Latest news with #Talagi
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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. Isaah Yeo puts it on the spot for Talagi! 🧵#NRLRoostersPanthers Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) April 19, 2025 "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."
West Australian
21-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
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."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blaize Talagi cops stunning new snub amid surprise axing for Penrith Test player
Penrith recruit Blaize Talagi has copped a brutal new snub from coach Ivan Cleary after once again being overlooked in the starting side. And the Panthers coach has swung the axe for Thursday night's game against Souths, with Kiwi Test star Casey McLean dropped from the 17 altogether, for the clash at Accor Stadium. The Panthers have shifted Paul Alamoti onto the wing to replace McLean, with young gun Tom Jenkins rewarded for last week's performance against the Storm by being named in the centres. Daine Laurie returns at fullback in the continued absence of injured No.1 Dylan Edwards after being a late scratching from last week's brutal grand final replay against Melbourne due to a quad injury. Co-captain Nathan Cleary was knocked out in the opening stages of the six-point defeat to Melbourne and is subsequently ruled out of the Rabbitohs match, with father Ivan handing Trent Toelau a shock call-up to wear the No.7 jersey in place of the champion halfback. Talagi was expected to partner Jack Cole in Nathan's absence but will have to be content with an interchange role after being named in the No.14 jersey. It's the latest snub for Penrith's high-profile recruit, who was brought to the club from Parramatta in the off-season, and was expected to be Jarome Luai's successor at five-eighth. Instead, coach Cleary has preferred Cole at No.6 to start the year, with Talagi having to bide his time in NSW Cup for the first two rounds. Talagi got his first chance to impress after featuring on Penrith's interchange last week, and will once again have to be content with a similar role on Thursday night after being overlooked for the unheralded Toelau. "We've got a lot of time for Blaize," Panthers coach Cleary said. "He wouldn't be here if we didn't see a lot of future in him. He's certainly got that NRL quality about him, but there's still a long way to go as well." Toelau has never started before in the NRL, with his previous 12 games coming off the bench. But the 25-year-old impressed in pre-season trials and played a starring role in an unlikely win over Manly, while Penrith's entire first grade squad were in Las Vegas. Talagi and Cole had helped the Panthers put 24 points on the Storm last week without Nathan Cleary, with only goal-kicking the difference in the loss. "It wasn't the ideal situation but sometimes when you just get thrown in, you've just got to adapt as best you can," the Penrith coach added. "I thought Coley in particular, where he had to step up and take the main playmaking role there, did a really good job in difficult circumstances." Kiwi Test star McLean's axing is also another brutal blow for the young gun, who looked to have won the battle to replace Sunia Turuva on the wing for Penrith this season. McLean suffered a concussion in the Vegas opener and has put in some mixed displays in the two games since, with Cleary naming the speedster at 18th man. Tom Jenkins moves to centre, Alamoti moves to the wing and Casey McLean drops out. Laurie comes in at FLB and Toelau replaces Cleary out in concussion protocols. — The SuperCoach Brain 🧠 (@SC_Brain) March 25, 2025 Souths coach Wayne Bennett has also made a number of changes for Thursday night's match, with club record try-scorer Alex Johnston named to start after returning from a long-term Achilles injury. Johnston will come straight back onto the wing, with Isaiah Tass named at centre and Campbell Graham ruled out with a niggling injury. RELATED: Manly CEO reveals coaching offer for DCE in stunning twist to saga Truth emerges about Manly bosses as fans lash DCE over 'greedy' move Broncos starting player axed as David Fifita footage raises eyebrows The Rabbitohs go into the clash one spot ahead of the Panthers on the table, with last week's defeat against Cronulla coming after wins in their opening two games. While the Panthers will be desperate to avoid a third-straight defeat after losses to the Storm and Roosters in consecutive weeks, but they'll have to do it without their star halfback. with AAP
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blaize Talagi in line for debut after Panthers rocked by massive new injury blow
Blaize Talagi could be in line to make his first-grade debut for the Panthers on Thursday night after the four-time defending premiers lost a second fullback to injury in a matter of days. Daine Laurie has been withdrawn from the game due to an undisclosed injury suffered at training this week, after he was initially named to start at fullback in place of Dylan Edwards. Edwards is expected to miss at least two weeks with a groin injury, and the Panthers had an ideal replacement in Laurie. But news came to light on Wednesday night that Laurie has also gone down injured. Ivan Cleary has named Thomas Jenkins at fullback to take Laurie's place, but speculation is rife that Talagi will actually get the nod. Talagi was named as 18th man for the game, meaning he could be a late inclusion on Thursday night. Jenkins has only ever played wing or centre at NRL or reserve grade level, while Talagi was played plenty of fullback at Parramatta. Initial reports earlier in the week suggested Jenkins might come in for Casey McLean on the wing, which could still eventuate if Talagi is elevated to play fullback. Talagi has been forced to bide his time in reserve grade at the Panthers after coming over from the Eels in the off-season. The 20-year-old signed with the Panthers with a view to replacing Jarome Luai at five-eighth and partnering Nathan Cleary in the halves. But Ivan Cleary has gone with Jack Cole at No.6 to start the year, with Talagi toiling in NSW Cup over the first two weeks. Tellingly, Talagi was moved to right centre last weekend in reserve grade after playing the first game of the year at five-eighth. He can play anywhere across the backline and spent time at fullback, wing, centre and five-eighth at the Eels. I love to see Blaize Talagi make his panthers debut tomorrow night — Haydn Jones (@HaydnJo82192454) March 19, 2025 Has Jenkins even played fullback ? Maybe Talagi will play fullback as a late replacement — Michael Bianchi .. Panthers 1991-2003,21,22,23,24 (@Penropennies) March 19, 2025 Feels like Blaize is the best available fit for fullback and perhaps Ivan is trying to ease the pressure by not naming him there until the last minute. — 🏴 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐁 🇦🇺 (@MrJacobSheppard) March 19, 2025 Meanwhile, Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has handed Nelson Asofa-Solomona a chance at grand final redemption after including him in the 17 to take on the Panthers. The Storm badly missed Asofa-Solomona in their loss to the Panthers in last year's premiership decider after he copped a five-game ban that ended his season. That ban is now complete, and Bellamy has brought the hulking forward onto his bench to tackle the Panthers. Teammate Jahrome Hughes said earlier this week that Asofa-Solomona deserved to play after missing the grand final. "He deserves to be there," Hughes said. "He's done a lot of hard work in the pre-season and he's still burning from missing out on last year's GF (grand final) so he's really hungry to get back on the team." RELATED: Nicho Hynes in fresh injury drama amid Tom Trbojevic update Mal Meninga calls out truth about Reece Walsh and Latrell Mitchell The Panthers will be heavy underdogs for the match in Melbourne, and they're well aware the Storm will be out for revenge. "You wouldn't be human if you didn't have a little bit of that in you," coach Cleary said earlier this week. "We always totally respect the Storm, always have. Always look forward to this opportunity to play them. Whenever we get to, going down to Melbourne is arguably the toughest road trip in the game. It's a great challenge. Definitely looking forward to it." with AAP
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers backflip on Blaize Talagi decision after return to Parramatta floated
The Penrith Panthers appear to have changed their plans for Blaize Talagi, after the off-season recruit played centre in NSW Cup last weekend. The Panthers signed Talagi from Parramatta at the end of last season, with a view to him playing five-eighth to replace Jarome Luai. But coach Ivan Cleary caused some shocks in the opening round in Las Vegas when he named Jack Cole at No.6 and left Talagi out of his first-grade team altogether. Talagi played five-eighth in the opening round of the NSW Cup competition, but last weekend he was switched to right centre on game day. The 20-year-old was named at No.6, but it was Trent Toelau who played five-eighth with Talagi out wider. Talagi had a tackle break and line-break assist in the 38-10 victory, but also missed three tackles. The biggest impediment to him playing five-eighth appears to be his defence. Talagi mostly played fullback or wing at the Eels last year, but signed with the Panthers for the chance to partner Nathan Cleary in the halves. But last weekend's switch to centre might suggest his path to first grade lies in the outside backs. Izack Tago is normally the right centre in first-grade, but had a fairly quiet year in 2024 and hasn't set the world on fire to start this season. Cleary could be looking to shake things up after their woeful loss to the Roosters in Round 2, and there are reports winger Casey McLean will make way for Thomas Jenkins for Thursday night's grand final rematch against the Storm. Talagi's switch to the centres comes after leading reporter Michael Chammas suggested the Eels should come knocking about the potential of getting the 20-year-old back. Talagi left the Eels because Dylan Brown was entrenched as the side's No.6, but Brown has now signed a 10-year deal to join Newcastle in 2026. RELATED: Michael Maguire's brutal act towards Reece Walsh that could backfire Broncos urged to use risky tactic in negotiations with Selwyn Cobbo Chammas floated the idea that Parramatta officials should enquire about getting Talagi back if the Panthers are planning to leave him in reserve grade. "If I'm Parramatta, I knock on Penrith's door and I say 'I know you started the year with Blaize in reserve grade, do you have question marks around Blaize in your system (and) is Jack Cole ahead of him?" Chammas said on Triple M radio last week. "And 'is there any appetite to discuss maybe Blaize Talagi coming back to the club?' I would be asking Penrith the question. You may get told to turn around, get stuffed and go back down the freeway but what have you got to lose? Because when he left, the 6 jersey wasn't available. They offered him the fullback jersey and Gutho (Clint Gutherson) was going to be used as as a utility, (but) he wanted to play 6." Cleary previously said he was going to be patient with Cole and afford him time to find his feet. "He's just the sort of kid that needs to play in these types of games to build his confidence and his role in the team," the coach said after the Round 1 win over the Sharks. "It's not easy for him for everyone to keep talking about who he's replacing. It's a little bit like Luke Garner when he first came to our club and replaced 'Kiks' (Viliame Kikau), and also Mitch Kenny when he replaced Api (Koroisau). That took a while because everyone just keeps talking about it."
