The Penrith Panthers’ NRL title defence is in turmoil after suffering a fourth consecutive loss, casting serious doubt over their premiership hopes.
Friday night’s 22-18 defeat to the Cowboys was a tough pill to swallow, particularly with an embarrassing blunder marring Isaah Yeo’s 250-game milestone and a critical missed opportunity from Casey McLean late in the game. In a moment that left fans fuming, McLean squandered a likely match-winning try by failing to pass to Tom Jenkins, opting instead to go himself and being stopped short — a play labelled “unforgivable” by supporters online.
The night was meant to be a celebration for Yeo, who became the first player in club history to notch 250 appearances. His family joined him for a pre-game ceremony, but fans quickly spotted a glaring error on the commemorative jerseys: the date was listed as 4/3/2025 instead of the correct April date. The blunder drew comparisons to St George Illawarra’s infamous ‘Dargons’ jersey mishap from last year and left fans and journalists shaking their heads.
That error set the tone for a disappointing night, as Penrith gave up an 18-12 halftime lead. Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi bagged a double, while Viliami Vailea and Jaxon Purdue also crossed to complete the comeback — a statement win for Todd Payten’s side after their rough start to the season.
For Penrith, it marked their first four-game losing streak since 2019 and their worst start to a season (1-4) in more than a decade, dating back to 2013 when they failed to make the finals. Even with co-captain Nathan Cleary returning from a concussion, the Panthers couldn’t stop the slide — although they nearly pulled off a dramatic finish.
Late in the game, Brad Schneider and Isaiah Papali’i combined to send McLean into open space with Jenkins unmarked outside him. With a clear two-on-one, McLean just needed to draw the last defender and pass. Instead, he dummied and went himself — only to be shut down by Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater. On the following play, Paul Alamoti was bundled into touch as another chance went begging.
Fans were quick to criticise McLean’s costly decision, with some even questioning whether it could be his final first-grade appearance for the year.
The defeat was made worse by the fact that North Queensland played without co-captain Reuben Cotter, who withdrew due to illness, and even managed a try while down to 12 men after Reece Robson was sin-binned for a high tackle.
Coach Ivan Cleary admitted post-match that the Panthers were in “uncharted waters” and struggled to explain the team’s struggles. “The rhythm isn’t quite there,” he said. “Some of the mistakes we’re seeing are really out of character — from players who don’t normally make them. It’s new for me too. We’ve built a strong winning culture at this club, and now it’s about getting back to focusing on the things we can control.”
