Panthers roaring again
Deja vu all over again, mate.
The mighty Penrith Panthers are somehow back in the NRL grand final — for a fifth straight year, which is bonkers in the modern world of salary caps and proper talent equalisation.
Regular readers may be aware my allegiance to the Panthers stretches back some 35 years, to when my late mother Gail brought me back a Penrith hoodie from a trip across the Ditch.
If they win again tomorrow night? I’m going to suggest that will be the greatest achievement by any New Zealand or Australian rugby or league team in 50 years.
Just a shame those nasty Melbourne Storm blokes are in the way. They are warm favourites, unfortunately.
Days of glory
Sport can be a powerful unifying force, as we know, but it can also be a magnificently individual obsession.
So, in light of what I have just said about my Panthers, here is an extremely self-indulgent top 10 list of my favourite championships from the teams I follow.
1. Liverpool Premier League (2019-20). What a team. Ended 30 years of hurt. I cried — to be fair, I cried a lot that year. Danke, Juergen.
2. Liverpool Champions League (2005). The miracle of Istanbul, when Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan. Never screamed so loudly.
3. North Otago NPC (2002). Beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 43-19 in the old third division final. I cried etc.
4. Blood Match (2017). My Waitaki Boys’ lads crushed St Kevin’s 29-0. I cried etc.
5. North Otago Meads Cup (2007). A sublime Old Golds performance.
6. Penrith Panthers NRL grand final (2023). A fifth premiership in my lifetime, and the most memorable. Nathan Cleary!
7. Liverpool FA Cup (2006). The Steven Gerrard final. Rated slightly ahead of the 2001 Michael Owen final.
8. Boston Red Sox (2004). I was in the US when the Sawx ended their 86-year World Series drought.
9. St Louis Rams (2000). Won the Super Bowl, and Kurt Warner made me an NFL fan.
10. North Otago Meads Cup (2019). Unexpected and magnificent. They will rise again.
Honourable mentions to the amazing Valley club rugby team that went 18 from 18 (2005), my beloved Otago Rebels (1998), that peak Queensland State of Origin team (2006-13), and the New York Knicks when they eventually win a championship.
Back in black
Any thoughts on the All Blacks squad being named on Monday for the northern tour?
Seems unlikely there will be any bolters, and the fact a second-string All Blacks XV is named at the same time could mean some weird mixing and matching.
Cam Roigard — as long as he gets through his NPC comeback — can rejoin the halfback crew alongside Cortez Ratima and Noah Hotham.
That really is a fantastic trio that should serve the All Blacks for years to come, and there is still Finlay Christie — people forget he started a test this year — and Highlanders sparkplug Folau Fakatava in the wings.
I would bring in Hurricanes starlet Peter Lakai to join the loose forwards.
Dalton Papali’i is another decent option at No 7, and my hope is we see at least one test with Ardie Savea at openside and Wallace Sititi at the back of the scrum.
Samisoni Taukei’aho is unavailable with a calf injury so East Otago product George Bell will travel as one of the three hookers.
Presumably, the likes of Harry Plummer and Josh Lord will go with the All Blacks XV and be on hand should the top team need them.
Otago fans might be keen to see if Oliver Haig, Christian Lio-Willie and Cameron Millar are in the mix for the second-stringers.
The once-mighty NPC
These are odd times for the National Provincial Championship.
Since 1976, it has held a vital role in the New Zealand rugby landscape — but does it have a future?
Professionalism and the introduction/expansion of other competitions have downgraded its status, and dozens of format changes have alienated supporters.
The stands are now mostly empty, and all the talk is of massive change coming as a new television broadcast deal threatens to bring down some austerity measures.
Stay tuned for a special series in the Otago Daily Times examining the NPC and where it might head.
Southern snub
There has been the odd grumble about the Highlanders, whose 2025 draw was released this week, ignoring Invercargill for a second season in a row.
I’m on the fence.
Rugby Park is obviously not in the greatest state, and the Highlanders must maximise every bit of income they can get, so it is understandable all seven home games will be at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
But it would also be ideal if one game a year could be played down in Vegas. It would be a fair reward for a region whose fans are sticking by the Stags, who have won five of their past 36 games, and need encouragement to give the Landers the same love.
We can also safely assume the Highlanders will be captained by a Southlander, Ethan de Groot, for many seasons to come.
