Missing the chance to tick the only box the Penrith players have missed during their four years of domination is “disappointing”, but premiership-winning Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo says adding the World Club Challenge to their pre-season is just too hard.
Penrith officials confirmed the four-time premiership outfit would not take on the winner of Sunday’s Super League decider between Wigan and Hull KR for several reasons, including the massive player workload.
The Panthers are scheduled to travel to Las Vegas for round 1 of the 2025 season and don’t want to add a February showdown with the UK Super League champions to the schedule with players not due back at training until January
NRL rules dictate players must have 10 weeks leave after the season, and with as many as 12 players Penrith players set to participate in Samoa’s tour of England or the Pacific Championships, that return date will blow out.
Players like superstar Nathan Cleary also need post-season surgery and could be among a long list of players with as little as six or eight weeks of training leading into the opening round in Las Vegas.
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