Panthers in crushing post-grand final blow as showpiece event 'abandoned' over player concern
Penrith players might be robbed of another chance to capture the one trophy that has eluded them.
It's the one title the all-conquering Penrith Panthers have been unable to land. And rugby league's congested international program appears to have robbed them of the opportunity to put things right after club chief executive Brian Fletcher claimed the Panthers won't take part in the competition.
Ivan Cleary's men may have won four straight NRL premierships – collecting a swag of individual awards along the way – but the World Club Challenge is the one trophy to elude them. Penrith has contested four WCC matches – in 1991, 2004, 2023 and 2024 – against England's best Super League clubs and lost them all.
In 1991 they were beaten 21-4 by Wigan at Anfield – home of Liverpool FC – and returned in 2004, only to go down 22-4 to Bradford. In 2022, Covid robbed the Panthers of the chance to play St Helens in the final.
The NRL premiers hosted Super League champions St Helens at Penrith Stadium in 2023 but were edged 13-12 in a shock defeat. A year later they travelled to the north of England only to suffer a controversial 16-12 loss to Wigan.
The Panthers' 14-6 win over Melbourne in Sunday night's NRL decider had earned them a fifth crack at the WCC title, which is due to be played in Australia early next year. But due to fears of player burnout, the Panthers have already withdrawn from the competition – scheduled for February 15-16.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, chief executive Brian Fletcher claimed the club would not take part in the event considering there was no room in the schedule to play the game before the start of the new NRL season. The Panthers will have up to 11 players competing in the international matches in the coming weeks.
Wigan not willing to travel to Australia for World Club Challenge
Wigan, who meet Hull KR in next weekend's Super League grand final, reportedly indicated it is unwilling to travel to Australia should it qualify for the WCC showpiece. The Warriors are locked in to play Warrington as part of the festival of rugby league in Las Vegas on March 1 – the same day Penrith take on Cronulla as part of a four-match extravaganza at Allegiant Stadium.
It's understood the English club agreed to be part of the Las Vegas promotion on the proviso it would not be forced to head "down under" for the WCC play-off. Hull KR had indicated it will travel to Australia to contest the WCC should it win the Super League title. However, the Panthers have not waited for the result with management having informed the NRL they won't compete.
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The likes of Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Brian To'o, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo could now finish their careers without adding the prestigious winners' medal to their collection. "It’s one thing we haven’t been able to do (win a World Club Challenge)," Penrith coach Ivan Cleary pointed out. "We’ve had (four) attempts at it in our history (and) it would be nice to be the first Panthers team to get one."
Nathan Cleary added: "As a club, we haven't won the World Club Challenge, so that's another thing we want to do, get the final trophy in the cabinet. It's a great challenge but also a great opportunity and the end goal would be special."
