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."
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