For the third season in a row, the Penrith Panthers will be the defending premiers, while the rest of the competition try to reach their level of consistency and success.
However, this year it took the best 20 minutes of halfback Nathan Cleary's career to slowly but surely turn the tide for his team in the grand final against Brisbane and become the first team in 40 years to achieve a premiership three-peat.
With key personnel moving to other clubs and speculation swirling around the future of star five-eighth Jarome Luai, questions are again being asked about whether the Panthers can continue their dominance.
NRL.com examines the key talking points for the Panthers as they launch into the 2024 pre-season.
Will the Panthers be ‘a fourth’ to be reckoned with?
It is not so much who is going to stop Penrith but a question of whether Ivan Cleary's men can maintain their level of consistency to achieve not only a fifth straight grand final appearance, but go on to claim their fourth title in a row. While you can’t really compare eras, it’s something that has not been done since the Dragons reigned supreme through the 1950s and 1960s to claim a world record 11 consecutive premierships. While this current Panthers side have undeniably lost some of their more potent strike weapons to rivals, they have pathways in place to help unearth the next level of talent, with players ready and able to make the step up. However, as their latest last-gasp victory against the Broncos in the grand final demonstrated, it will be tough for the men from the foot of the Blue Mountains to maintain their perch atop the NRL summit, with opposition teams aiming up for their shot at the champions.
The top 5 plays from Grand Final Day, 2023
Will Luai be back in black beyond this next season?
Love him or hate him, Jarome Luai does not seem to really care either way and has also shown he’s comfortable being the topic of discussion when it comes to his playing future. Currently contracted to the Panthers for 2024 only, there is no deal done yet beyond this season, although the club would no doubt prefer the three-time premiership winner remains to continue his partnership with Nathan Cleary. However, rugby league careers can be short, so it is beyond reasonable for the Samoa and New South Wales representative to explore what he’s worth on the open market, with plenty of clubs on the lookout for experienced halves. While his style of play is considered more off-the-cuff rather than being an organiser – which would affect how he’d fit into a new set-up – Luai has some thinking to do in the short-term, with both the club and the player presumably keen to have his contract situation sorted sooner rather than later.
From the Winner's sheds: Jarome Luai
Can the Panthers overcome the bite of salary cap pressure?
The Panthers have lost more than 300 games of NRL experience with Stephen Crichton, Spencer Leniu, Jaeman Salmon, Jack Cogger and Tom Jenkins all moving to rival clubs. While Salmon, Cogger and Jenkins all played their part in Penrith’s recent run of success, replacing the contributions of Leniu and Crichton especially will be crucial to them remaining a dominant force. While Penrith’s junior development and pathways has enabled them to pull up players they can rely on to slot into first grade and play their role, the departures will take some covering and the club will hoping their replacements, who include a returning Daine Laurie, can produce the same high-quality performances.
Fisher-Harris leads from the front
Can JFH go to the next level as a leader?
James Fisher-Harris had a year to remember in 2023, beginning with co-captaining the Māori All Stars in front of a home crowd in New Zealand, earning a Dally M Prop of the Year nomination, winning his third premiership with the club and finishing the football calendar by leading the Kiwis to a record victory against Australia to take out the Pacific Championships. Viewed more as a player who lets his actions do the talking on the field, he was already seen as someone his teammates – and his fellow forwards in particular – were inspired to follow, but with his growing experience in leadership roles this past year, can this push him to climb even further with his performances?
Is there enough kudos given to coach Cleary?
Since returning to the Panthers after his stint with the Tigers, Ivan Cleary has presided over the most dominant period in recent NRL history, with the Panthers winning the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and also making the grand final in 2020. While he won coach of the year honours in both 2014 and 2020, where the club also claimed the first of their three minor premierships in four years, Cleary’s name is not often mentioned in the top three coaches in the NRL. Given his achievements at the helm of the Panthers, a club with a strong Pasifika representation, and the fact he also found success at the Warriors where an understanding and embrace of the multiple cultures of Aotearoa is essential to get the most out of players, it seems amiss that the former Kiwis assistant has not added to his international coaching experience, particularly with a Pacific team. Cleary, who took the Warriors to the 2011 grand final, also showed plenty of class this season when – unprompted during a post-match press conference – he offered condolences to family and friends of Kyle Turner and support to Daniel Anderson, praising the rugby league community for getting behind his special round. While the Panthers as a club sometimes get levelled with accusations of arrogance, Cleary showed he remains connected to the heart of the game.