Before the season began, few would have expected Penrith’s clash with the Dolphins on Thursday to take on an outsized importance.
But then, even fewer would have expected the Panthers to be grappling with a month-long losing streak as the greatest winning machine of modern times short-circuits for the first time in an age.
It’s been quite a while since the Panthers lost their way or were short of confidence, let alone both. And taking on a Dolphins side coming off their first win of the season is now a trickier prospect than anyone would have guessed.
There is not a sense of panic from Penrith, more one of frustration.
According to the Panthers’ Liam Martin, turning things around in time for Thursday night’s game at Lang Park is simple, even if it’s far from easy.
“It’s very frustrating. That’s pretty much been the last few weeks. We’re so close, but we aren’t nailing the big moments,” Martin said.
“We have every belief that we have what it takes to go there again. We just need to put in the work.
“It’s hard. We know what works. We just aren’t playing our style of footy.”
Given Martin is one of the few players at the club who have experienced this before in Penrith colours, the Panthers will look to him for leadership to fight their way out of the slump.
He debuted in 2019, before the Panthers transformed into a winning dynasty, and lost each of his first five matches. All told, he played in 10 defeats that year.
Contrast that to someone like Izack Tago, who had won two premierships by the time he had lost as many games as Martin did in his first year alone.
Or reflect on the fact that among players with 50 or more matches in first grade, eight of the 10 players with the best winning percentage are affiliated with the Penrith dynasty, and it shows how important the likes of Martin, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo become.
It might have been many years ago, but they have been here before. And in a world where many Panthers have no idea what a form slump looks like, that matters.
“Some of us older guys remember what it was like and we know these times don’t last. It’ll turn, but we have to put in the work to make it happen,” Martin said.
“We have to teach those young guys it’s not the end. We have to lead the way.”
To that end, Martin and company are aiming for a return to the classic Penrith style of focusing on winning every single battle, no matter how small, secure in the knowledge that any great triumph is made of a thousand smaller victories.
Winning every tackle, every run, every physical contest and doing it every single time is the bedrock of Penrith’s consistency and it is an attitude they are desperate to rediscover.
“It’s unfamiliar territory. We’ve built it into our identity, winning those little battles,” Martin said.
“We have to strip it right back to basics, focus on ourselves and get our own house in order and have a solid week of training.”
Four straight losses are not fatal to a premiership charge, especially with so much of the season still to go.
There is still time for Penrith to overcome what ails them and even excel again.
Four sides in the NRL have lost four games or more and gone on to premiership glory, the most recent of which was Melbourne in 2012.
It can be done. And if it can be done, then Penrith can do it.
They know more about winning than just about anybody else right now. Most of all, they know it is a habit.
But that could increase the urgency on Thursday. Getting back to it against the Dolphins is vital because, as just about every other club in the league can tell you, losing can become a habit just as quickly.
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