League icon Darryl Brohman has warned the Panthers that their preliminary final loss could be more costly to their future premiership hopes than they may think.
A four-year reign over the competition came to an end on Sunday after Penrith’s premiership hopes were stolen away in the final minutes of the clash by the Broncos.
A dynasty that had been built on resilience and composure was then shadowed by disappointment, which Nathan Cleary admitted he hopes to never experience again.
The fact that the Panthers made it into a preliminary final was one that shocked many, given after 12 rounds they sat at the bottom of the ladder.
But a mid-season shake up and resurgence changed the minds of many.
Panthers look dejected after their defeat.
Panthers players react after their preliminary final defeat. Getty
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary refused to accept post-match that his playing group’s dominance had come to an end and declared “there is more (left) in us”.
But Brohman, a former Panther himself, fears that will not be the case.
“I think it is over,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus.
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“It will hurt them losing that game the other day, and I think it is over.
“As much as I think they are a great club, a great side, well coached and got so much going for them, I think it is really hard (to return to such dominance).
“You’ve won four in a row, the disappointment of losing last week and missing out on the fifth will hurt them more than they think at the moment.
“I think their reign is over… I don’t think they will be winning anything in the next three years. I am hard but fair.”
Penrith have yet to sign any player for the 2026 season, but they have farewelled Mavrik Geyer to the Tigers and Brad Schneider to the Dolphins.
While it remains unclear if they will look to sign someone when the market opens on November 1, Brohman would be surprised if they don’t lose more stars this year.
“I think other sides are gaining with players, whereas they’ve been losing players over the last four years and might lose a couple this year,” he said.
“What they’ve done is absolutely incredible, but I just think they might just continue to run out of juice.
“I know they’ve got the greatest player in the game in Nathan Cleary running the game, but there is no doubt that they will lose some more players.”
