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Penrith’s Sorensen passed fit for NRL grand final

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Ivan Cleary has no concerns about throwing Scott Sorensen into the cauldron of an NRL grand final after clearing the Penrith forward to feature against Melbourne.

Cleary confirmed on Saturday that Sorensen was fit to take the field in Sunday’s decider after being sidelined for the past month with a hamstring issue.

The Penrith coach would not confirm who would drop out for Sorensen, but the return of the New Zealand international is a significant boost for the Panthers.

“He’ll be playing. It’s awesome. Sorro’s been a big part of our team the last three years,” Cleary said on Saturday. 

“He’s a real soldier in our team.

“Everyone was pretty bummed when he got injured a few weeks ago (against Parramatta) and it looked like that was the end for him this year. 

“He was really devastated. To be able to work so hard and get back and for him to be able to make a contribution tomorrow is really good.

“Last week he definitely was (pushing to play and) if it was a round game throughout the year, you probably wouldn’t do it, but we definitely considered it. 

“In the end it was just too big a risk, so we were always hoping we’d win the game and we’d be able to give him a chance this week. He has ticked every box.”

Cleary, however, would not be drawn on which player would miss out.

Matt Eisenhuth – a long-serving player at Penrith, who has yet to win an NRL grand final – looms as the most likely casualty of Sorensen being given the all-clear.

Still named on the bench as the Panthers trimmed their squad 24 hours before kick-off, Eisenhuth said earlier this week he would have no issue making way for a fit-again Sorensen. 

Daine Laurie is the other Penrith player alongside Sorensen to be spared the axe from the Panthers’ extended squad.

“That’s the real downer when it comes to this time of year and these sorts of games,” Cleary said.

“You’d love them all to play but they can’t, unfortunately.

“We’ll confirm the 17 tomorrow (on Sunday) … I’ve got things covered.”

Sorensen’s inclusion gives Penrith an extra experienced head to match it in the middle against a Storm side deprived of Nelson Asofa-Solomona due to suspension.

“They (the Storm) had a great season and they’ve been very dominant in their two finals games,” Cleary said. 

“When you get to grand final day you expect to play against the best. That’s certainly the case for us.

“It’s the old saying, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best, and we are looking forward to that challenge.”  

Written by: George Clarke © AAP

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Sport

To Hull and back: Panther Schneider eyes NRL redemption

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A little over 18 months ago, Brad Schneider was given a week’s notice to pack up his life and head to the Super League knowing his dream of becoming an NRL player could be over.

Fast forward to Sunday’s grand final against Melbourne and the 23-year-old Panthers utility has the chance to come off the bench and cap his second coming in Australia with a premiership ring.

Penrith fans know how vital the impact of supersub Jack Cogger was to last year’s grand final success and with question marks over Nathan Cleary’s fitness, Schneider has to be ready to step into the fold.

If Schneider gets on the park it will complete a whirlwind period in which he was shown the door by NRL club Canberra and had to resurrect his career in England with Hull Kingston Rovers. 

Signed by the late, great talent scout Peter Mulholland, Schneider was once touted to become a star halfback for Canberra after captaining his school to the national title.

He was named the Raiders’ rookie of the year in 2022, but mid-2023 it began to dawn on him that he was no longer in the Green Machine’s plans.

“I probably wasn’t in contention for any spots, at least it didn’t feel like I was,” Schneider told AAP. 

“I got that feeling pretty quickly and I was pretty lucky that Hull KR came in for me.

“All I wanted to do was play regularly and there was an opportunity in England.

“There was a feeling of ‘holy crap, I’m going to England’, I’d never been before and it happened in a week. 

“There’s a few examples of people who have gone over there and then come back … I always wanted to come back, but whether it would happen or not I really wasn’t sure.”

Luckily for Schneider he started to realise his potential in a 12-match stint with KR.

In his first two games he kicked match-winning field goals, the second of which came in golden point and booked Rovers a Challenge Cup final berth.  

He played at Wembley in a narrow final loss and took the club within 80 minutes of the Super League grand final.

Penrith came calling not long after and Schneider has proven a shrewd acquisition, deputising while Cleary and Luai have been out of the Panthers side at various points throughout this season. 

“Ivan (Cleary) has been awesome for me and my development,” Schneider said. 

“It’s pretty cool having been on that side of the world and then to be part of a grand final team is pretty crazy.

“Seeing what happened last year with ‘Coggs’ and how he went on and handled it, you know you’ve got to be ready for anything.” 

Written by: George Clarke © AAP

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Rugby League

Panthers insist hunger remains despite Cleary doubts

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Penrith Panthers players insist their desire for a fourth consecutive premiership has not waned despite suggestions from coach Ivan Cleary the Panthers are lacking hunger on the run to NRL finals.

Saturday’s surprise 22-18 loss to Canberra marked Penrith’s first back-to-back defeats since April last year, the Panthers struggling for cohesion without injured halfback Nathan Cleary.

The timing of the slump is unfortunate for the triple reigning premiers, who now sit fourth on the ladder – lower than at any point in the second half of a season since 2019.

Penrith are at serious risk of forfeiting the top-two finish that appeared a formality only a fortnight ago. With another loss, they could fall out of the top four altogether.

The elder Cleary said on Monday there was “probably a question mark” around Penrith’s desire to keep their winning ways going, but players refuted that claim on Wednesday.

“I’m not satisfied with what we did last year, I definitely want to win again this year,” said second-rower Luke Garner, who plays his 100th NRL game against South Sydney on Friday.

“The hunger is still there, I think it is with all the crew. We’ve just got to maybe change a few things and hopefully we’re on the way to being there at the end of the year again.

“We’re still a good team. We’re still in the top four. I think if we can gain some momentum in the next two games, hopefully the finals can look good for us again.”

Prop Lindsay Smith said it was “disappointing” the Panthers could not win their first game since co-captain Cleary aggravated his shoulder injury in the round-24 loss to Melbourne.

But he remained confident in their premiership credentials.

“Obviously it’s not great to ever have two losses in a row at any stage of the season, whether it’s the start of the season or the end of the season but there’s obviously learnings there,” he said.

“People will be externally questioning our belief but I think internally we’ve got all the belief in the squad that we’ve got.”

The Panthers have made three changes for their penultimate match of the regular season, welcoming Mitch Kenny back from suspension to replace Luke Sommerton at hooker.

Sunia Turuva returns to the right wing after two weeks working on his defence in NSW Cup, with Paul Alamoti back from a broken arm to replace rookie Casey McLean at left centre.

Right centre Izack Tago, below his best in recent weeks, felt Turuva’s recent axing was a wake-up call for the rest of the Panthers.

“Everyone here is a professional athlete so it’s pretty hard,” he said.

“Everyone’s pushing for a spot and it’s just the way things worked out. I’m sure Tito’s grateful to be back in. It’s well-deserved.”

Written By: Jasper Bruce_AAP ©

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