Talagi happy on slow road to preferred Panthers spot
Blaize Talagi has set his sights on being Penrith's five-eighth long into the future, adamant that with time he can replace Jarome Luai and become the perfect partner for Nathan Cleary.
The 20-year-old arrived at Penrith over the off-season, with many expecting the former Parramatta utility to instantly fill the void left by Luai.
But Talagi has had to wait his turn, initially overlooked for homegrown duo Jack Cole and Trent Toelau in Penrith's spine before being given the No. 6 jersey for the first time in their round six loss to the Dolphins.
While his first outing at five-eighth was testing, Talagi showed signs of a blossoming chemistry with Cleary and scored his maiden Panthers try in Saturday's 40-12 win over the Sydney Roosters.
"I knew I had to come in and earn my stripes, I wasn't just going to slot in straight away," said Talagi.
"I had to earn it but I think the timing's been perfect, and the more games I play the better I'll get. Everything happened the way it should've.
"It (Penrith's system) is different, it took me some time to learn but it suits me.
"If I see something, I can take it and I see plenty off the back of Nathan and Isaah (Yeo) so it's pretty cool.
"I've learnt a lot of things (from Nathan Cleary). We do video together, the little things he sees are very detailed, I love learning from him."
The Panthers' win against the Roosters snapped a run of five-straight losses to put the defending premiers at 2-5 ahead of Saturday's clash with an injury-depleted Manly.
Talagi experienced plenty of defeats in 2024, winning just four games through his debut season at the Eels.
But the Samoan international feels the Panthers' slow start to 2025 is about to pick up speed.
"Ivan knows what he's doing," Talagi said of Penrith coach Cleary.
"He's stayed the same the whole time. That gives the boys confidence knowing he hasn't lost it. He has stayed calm the whole time.
"I do think we have turned a corner.
"We do have it in us, now we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Sorensen's tackle could be season-defining: Panthers
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive. Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line. Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14. The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds. Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch. Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect. "We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP. "I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line. "It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team. "It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it." Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye. They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home. Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with. "That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said. "At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit. "That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that. "Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well." Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win. "It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said. "It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Sorensen's tackle could be season-defining: Panthers
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive. Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line. Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14. The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds. Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch. Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect. "We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP. "I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line. "It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team. "It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it." Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye. They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home. Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with. "That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said. "At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit. "That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that. "Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well." Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win. "It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said. "It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
NRL live updates: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels, Blues to announce State of Origin II squad
The NRL expects a massive King's Birthday bank holiday crowd at the Sydney Olympic stadium for the clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels. High-profile mid-season recruit Lachlan Galvin will start on the bench for the Bulldogs against the team he spurned to join the Canterbury side. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.
