# 2016 Penrith Panthers season

The 2016 Penrith Panthers season was the 50th in the club's history. Coached by Anthony Griffin and captained by Matt Moylan, the Panthers competed in the NRL's 2016 Telstra Premiership. They also competed in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines pre-season tournament.
The Panthers started their season with a string of close results, but failed to win consecutive games during the competition's opening two months. Over the course of the year, new coach Anthony Griffin redefined who was already well established within the team, and experienced playmakers Jamie Soward and James Segeyaro would later be released from their contracts mid-season. The Panthers finished the regular season with seven wins from their final eight games, securing 6th position and a place in the finals series.

## Jersey and Sponsors

The Panthers' 2016 jersey, made by ASICS, was designed to commemorate the club's 50th season. The names of all those who have played 50 or more games for the club adorn the front of the jersey, while the back of the jersey features all five of the Panthers logos, past and present. Unlike the black and teal colour combination used in previous seasons, the Panthers adopted a black and golden brown colour scheme in 2016. The home jersey is black with golden brown panels and the away jersey is the inverse. OAK Milk again featured as the major sponsor, with Hertz once more on the sleeve.
On three occasions during the season, the Panthers wore unique heritage jerseys to celebrate the club's history. The celebratory jerseys were based on jersey designs from previous seasons, but were remade in the style of the current jerseys. The 1967 heritage jersey, worn against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in round 2, was based on the club's 'Chocolate Soldiers' jersey from their inaugural 1967 season. The 1991 heritage jersey, worn against the Canberra Raiders in round 9, was based on the jersey worn during the club's premiership winning 1991 season. Likewise, the 2003 heritage jersey, worn against the Sydney Roosters in round 22, was based on the jersey worn during the club's premiership winning 2003 season. Listed on each of the jerseys is the names of all those who played for the club in that respective season.
* 1967 heritage jersey
* 1991 heritage jersey
* 2003 heritage jersey

## Squad
### Player transfers

A † denotes that the transfer occurred during the 2016 season.
Gains :
| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Sitaleki Akauola | Wests Tigers | |
| Zach Dockar-Clay | Parramatta Eels | 2017 |
| Benjamin Garcia | Catalans Dragons (Super League) | 2017 |
| Chris Grevsmuhl† | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2018 |
| Josh Hall | Gold Coast Suns (AFL – Australian rules) | 2017 |
| Zak Hardaker† | Leeds Rhinos (Super League) | 2016 (on loan) |
| Andrew Heffernan | Canberra Raiders | |
| Peta Hiku | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 2018 |
| Viliame Kikau | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Te Maire Martin | Wests Tigers | 2018 |
| Suaia Matagi | Sydney Roosters | 2016 |
| Trent Merrin | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2018 |
Losses :
| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Sam Anderson | Redcliffe Dolphins (QLD Cup) | 2017 |
| Lewis Brown | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 2018 |
| Adam Docker | Retirement | - |
| Daniel Foster | Easts Tigers (QLD Cup) | 2017 |
| Benjamin Garcia† | Catalans Dragons (Super League) | 2018 |
| Jamal Idris | Released | - |
| Isaac John | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 2016 |
| Brent Kite | Retirement | - |
| Apisai Koroisau | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 2018 |
| Sika Manu | Hull F.C. (Super League) | |
| Kieren Moss | Parramatta Eels | 2016 |
| Ben Murdoch-Masila | Salford Red Devils (Super League) | |
| Nigel Plum | Retirement | - |
| Sam Scarlett | Brisbane Broncos | |
| James Segeyaro† | Leeds Rhinos (Super League) | 2016 |
| David Simmons | Retirement | - |
| Chris Smith† | Sydney Roosters | 2017 |
| Jamie Soward† | London Broncos (Championship) | |
| Shaun Spence | Retirement | - |
| Elijah Taylor† | Wests Tigers | 2016 |

## Fixtures
### Auckland Nines

Rangitoto Pool :
| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 4 |
| Newcastle Knights | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 4 |
| Penrith Panthers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 2 |
| Wests Tigers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 56 | −20 | 2 |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 6 February | Game 4 | Wests Tigers | Eden Park | 23–7 | Blake (3), Mansour, Watene-Zelezniak | Cartwright (1/2), Harawira-Naera (0/1), Martin (1/1), W Smith (0/1) | 37,000 |
| Saturday, 6 February | Game 11 | Newcastle Knights | Eden Park | 14–15 | Dockar-Clay, R Jennings, Latimore | Harawira-Naera (0/1), Martin (0/1), W Smith (1/1) | 37,000 |
| Sunday, 7 February | Game 20 | North Queensland Cowboys | Eden Park | 11–15 | Cartwright, Garcia | Cartwright (0/1), Martin (1/1) | 37,000 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 13 February | Trial 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Pepper Stadium | 24–20 | Hall, Martin, C Smith, Taylor, Watene-Zelezniak | Moylan (2/2), Harawira-Naera (0/1), Dockar-Clay (0/1), Cleary (0/1) |
| Saturday, 20 February | Trial 2 | Parramatta Eels | Pepper Stadium | 8–22 | Blake, Mansour | Soward (0/2) |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye |||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 5 March | Round 1 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 30–22 | Hiku, Mansour, Merrin | Soward (5/5) | 11,297 |
| Thursday, 10 March | Round 2 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Pepper Stadium | 16–18 | Hiku, McKendry | Soward (4/4) | 11,125 |
| Saturday, 19 March | Round 3 | Brisbane Broncos | Pepper Stadium | 23–22 | Cartwright, Hiku, Latimore, Martin | Soward (3/5), Martin (1 FG) | 12,086 |
| Sunday, 27 March | Round 4 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 14–12 | Hiku, Mansour | Soward (2/3) | 12,983 |
| Sunday, 3 April | Round 5 | Parramatta Eels | Pirtek Stadium | 18–20 | Cartwright (2), Mansour, Wallace | Soward (2/4) | 15,600 |
| Saturday, 9 April | Round 6 | North Queensland Cowboys | Pepper Stadium | 18–23 | Merrin, Watene-Zelezniak (2) | Soward (3/4) | 13,725 |
| Monday, 18 April | Round 7 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 16–20 | Blake, Martin, Watene-Zelezniak | Soward (4/4) | 10,117 |
| Sunday, 24 April | Round 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Southern Cross Group Stadium | 20–18 | Fisher-Harris (2), Moylan, Yeo | Soward (1/3), Moylan (0/1) | 14,273 |
| Saturday, 30 April | Round 9 | Canberra Raiders | Carrington Park | 19–18 | Cartwright, Hiku, Peachey | Soward (3/4), Wallace (1 FG) | 6,721 |
| Saturday, 14 May | Round 10 | New Zealand Warriors | AMI Stadium | 30–18 | Peachey (3), Soward, Watene-Zelezniak | Soward (5/6) | 18,000 |
| Sunday, 22 May | Round 11 | Gold Coast Titans | Pepper Stadium | 24–28 | Latu, Mansour, Peachey, Watene-Zelezniak | Soward (4/5) | 11,210 |
| | Round 12 | Bye | | | | | |
| Saturday, 4 June | Round 13 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 24–6 | Mansour | Soward (1/1) | 11,116 |
| Sunday, 12 June | Round 14 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval | 24–31 | Cleary, Latu, Mansour, Peachey, Wallace, Watene-Zelezniak | Moylan (0/2, 1 FG), Wallace (3/4) | 12,463 |
| | Round 15 | Bye | | | | | |
| Friday, 24 June | Round 16 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Pepper Stadium | 28–26 | Cleary, Grevsmuhl, Latu, Mansour, Watene-Zelezniak | Cleary (4/5) | 13,080 |
| Saturday, 2 July | Round 17 | Wests Tigers | ANZ Stadium | 34–26 | Fisher-Harris, Mansour, Merrin, Yeo | Cleary (5/5) | 10,582 |
| Sunday, 10 July | Round 18 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Pepper Stadium | 10–26 | Latu, Yeo | Cleary (1/3) | 12,682 |
| Saturday, 16 July | Round 19 | Parramatta Eels | Pepper Stadium | 22–18 | Campbell-Gillard, Cartwright, Mansour, Peachey | Cleary (3/4) | 15,251 |
| Friday, 22 July | Round 20 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 12–31 | Blake, Fisher-Harris, Hardaker, Merrin, Moylan | Cleary (5/6), Moylan (1 FG) | 30,878 |
| Saturday, 30 July | Round 21 | New Zealand Warriors | Mount Smart Stadium | 20–16 | Mansour (2), Peachey | Cleary (2/4) | 13,026 |
| Monday, 8 August | Round 22 | Sydney Roosters | Pepper Stadium | 38–18 | Blake, Cartwright, Cleary, Grevsmuhl, Peachey (2), Yeo | Cleary (5/7) | 9,653 |
| Sunday, 14 August | Round 23 | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Stadium | 6–42 | Blake, Mansour (2), Moylan, Peachey, Watene-Zelezniak (2) | Cleary (7/8) | 13,771 |
| Friday, 19 August | Round 24 | Wests Tigers | Pepper Stadium | 40–10 | Blake, Campbell-Gillard, Cartwright, Fisher-Harris, Merrin, Wallace, Yeo | Cleary (6/7) | 14,876 |
| Saturday, 27 August | Round 25 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 14–15 | Blake, Moylan | Cleary (3/3), Moylan (1 FG) | 18,288 |
| Sunday, 4 September | Round 26 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Pepper Stadium | 36–6 | Blake, Cartwright, Mansour (2), Wallace, Watene-Zelezniak | Cleary (6/6) | 15,411 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Melbourne | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | North Queensland | 10 | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | | | | |
| | | | North Queensland | North Queensland | 26 | | | | |
| 9 Sept, Lang Park | 9 Sept, Lang Park | 9 Sept, Lang Park | Brisbane | Brisbane | 20 | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | | | |
| 5 | Brisbane | 44 | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 14 | |
| 8 | Gold Coast | 28 | | | | Canberra | Canberra | 12 | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia |
| | | | | | | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 12 |
| 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Cronulla | Cronulla | 14 |
| 6 | Penrith | 28 | | | | Cronulla | Cronulla | 32 | | |
| 7 | Canterbury | 12 | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | North Queensland | North Queensland | 20 | | |
| | | | Canberra | Canberra | 22 | | | | | | |
| 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | Penrith | Penrith | 12 | | | | | |
| 2 | Canberra | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Cronulla | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Sunday, 11 September | Elimination Final | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Allianz Stadium | 28–12 | Blake, Mansour, Peachey, Wallace, Watene-Zelezniak | Cleary (4/6) | 22,631 |
| Saturday, 17 September | Semi Final | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 22–12 | Peachey, Watene-Zelezniak | Cleary (2/2) | 21,498 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

## Ladder

2016 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 563 | 302 | +261 | 42 |
| 2 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 688 | 456 | +232 | 39 |
| 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (P) | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 580 | 404 | +176 | 39 |
| 4 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 584 | 355 | +229 | 34 |
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 554 | 434 | +120 | 34 |
| 6 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 563 | 463 | +100 | 32 |
| 7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 506 | 448 | +58 | 32 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 508 | 497 | +11 | 27 |
| 9 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 499 | 607 | −108 | 26 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 513 | 601 | −88 | 24 |
| 11 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 341 | 538 | −197 | 24 |
| 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 473 | 549 | −76 | 22 |
| 13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 454 | 563 | −109 | 20 |
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 298 | 324 | −26 | 18$^1$ |
| 15 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 443 | 576 | −133 | 16 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 305 | 800 | −495 | 7 |
$^1$ Parramatta were deducted 12 competition points and their for/against tally accumulated between rounds 1-9 for gross long-term salary cap breaches.

## Statistics

Player statistics :
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| Sitaleki Akauola | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Waqa Blake | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Reagan Campbell-Gillard | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Bryce Cartwright | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Nathan Cleary | 15 | 3 | 53 | 0 | 118 |
| Dylan Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Fisher-Harris | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Chris Grevsmuhl | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Zak Hardaker | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Peta Hiku | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Jeremy Latimore | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Leilani Latu | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Moses Leota | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam McKendry | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Josh Mansour | 25 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| Te Maire Martin | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Suaia Matagi | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trent Merrin | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Matt Moylan | 21 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
| Tyrone Peachey | 24 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| James Segeyaro | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Smith | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Soward | 12 | 1 | 37 | 0 | 78 |
| Elijah Taylor | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Wallace | 26 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 27 |
| Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | 26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Dean Whare | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaah Yeo | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Totals | 26 | 103 | 93 | 5 | 603 |
Goal kicking :
| Name | GK | GM | GK% |
| Nathan Cleary | 53 | 12 | 81.54 |
| Matt Moylan | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Jamie Soward | 37 | 10 | 78.72 |
| Peter Wallace | 3 | 1 | 75.00 |
| Totals | 93 | 26 | 78.15 |

## Other teams

In addition to competing in the National Rugby League, the Panthers also fielded semi-professional teams in the National Youth Competition's 2016 Holden Cup (for players aged under 20) and the New South Wales Rugby League's 2016 Intrust Super Premiership (NSW Cup). The NYC team was coached by Cameron Ciraldo and captained by Oliver Clark, and the NSW Cup team was coached by Steve Georgallis and captained by Zach Dockar-Clay.

## Representative
### Domestic

| Pos. | Player | Team | Call-up |
| BE | Leilani Latu | Indigenous All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| BE | Tyrone Peachey | Indigenous All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| BE | Jamie Soward | Indigenous All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| BE | Will Smith | Indigenous All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| BE | Trent Merrin | World All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| PR | Reagan Campbell-Gillard | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| SR | Bryce Cartwright | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| PR | Leilani Latu | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| WG | Josh Mansour | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| BE | Tyrone Peachey | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| WG | Isaah Yeo | NSW Country | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| 18$^1$ | Bryce Cartwright | New South Wales | 2016 State of Origin |
| WG | Josh Mansour | New South Wales | 2016 State of Origin |
| FB | Matt Moylan | New South Wales | 2016 State of Origin |
| BE | Matt Moylan | Prime Minister's XIII | 2016 Prime Minister's XIII match |

### International

| Pos. | Player | Team | Call-up |
| CE | Peta Hiku$^2$ | New Zealand | 2016 Anzac Test |
| WG | Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | New Zealand | 2016 Anzac Test |
| HK | Sione Katoa | Tonga | 2016 Polynesian Cup |
| BE | Tupou Sopoaga | Cook Islands | International vs. Lebanon |
| CE | Waqa Blake$^3$ | Fiji | 2016 Pacific Test |
| SR | Viliame Kikau | Fiji | 2016 Pacific Test |
| WG | Josh Mansour | Australia | 2016 Four Nations |
| LK | Trent Merrin | Australia | 2016 Four Nations |
| FB | Matt Moylan | Australia | 2016 Four Nations |
| BE | James Fisher-Harris$^4$ | New Zealand | 2016 Four Nations |
| BE | Te Maire Martin | New Zealand | 2016 Four Nations |
| FB | Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | New Zealand | 2016 Four Nations |
1 – Selected as 18th Man, Cartwright did not play during the series. 2 – Hiku was initially selected to play but was ruled out by injury. 3 – Blake did not play in the match, despite being named in the original squad. 4 – Fisher-Harris was called up to replace injured Simon Mannering.