Penrith Panthers

Head Coach Report2008 represented our second season of transition since my commencement as Head Coachwith the Penrith Panthers. Over this two-year period we have witnessed a continuity ofpreparation, from our Under-16s right through to the top grade. That has obviously facilitatedthe progression of players from the Under-18s into the Under-20s and then on to the first gradeteam.A direct result of that process has seen seven players from the Under-20s squad make theirfirst grade debut. The model for this transition and the club development has been based onthe endeavours of a number of overseas sporting clubs that have been able to create longtermsuccess. In Australia, the model has been operational with some AFL clubs, including the2008 premiers, Hawthorn. The ideals behind the change have been to maximise our chances ofbeing successful over a longer period of time. To expound, Hawthorn experienced three verydisappointing years before their young players took them to a grand final.The bigger picture and the longer term view of where we are and what we have been ableto achieve becomes apparent in the development programs. Player development, systemsdevelopment and preparation development has set us up with an extremely strong juniorbase and a very, very talented group of players. That group of players are capable of deliveringsuccess to the club over a period that spans over a full decade.The Panthers’ modest form at the back end of the 2008 season, particularly from Round 21on, denied us the opportunity of finishing in a position we believed the team was capable ofattaining, especially in view of the fact that we were running sixth at the conclusion of Round20. Specifically, throughout the season we did see the team develop and play the type of modernfootball that is required, and watch that style progressing to a more expansive game. Thechallenge for us now as a club is to take advantage of that evolution and to keep a core group of10 to 12 players together over an extended time period. We will need to strengthen that groupwith players drawn from within our own the ranks, primarily because of our abundant depthof youthful talent as well as salary cap restrictions as they exist at present.Kumuls World Cup team with Paul Aiton and KeithPeters both having outstanding tournaments, whileyoung front-rower Sam McKendy played for theNZ Maoris. Luke Lewis played City Origin and wascalled in the NSW Origin squad as a stand-by playerfor the Sydney game.We farewelled some club stalwarts – Luke Priddis,Tony Puletua, Rhys Wesser, Luke Rooney and ShaneRodney – at the end of the season. All these playerswere here when the Panthers last won a title. Whilethere is an undeniable sadness surrounding theirMatt ElliottHead Coachdepartures, all have gone on to secure themselves other opportunities that will help extendtheir careers. While their departures represent an end of an era they can also signal the start ofa new, exciting era.The real test of what we have been trying to introduce and establish in the past two years willbe seen in season 2009. While the Panthers may be short on experience with our young team,we are most definitely not short on talent. What we have in our midst is not only the nextgeneration of NRL players, but NRL star players.On an individual level, Petero Civoniceva represented both Queensland and Australia andwas an outstanding mentor for young players and is one of the best ambassadors the Penrithclub has seen. Other players who represented in 2008 were the Puletua brothers who playedfor Samoa along with Junior Moors; Michael Jennings made the Australian Prime Minister’steam along with Maurice Blair, with both players going on to play for Tonga in the World Cupand in the Indigenous team, respectively. The Panthers had very good representation in the9