It’s a shame to miss World Club Challenge: Panther Yeo

Isaah Yeo has expressed his disappointment that Penrith will skip the World Club Challenge, after the Panthers officially told the NRL they could not contest the only major trophy they are missing.

By defeating Melbourne in Sunday’s grand final, Penrith clinched both a historic fourth consecutive premiership and a date with the winner of Sunday’s (AEDT) Super League decider between Wigan and Hull KR.

But the Panthers’ trip to Las Vegas for round one of the 2025 season has complicated matters, given the clash of premiers usually takes place in either England or Australia just before the NRL regular season begins.

Penrith are planning for disruptions at the other end of their pre-season as well. At least 12 players will delay their mandated leave to participate in Samoa’s tour of England or the Pacific Championships.

Privately, the Panthers felt their team went into the 2024 World Club Challenge underdone following last year’s Pacific Championships, and that was without a US trip thrown in.

Penrith expect their last lot of players to return from leave in early January, meaning the club will have barely six weeks of pre-season before flying out to face Cronulla at Allegiant Stadium.

Logistics would become even more difficult if Wigan won the Super League grand final as expected, given they are also due to participate in rugby league’s second Las Vegas foray.

A high-ranking Panthers official called the NRL on Wednesday morning to confirm the club’s position on not playing the World Club Challenge.

AAP has been told Penrith are happy to stay in discussions with the NRL about any alternative dates, but head office will hold off any call until after this weekend’s Super League decider.

It’s expected that only a Hull KR victory could leave the door open for the NRL to find an alternative solution.

Panthers co-captain Yeo felt it was a shame to miss the fixture, but understood the club’s predicament.

“You’d love to get it on, I just don’t know you could work it, to be fair,” he said at Wednesday’s official fan celebration for the Panthers’ grand final win.

“Obviously as a group we’d love to because it’s something we’ve missed, sort of the only thing that’s missing on the resume. You’d love another opportunity to try and make amends for that.

“It’s just so hard with Vegas. If we weren’t doing Vegas I reckon we’d be a chance, but that just makes it a bit harder.”

It means the World Club Challenge is set to elude them for another year, despite the side’s well-documented dominance of the NRL since 2020.

The fixture was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic following the 2021 grand final, and in the two years that followed St Helens and Wigan each claimed tight wins over Penrith.

Previous Panthers sides also lost the fixture following the 1991 and 2003 premiership triumphs.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has previously expressed his excitement at taking part in the fixture, but the club is keen to prioritise player welfare and the pursuit of a fifth consecutive NRL title.

“They’re not robots, they can’t keep playing, and we’ve got to go to Vegas,” said Panthers group chief executive Bryan Fletcher.

“The time span there and for health reasons of the players, we just cannot do that (the World Club Challenge).”

Australian Associated Press