Between 1912 and 1966, a number of Penrith rugby league teams participated in the Western Districts League, which was run by the Western Suburbs RLFC; Parramatta, which was admitted to the NSWRL in 1947; and a Sydney second-tier competition that the NSWRFL started in 1962. By this point, just one elite rugby league side had developed in the Penrith region, and they went by the name Penrith Panthers in 1964. Deidre Copeland, an Emu Plains-based graphic artist, had won a public competition before the Panther was selected as the Penrith insignia.
The New South Wales Rugby Football League had announced in 1966 that it would add two new teams to the Sydney Premiership for the 1967 season. Penrith, Cronulla-Sutherland, and the Wentworthville Magpies were the three teams competing for the two available spots. With one spot guaranteed, Cronulla-Sutherland left Penrith and Wentworthville to battle it out for the other. Penrith was chosen by the NSWRL in the end because of their proximity and their Second Division title victory in 1966. On February 24, the club faced Cronulla-Sutherland in its first preseason practice. in front of 18,768 spectators, Penrith won 18–12.
The original Premiership team consisted of the following players: Tony Brown (captain), Bill Tonkin, Bob Landers, David Applebee, Ern Gillon, Wayne Peckham, Maurie Raper, Laurie Fagan, and Ron Workman. On April 2, Penrith played their first Premiership game against Canterbury, and up until the last 15 minutes, they were ahead 12–10. Canterbury prevailed 15–12.
Be the first to comment