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Warriors vs Panthers: The history of an NRL rivalry
Sam Ackerman • September 12th, 2025 9:56 am
Shaun Johnson | Photo: Photosport
This rivalry all starts with Greg Alexander, the Panthers hero who came to be the inaugural Warriors halfback in 1995.
His departure from Penrith after family tragedy made this an emotional and complex inter-club dynamic - spending two years at Penrose before reuniting with the Blue Mountains franchise.
The Panthers actually handed the Warriors only their third ever loss at home in their debut season 30 years ago. 34-16.
Warriors returned the favour to win their first ever game in Penrith with both wingers scoring, both former All Blacks in Marc Ellis and John Kirwan, Sean Hoppe scoring a try from the bench - the start of a three year streak of victories in this head to head series.
That including a game where there was barely a bum on a seat - not because of the nature of the game, but the game was no match for nature. In atrocious conditions, Gene Ngamu scored most of the points in the 15-14 win.
The Wahs struggled against the Penny boys during the death-throws of the Auckland Warriors - and when they were reborn as the New Zealand Warriors in 2001, new coach Daniel Anderson turned things around in a big way - a 10-try, 52-8 romp. It was the Warriors' biggest win over the Panthers, at the time the third biggest in the club’s history.
That was followed a few months later with a breath-taking, helter-skelter clash in Penrith - down by two with eight minutes to play, they scored three tries in the last 8 minutes to win 48-32. This put the Warriors on their way to their first ever finals appearance.
Penrith got the wooden spoon on points differential that year - the size of that deficit was roughly the same amount the Warriors punished them by that season.
The first Grand Final year. The Warriors again were too good 38-24, the Panthers near the foot of the ladder.
But the following year was a different story.
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While the Warriors looked good to make it back to back GFs, Penrith were the Cinderella story, going from Wooden spooners to minor premiers in the space of two seasons, former Warriors Joe Gulavao and Pauly Whatuira in crucial roles.
In the Grand Final qualifier, it was one of those men breaking their old club’s hearts. The 28-20 win propelled the Panthers into the decider and onto their second ever Premiership.
The Panthers went on a run against the Warriors - winning six out of seven in their rivalry.
Until the bubble burst for Penrith, slumping to another wooden spoon in 2007 and helped on their way with twin defeats to the Warriors, including Michael Witt bagging 20 points in a 54-14 Mt Smart drubbing.
After spending almost all the year outside the top 8, a round 25 win over the Panthers 42-20 helped propel the Warriors into the 2008 playoffs, falling just short of another Grand Final.
In 2009, the Warriors suffered their worst ever collapse - and it was at the hands of Penrith. Up 32-6 with half an hour to play, they couldn’t stop the Penny Panthers surge - a penalty with 2 minutes to go forcing extra time.
Lance Hohaia and Stacey Jones missed field goal attempts in golden point - the Panthers' last line called into action to defuse a final siren raid, both teams settling for a 32 all draw. Statistically, there’s never been a biggest comeback in NRL history, 26 points.
The Panthers were flying in 2010, one of the hottest properties in the comp on a five game streak that the Warriors brought to a screeching halt - ripping the nightie of their future coach, Panthers mentor Matt Elliott with some Manu Vatuvei magic, hitting a bomb at pace.
But they would rue a lost opportunity from earlier in the year, where they were embarrassed 40-12 at home in two points that would have proven crucial.
The Warriors finished just one win behind the Panthers that year, but the Panthers were second and the Warriors fifth - back then the top four played the bottom four - the Warriors just lost to the Titans but still would have progressed had Penrith not bottled it to the 7th-placed Raiders.
In 2011, the Wahs got a measure of revenge, beating the Panthers twice on the way to their second Grand Final appearance and consigning the Panthers to another year without finals football - it was the last time Ivan Cleary coaches the Warriors against the Panthers before he was poached by Penrith in a move that would change the fortunes of both clubs.
When Cleary returned to Mt Smart the following year in the opposition coaches box, the clash actually sparked a chain of events that would take the Warriors years to recover from.
Cleary’s successor Brian McClennan was in his first year at the club - but it was a season of huge instability. The ownership model changed with Eric Watson selling half his share to Sir Owen Glenn - the pair making the inexplicable decision to sack Bluey after only 22 games, the 18-16 last minute loss to Cleary’s bottom of the table Panthers the last straw - Bluey was gone the next day.
Caretakers included - The Warriors had 10 coaches over 12 years.
Over the coming years, the Panthers side would have a real Warriors feel, names like Lewis Brown, Elijah Taylor, James Maloney, Jeremy Latimore and Isaac John following their former coach to the foot of the Blue Mountains.
In 2013, the Panthers heaped on more misery with a 62-6 win at Panthers stadium, at the time it was the Wahs heaviest ever defeat with some of those former players inflicting the pain.
Shaun Johnson was hooked by now Warriors head coach Matt Elliott early in the second half that night - something that would have been fresh in his mind when he produced his long-range special in the old electric pink and black strip securing a 30-20 win.
They met again in the final round of the 2014 season - a win would be enough for the Warriors to make the top eight - but they were denied with a double to a teenage Panther who would one day be a Mt Smart cult hero in Dallin Waten-Zelezniak.
The Warriors finished 9th on points difference.
In 2015, the Panthers had plummeted again in their yo-yo feast or famine mode, battling to avoid the Wooden spoon, the Warriors were 2 points outside the top eight with three weeks to play, having lost SJ for the rest of the season.
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All to play for, but Penrith were more desperate winning 24-10, derailing the Warriors playoffs bid again.
In hindsight 2016 was a formative year for the Panthers, with Ivan blooding the likes of Nathan Cleary, Brian To’o, Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris, Te Marie Martin and it was a close contest at Mt Smart - locked at 16 all at full time.
Fans were tense, it was the fourth time in five games the Warriors went to golden point and they hadn’t gone great. And it was a familiar match-winner in SJ, faking a field goal then hot stepping through five Panthers defenders.
2017, It looked like the Warriors would do it easy playing free-wheeling footy to led Penrith 28–6 at halftime. But the embarrassed Panthers clicked into life in an inspired second half, with a jaw dropping 36-28 win.
The signs of Nathan Cleary’s dominance were starting to show when the former Warriors ball-boy put on a clinic to come from behind again,34-22
The next year it was Cleary’s partner-in-crime announcing himself to the NRL as an understrength Panthers against proved too strong
But there was a win of real significance at home later in the season, as the Warriors cut loose 36-16
The top four teams that year all finished on 34 points, teams 5-8 all finished on 32 points.
So despite only being separated by a slender points differential, it was 5th placed Panthers vs 8th placed Warriors - with Wahs past and future combining to show the Auckland club the door.
But at least the Warriors had a win on one front - Issac Luke vs James Maloney.
Warriors break Panthers hearts at Magic Round | Photo: Photosport
In 2019, Ivan Cleary returned from a three-year hiatus thanks to a Gus Gould sacking and Jimmy Maloney also returned to haunt the Warriors, sealing a 19-18 golden point win.
There’s no side the Warriors have been to golden point with more than the Panthers.
The Pandemic years were one way traffic, with the Warriors scraping together teams with loan players and trapped in Australia while the Panthers were building a dynasty.
The Warriors long-awaited return to the finals was in 2023 in Andrew Webster’s first year - ground zero for the 'Up the Wahs' movement - it saw them meet up with minor premiers the Panthers in their backyard, who produced a clinical 32-6 win, with gloating Penrith players and fans mocking the Mt Smart faithful with social media posts of 'Up the Pahs'.
But just when Penrith were at their most fearsome - the Warriors produced not just the highlight of this rivalry, but arguably one of the greatest performances in the club’s history.
Magic Round, 2024, the Wahs were given no show. On a six game winless streak with no Tohu, no Johnson, RTS, Capewell, Chanel, Metcalf, Niukore.
Wayde Egan gone after 12 minutes, replaced by Paul Roache who had less than 20 minutes of first grade to his name. Rookie fullback Taine Tuaupiki risked missing the birth of his first child to fly over to Suncorp.
And what a decision that was. That halted a streak of nine-straight losses to the Panthers.
Earlier this year, it was the Panthers who showed their resilience. Coming to Go Media Stadium minus their five Origin stars, they came from behind to stun the bookies 28-12, putting them into the top eight for the first time since Round 1, a position they wouldn’t relinquish.
Here’s what we’ve learned - the Warriors can’t sit on a lead because the Panthers love a comeback.
But being written off against the Panthers suits the Wahs just fine.
Panthers come to town with the Cleary connection as well as former Warrior Isaiah Papalili - for the Warriors, there are a number of ex-Panthers with a point to prove. Egan,Fish, DWZ, Martin, Capewell and perhaps most important - Webby.
The Panthers are favourites - they’ve won 12 straight finals games. Five Grand finals in a row, four premierships in a row. They’ll go down in history. We may not see a domination like this again in our lifetime.
But imagine being the team to end the streak. No one has been able to stop this juggernaut for an incredible 4 years. The team that does that, well they go down in history too.
Up the Wahs.
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