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Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based 55 km (34 mi) west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
Penrith were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition in 1967. Penrith struggled for almost twenty years before finally reaching their first finals series. The club achieved its first grand final appearance in 1990 but were beaten by the Canberra Raiders 18–14. The following year, Penrith met Canberra again in the 1991 Grand Final, this time winning the game 19–12.
Penrith won their second NRL premiership in 2003. Their most recent premiership achievement came in 2024, where they defeated the Melbourne Storm by 14–6 in the Grand Final. After losing the 2020 grand final to the Melbourne Storm, Penrith became the second club to retain the premiership in the NRL era as well as the first to win three and subsequently four premierships, winning the 2021, 2022, 2023, and the 2024 Grand Finals.
Ivan Cleary was appointed head coach in October 2018, having previously served in the same role between 2012–15. On 13 May 2026, Ivan Cleary announced he would step down as head coach at the end of the 2027 season, remaining at the club in an advisory role. He is set to be succeeded by assistant coach and former rugby league player Peter Wallace.
Former Penrith premiership winning head coach Phil Gould was the club's general manager but departed in 2019.
Varied Penrith teams had played for many years between 1912 and 1966 in the Western Districts League under the control of the Western Suburbs RLFC. In the Parramatta competition after Parramatta was admitted to the NSWRL in 1947, and also in a second-tier Sydney competition introduced by the NSWRL in 1962. By this time a single top level rugby league team had emerged in the Penrith area and in 1964 they became known as the Penrith Panthers. The Panther had been chosen as the Penrith emblem after a public competition won by a graphic artist from Emu Plains named Deidre Copeland.[citation needed]
In 1966 word was out that the New South Wales Rugby League in 1967 would introduce two new teams to the Sydney premiership. There were three teams vying for the two proposed slots, Penrith, Cronulla-Sutherland, and the Wentworthville Magpies. Cronulla-Sutherland had been assured of one place, leaving Penrith and Wentworthville to fight it out for the other place. The NSWRL eventually settled on Penrith due to their location and a win in the 1966 Second Division title.[citation needed]
After admission to the competition in 1967, they came second last (11th) on the competition ladder finishing only ahead of fellow 1967 newcomers Cronulla-Sutherland. Hopes were raised in 1968 under new Captain-Coach Bob Boland when they won the pre-season competition and finished 8th, but this improvement proved to be short-lived.[citation needed]
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Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based 55 km (34 mi) west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
Penrith were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition in 1967. Penrith struggled for almost twenty years before finally reaching their first finals series. The club achieved its first grand final appearance in 1990 but were beaten by the Canberra Raiders 18–14. The following year, Penrith met Canberra again in the 1991 Grand Final, this time winning the game 19–12.
Penrith won their second NRL premiership in 2003. Their most recent premiership achievement came in 2024, where they defeated the Melbourne Storm by 14–6 in the Grand Final. After losing the 2020 grand final to the Melbourne Storm, Penrith became the second club to retain the premiership in the NRL era as well as the first to win three and subsequently four premierships, winning the 2021, 2022, 2023, and the 2024 Grand Finals.
Ivan Cleary was appointed head coach in October 2018, having previously served in the same role between 2012–15. On 13 May 2026, Ivan Cleary announced he would step down as head coach at the end of the 2027 season, remaining at the club in an advisory role. He is set to be succeeded by assistant coach and former rugby league player Peter Wallace.
Former Penrith premiership winning head coach Phil Gould was the club's general manager but departed in 2019.
Varied Penrith teams had played for many years between 1912 and 1966 in the Western Districts League under the control of the Western Suburbs RLFC. In the Parramatta competition after Parramatta was admitted to the NSWRL in 1947, and also in a second-tier Sydney competition introduced by the NSWRL in 1962. By this time a single top level rugby league team had emerged in the Penrith area and in 1964 they became known as the Penrith Panthers. The Panther had been chosen as the Penrith emblem after a public competition won by a graphic artist from Emu Plains named Deidre Copeland.[citation needed]
In 1966 word was out that the New South Wales Rugby League in 1967 would introduce two new teams to the Sydney premiership. There were three teams vying for the two proposed slots, Penrith, Cronulla-Sutherland, and the Wentworthville Magpies. Cronulla-Sutherland had been assured of one place, leaving Penrith and Wentworthville to fight it out for the other place. The NSWRL eventually settled on Penrith due to their location and a win in the 1966 Second Division title.[citation needed]
After admission to the competition in 1967, they came second last (11th) on the competition ladder finishing only ahead of fellow 1967 newcomers Cronulla-Sutherland. Hopes were raised in 1968 under new Captain-Coach Bob Boland when they won the pre-season competition and finished 8th, but this improvement proved to be short-lived.[citation needed]