wallace is back and ready to lead the side throughout 2015

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Peter Wallace is back from injury and will lead the Panthers into battle against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon at Pepper Stadium. Photos: Melinda Jane

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HART TO HART

INSIDE STORY

Well finally its here! Yes the kick off to the NRL season! I dont know about you but despite all the off-field drama I am more excited than ever for the season

ahead and the incredible skill of the games superstars.

Johnathan Thurston, who clearly just loves playing footy, will again weave his magic at all levels. His contagious laugh will be back too, of course.

Or how about the power and skill of big GI causing havoc every time he picks up the ball for Souths, Queensland or Australia.They say hes mentally exhausted, gee Id hate to see him fresh!

Cameron Smith, again, a master at turning the key in the slick Craig Bellamy-designed Melbourne Storm machine.

Then theres last years surprise packets Penrith who will not be underestimated by anyone this year.

Their depth was tested beyond belief last season and they showed to a man they will get the job done when called upon. The vision and rebuilding under the guidance of Phil Gould and coach Ivan Cleary looks ready to push for a Grand Final berth.

I could build a case for every single team in this competition, thats how close it is.

Will the Gold Coast Titans crumble under the decimation brought upon them by the recent cocaine scandal or, as we so often see in rugby league, will the players remaining stand up and show what they are made of?

So lets look into the crystal ball and see what teams will make the Top 4 this year.

Souths, even without Sam Burgess, have showed in the pre-season that they will go very close to back-to-back premierships.

Des Haslers Bulldogs must be ready to deliver, Penrith surely will be there, and I see Parramatta, also, with plenty of reasons to believe.

Perhaps ready to slide from last year is

Manly, who are a club in disarray, and the Roosters could also slip up.

But everyone starts on zero points and right now all believe their team could win the comp.

Good luck to whoever you follow, just bring on the footy this weekend.

I cant wait!

THE LONG SUMMER WAIT IS OVER Greg Inglis is one of the games biggest superstars

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STEVE HART IS A REPORTER WITH FOX SPORTS NEWSAND HAS AN EXTENSIVE RUGBY LEAGUE BACKGROUND

MORE THAN JUST FOOTBALL

For a fan, opening day represents the excitement of a new season, the expectation that their team will perform better than they have last year, that come September

they will be cheering their team on in the finals. For our organisation opening day represents the ability to deliver an event that not only showcases the mighty Panthers on field talent but also puts on an event that engages with every patron that enters Pepper Stadium.

We consider the ability to hold NRL games at Pepper Stadium a privilege. We also realise that with this privilege comes a great deal of responsibility to ensure we provide a stadium and a game day experience that can facilitate all the variables that we are presented with.

As an organisation we are constantly looking at ways to drive attendance to our home games and then when inside Pepper Stadium promote a high level of engagement.

We are continually striving to promote the game day experience as a game that allows for families to bring their children by activating a carnival approach to Kids Corner and create an event of which the game is a significant by-product

by turning the Western Precinct into a destination where patrons can experi-ence entertainment and activations.

In 2014 we invested into Kids Corner with face painters, carnival rides and new vendors and in 2015 we have invested into new amenities in the corporate areas, we welcome for the very first time a portable Oliver Brown cart in the Western Precinct and a permanent one in Kids Corner.

We also welcome the Oak Milk Bar which will be housed in Kids Corner and after round one we will begin preparing to remove the OB vans that broadcast out of the Western Precinct in order to open up that area behind the western stand to become an entertainment destination for our fans in the future.

Behind the scenes in order to get ready for round one our organisation has been working tirelessly to prepare the stadium. New signage, new activations, new vendors, new offerings, new corpo-rate areas, new corporate amenities, new rides and a brand new field all aimed at ensuring that as members and fans of the Panthers, when you enter Pepper Stadium you get an experience that is far more than just football.

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Emu Plains JRLFC

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POSITIONS STILL AVAILABLE IN MOST AGE GROUPS

To register online go to http://bit.ly/emurego2015

Short and socks pickup for registered players - Saturday 7th March

REGISTRAR - Jodi Grant: 0412 096 006SECRETARY - Joanne Vella: 0410 439 348

Contact club secretary or registrar for more information on joining the Emu Plains JRLFC family

5er online go to

Years supporting the Panthers: 25 years Favourite current Panther and favourite ex-Panther: Nigel Plum and Ryan GirdlerWhy do you support the Panthers? I support Penrith because theyre in the area, I can attend games and Ill always stay loyal to this teamWhats your best Panthers memo-ry? The 2003 Grand Final and the 62-6 thrashing against the Warriors in Round 10 2013Whats your prized piece of Pan-thers memorabilia that youd never sell? My 2003 Grand Final team photo frame and my autographed jerseyIf the Panthers won the 2015 Grand Final, how would you react? Id jump for joy and be ecstatic and emotionally proud

NRL LADDER & FIXTURESCLUB PD W D L B F A +/- PTS

1 Panthers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

2 Bulldogs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

3 Cowboys 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

4 Dragons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

5 Eels 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

6 Knights 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

7 Broncos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

8 Rabbitohs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

9 Raiders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

10 Roosters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

11 Sea Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

12 Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

13 Storm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

14 Titans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

15 Warriors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

16 W. Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00

ROUND 1

Broncos v RabbitohsThursday, March 5 8.00pm

Suncorp Stadium

Eels v Sea Eagles Friday, March 6 7.45pm

Pirtek Stadium

Knights v WarriorsSaturday, March 7 4.30pm

Hunter Stadium

Titans v Wests TigersSaturday, March 7 7.00pm

Skilled Park

Cowboys v RoostersSaturday, March 7 9.00pm

1300Smiles Stadium

Panthers v BulldogsSunday, March 8 4.00pm

Pepper Stadium

Sharks v RaidersSunday, March 8 6.30pm

Remondis Stadium

Dragons v StormMonday, March 9 7pm

Kogarah Oval

Extra Time Issue Number 001

PRINTED BY Spotpress Pty Ltd / PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender

EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Kevin Kingston / Steve Hart / Stew Moses

SALES MANAGER Simon Gould / 4722 2998 simon.gould@westernweekender.com.au

CATHERINE PIROTTAKingswood

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Defending NSW Cup champions, the Penrith Panthers square off against tra-ditional foes, the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Round 1 action as part of a three grade bonanza of footy to be played at the newly named Pepper Stadium this Sunday afternoon at 1.45pm.

Both teams come into 2015 with vastly different expectations Penrith will be looking to win back-to-back titles despite seeing a plethora of players leave the club including Tim Grant, Kevin Kingston, Ki-erran Moseley, Kevin and Wes Naiqama, Ryan Simpkins, Eto Nabuli, Tom Humble, Luke Capewell, Anthony Cherrington and Vaipuna Tia Kilifi.

In their place comes Apisai Koroisau and Tupou Sopoaga who both should see their share of NRL action with the Pan-thers in 2015 while Rodney Coates and Nuu Akerpia will also add some depth to what should be a young but talented squad at coach Garth Brennans disposal in 2015.

Canterbury on the other hand will need to overcome the loss of the likes of Krisnan Inu, Reni Maitua, Lachlan Burr, Drury Low and Harlan Alaalatoa, if they want to improve on their lowly 2014 table position but theres little doubt Curtis Rona, Jacob Loko and Antonio Kaufusi

will prove to be more than handy replace-ments as they push their claims for inclu-sion in the Bulldogs NRL squad.

Penrith come into Round 1 with their share of injury issues with Nathan Smith, Tom Eisenhuth, Daniel Foster and Brendan Attwood unavailable.

Nonetheless the Panthers have still announced a very strong side with seven players having NRL experience and five of last years premiership winning side se-lected for this game. Adam Docker, Waqa Blake and Sam Anderson will all make their first appearance for 2015 while two players, Christian Chrichton and James Fisher-Harris, will make their NSW Cup debuts. Adrian Davis, Tupou Sopoaga, Rodney Coates and Nuu Akerpia will make their club debuts.

Canterbury are relatively injury-free and will be anything but pushovers having named a strong side containing six players with NRL experience includ-ing Antonio Kaufusi making his club debut, complementing the likes of Chase Stanley, Moses Mbye, Corey Thompson, Damien Cook and Lloyd Perrett Jnr.

In 2014, Penrith won both games against the Bulldogs and with no love lost between these two sides expect things to heat up on the field once again.

HOLDEN CUP NSW CUP

Penriths Holden Cup team will be coached by two former players this season in Cameron Ciraldo and Kevin Kingston.

Ciraldo, who retired at the Panthers back in 2013, will lead the side with Kingston, who retired at the end of last season, his assistant.

Itll be a big year for Penriths young guns who will be hoping to regain their dominance in the National Youth Com-petition.

After winning the coveted title in 2013, the Panthers U20s took a massive hit last season with many players promoted to the NSW Cup, which in turn saw the side miss finals footy by the skin of their teeth.

If Penriths pre-season trial form is anything to go by, they could be back on top once again.

During their most recent trial against the Parramatta Eels, the Panthers de-feated their western Sydney rivals in a gutsy performance 28-24.

The match, played in wet conditions at Penrith Stadium, went right down to the wire with the Eels hitting the lead by two with a few minutes remaining.

Just when the game looked done and dusted, the Panthers regrouped to put

big Oliver Clark over for the thrilling win.

In Penriths other two trials, they hammered the Sydney Roosters 36-20 in Wyong and lost a closely contested match 16-14 to the Wests Tigers in Windsor.

Players to look out for in season 2015 include halfback Soni Luke, prop Oliver Clark, centre Brent Naden, five-eighth Tyrone May, and wingers Christian Chrichton and Joshua Jay.

TWO CLUB VETERANS TO COACH RISING STARS IN THE UNDER 20S COMPETITION THIS SEASON

THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED: CAN PENRITH GO BACK TO BACK IN NSW CUP COMPETITION?

Kevin Kingston

BY NATHAN TAYLOR

BY STEW MOSES

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