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Panthers cop backlash over World Club Challenge withdrawal as NRL urged to take action

Fans have torched Penrith over the plans to ditch the showpiece event in 2025.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read

The NRL is being urged to step in and force the Penrith Panthers to play the World Club Challenge after their CEO revealed on Tuesday there's "no way in the world" they'll be taking part. The showpiece event featuring the best team in the NRL and best in the UK Super League has been thrown into major doubt, with Wigan stating they won't travel down under if they win the grand final in England.

The annual match has been tentatively scheduled for February 15 next year, and there was hopes it could be played in Australia. But last year's champion Wigan don't want to make the trip if they win the Super League grand final this weekend.

And the Panthers put the match on life support on Tuesday when chief executive Brian Fletcher said the team won't be taking part. Fletcher said February 15 is far too early to play a pre-season game, citing fears of player burnout on top of international matches set to be played this month.

Penrith Panthers players.
The Penrith Panthers lost to Wigan in this year's World Club Challenge, and don't want to play it in 2025 . Image: Getty

The Panthers will head to Las Vegas for the start of the NRL season on March 2, and Fletcher thinks playing the World Club Challenge two weeks prior will be too much. The club wants to be in America at least 10 days before their match against Cronulla.

“You couldn’t put the players through it. We can’t play it, we don’t have the time span,” Fletcher told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s impractical. There’s no way in the world we could fit it into the schedule. Our coaches and football department have said the players couldn’t stand up to it.

“The amount of football that they’ve played and then a World Club Challenge before we go to Vegas – it becomes too much. Player welfare is the biggest problem. We have 20-odd players in the Pacific Test matches as well and we have a lot of surgery to be done on players over the off-season."

Wigan, pictured here after winning the World Club Challenge earlier this year.
Wigan have also stated they won't travel to Australia for the World Club Challenge if they win the Super League. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

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But fans have panned the explanation on social media, with many pointing out the World Club Challenge is always played in February anyway. Last year's game was played on February 25, and the year before it was February 18.

The fact the Panthers have to head to Vegas adds a curveball into the mix, but the majority believe it's part and parcel of being the premiers. Part of being the NRL competition winner is representing Australia in the World Club Challenge, and many believe the NRL should step in and demand the Panthers take part.

Many have pointed out that Kalyn Ponga wasn't allowed to withdraw from Kangaroos selection due to burnout fears, so why should the whole Panthers team be permitted to skip a game that helps promote rugby league on an international scale? Under the collective bargaining agreement, all players must have an eight-week break at the end of the season before returning to pre-season.

The last international matches of the year will happen on the weekend of November 2 and 3, meaning the Panthers will be back into pre-season training in early January. So how is a match six weeks later too much of an ask?

The Panthers are copping plenty of backlash on social media, with fans labelling their plan to ditch the World Club Challenge "pathetic" and "embarrassing". Many are also questioning why the match isn't simply played in Vegas given the NRL and Super League clubs will both be there in 2025.