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Fire already burning in Cleary after prelim loss
SEN • September 28th, 2025 9:37 pm
Penrith captain Nathan Cleary has reflected on his side's devastating preliminary final loss, as the Panthers' dynasty ends after four straight premierships.
The Panthers' 16-14 loss is the first time that the reigning premiers have lost a finals game since the 2021 Qualifying Final against South Sydney and now ends their chances of a five-peat.
The halfback, who was perfect from the kicking tee to help give his side a 14-0 lead at halftime, admitted it was hard to reflect on the result in the immediate aftermath but noted that the side will be better for the experience.
"It's hard to reflect on right now," Cleary said to SEN.
"It's definitely just disappointment, it was a bloody tough game, but unfortunately Brisbane came over the top.
"They've got a star-studded team, and we couldn't hold up our gloves up in the end.
"I think we will have a bit of time to reflect, but to be honest, there's a fire burning at the moment to try and get better, and it is (an) experience for all of us.
"So yeah, looking forward to see how far this group can go and develop next year."
More to come.
