Gotta have faith: Cleary backs his champs to climb off canvas

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary finds himself in uncharted waters on the back of five consecutive defeats but his belief in his players' ability to turn things around is unwavering.

After launching their title defence with a win over the Sharks in Las Vegas, the premiers have gone down to the Roosters, Storm, Rabbitohs, Cowboys and Dolphins - the first time since early in the 2019 season they have lost five on the bounce.

Asked post-match whether his champion side could salvage their season, coach Cleary was typically forthright.

“Of course we can,” he said. “I have faith in the boys, faith in the team, the club.

“It's obviously a little challenging at the moment, that's probably putting it mildly, but we're just not playing well enough; certainly not well enough for long enough.

“Obviously, you need to turn that around, but once we do, I feel like we can definitely get going, but yeah, it's tough times at the moment.”

Having built their dynasty on the back of brick wall defence, the Panthers are giving up 22 points per game in 2025, including three games where they have allowed 30 or more.

“It's pretty obvious that our defence is not up to standard and that's actually having a big effect on the rest of the game,” Cleary said.

“That's just too many weeks where we just can't defend our line early in the game, which just gives the opposition confidence and probably takes ours away a little bit, so that's certainly a big area.

“It’s something that we historically been so good at, so that's probably a little concerning for all of us.

“We've got to get to work and make sure we improve it, because if we don't, then the same things will keep happening.

“But I'm still confident we can improve it - we just need to do it at some point.”

Stats supplied by league historian David Middleton reveal there have only been seven instances of the defending premiers losing five or more games in a row the next season.

The most recent was 2010 champs the Dragons, who lost five in a row between Round 20-24 in 2011 but held their nerve to finish the regular season in fifth place.

Back in 2005, the Bulldogs started the defence of their 2004 premiership solidly enough but the wheels fell off late in the season as they lost their last six matches, conceding 235 points in the process.

Various theories have been put forward as to why the vaunted Penrith system that has propelled them into the record books has failed them in the opening six rounds, with the departure of Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva clearly taking a toll.

While it’s something they have had to contend with every season since their 2021 triumph, it seems that this year the loss of experience is proving hard to overcome.

“We definitely have some young guys and changes in combinations and chemistry, but we also have some guys that have been there a bit as well,” Cleary said.

“There's a bit of that, it’s not so much learning in the system, we're just not getting it done, so it makes it makes life a bit harder.

“Conceding 30 points every week, that puts a lot of pressure on everything else.

“It's not just the players who've lost, but that's the fifth different spine we've had in six weeks as well, so there have been a lot of changes.

“It's early in the season and there's been a lot of tight games that we just haven't won and like I said, if we can improve our defence, it's going to give us a lot more confidence and then it's just a building process from there.

“It looks like doom and gloom, but it can change quickly as well.”

As they look to regroup ahead of a Round 7 showdown with the Roosters, the premiers can take solace in historical data that proves five losses doesn't mean the five-peat dream is over.

In 2006, the Broncos lost five in a row between Rounds 18-23 and went on to win the premiership, while in 2012, Melbourne also suffered five losses on the trot between Round 16-21, before getting back on track to claim the premiership.

Co-captain Isaah Yeo said that while the recent run of results had been challenging, he also shared his coach’s belief that side could turn things around.

“It's certainly uncharted I think since Nathan and myself become captains, but I think it's a wonderful challenge ahead,” Yeo said.

‘There's no point in being a victim towards it, I think you sort of pull your shoulders back, look at it all head on and that's what we're doing.

“I think the more you can bank your quality at training, I think that'll sort of put you in good stead …

“I felt we're doing that, our sessions have actually been good over the last couple of weeks and I think the more we do that, the more there'll be an opportunity for that to turn.

“But I guess off the back of that too, you need to make sure you're looking at yourself in the mirror, keeping yourself accountable, and then hoping that trickles on through the team as well.

“I've certainly got all the belief and confidence that once we sort of do turn this around that we can go on a run."