Penrith Out To Avenge Prelim Loss, Slow Start In '25 Ahead Of Round 1 Rematch At Suncorp

Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards says the Panthers are in a better position ahead of the 2026 NRL season stating the side has learnt from the slow start and inability to close out games that derailed their bid for a fifth consecutive premiership in 2025.

After bowing out in last year’s preliminary final against eventual premiers Brisbane, Edwards admitted the Panthers “missed the mark” early in 2025 but said the squad has responded with one of their toughest off-seasons yet.

“We’ve just upped our training standards,” Edwards said speaking at a media conference Wednesday.

“Without knowing, we sort of missed the mark there [last year]. Everyone’s ripped in and worked really hard. We’ve controlled what we can control and focussed on the areas we need to focus on. Hopefully that puts us in good stead to start the season a little bit better.”

The Panthers face the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium to open their 2026 campaign on Friday night, a chance to avenge their 16-14 Preliminary Final loss. Edwards said the reigning premiers will again present a strong test but insists Penrith’s focus is squarely on themselves.

“It’s a good challenge any time you go up to Suncorp,” he said. “They’re the reigning premiers, so what better time to test yourself than Round 1. We’ve had enough time to digest what went wrong last year and where we missed the mark. We’ll worry about us more than we worry about the Broncos.”

Finishing games in the right fashion is also high on Penrith's agenda in 2026, something Edwards said the team has reflected on over the off season.

“We probably didn’t finish games well enough last year," he said. "The Broncos were the best at it, staying in it for the full 80 and coming over the top of teams. That’s something we looked back on and thought ‘that’s not a nice feeling when teams are doing that to you.'"

Teammate Luke Garner echoed the sentiment, admitting the loss in last year’s prelim still stings.

“Watching some moments I’d like to take back would be nice,” Garner said. “Hopefully we can right some wrongs on Friday. If you’re not motivated from that, you’re not human.”

Garner said revenge isn’t the team’s only motivator, but the memory of being outplayed late in big games has fueled Penrith’s intensity through the pre-season

“We’re conscious of it [slow start] for sure," he said. "So that might be motivating us internally to train a little bit harder or push that little bit extra. It’s that day to day stuff that we’re doing around here that hopefully is what will change the early results for this season.” . 

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