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- NRL Analysis: "Of all the plays we’ve done, nothing will match Oyster"
NRL Analysis: "Of all the plays we’ve done, nothing will match Oyster"
The Penrith Panthers are four-time defending premiers, but we're going back to the 2021 Preliminary Final to break down one of their best-ever plays.
Jason
January 13, 2025
The Penrith Panthers have won four premierships in a row using a relatively simple approach. They play the long game by valuing possession, kicking well and applying pressure. More often than not, the opposition cracks in the end.
But that isn’t to say they lack creativity and excitement. I read Ivan Cleary’s Not Everything Counts, But Everything Matters over the break, and he mentioned:
“It’s true that great rugby league needs instinctive play, but I am convinced that good structure encourages creativity and freedom.”
“Structure” has become a dirty word in rugby league discourse. If a team is playing poorly or struggling for points, it’s not long before the commentary is around needing to play “eyes up.”
But structure, or flow as it is being called more now, is the foundation for that eyes-up approach. It puts everybody on the same page, offers cues, and allows the attacking players to anticipate what their teammates will do.
Later in the book, Cleary dug into some of that creativity to break down a try the Panthers scored early in their 2021 Preliminary Final against the Melbourne Storm. It’s one of the most well-planned plays I’ve ever seen, but comes at the end of a scripted and structured set.
The play is called Oyster.
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