Stephen Crichton, Apisai Koroisau, Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton, Spencer Leniu, Kurt Capewell, J’maine Hopgood and — most recently — Jarome Luai.
The Panthers have grown used to it by now. The price of success. For every premiership that was won, a few players walked out the door.
But this one was different. This one hadn’t played out in the media or been the product of a drawn-out negotiation. In fact, it only took 72 hours to be given the all-clear.
And when club great and now Panthers director Greg Alexander was told the news of James Fisher-Harris’ departure at the end of the season, he “nearly fell out” of his chair.
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Fisher-Harris to join Warriors in 2025 | 00:39
Fisher-Harris will join the Warriors from 2025 on a four-year deal after requesting a return to his home nation on compassionate grounds so that he could be closer to family.
The three-time premiership winner leaves the foot of the mountains as one of the best front rowers in the NRL, with Warriors CEO Cameron George describing the signing as “undoubtedly one of the biggest in our club’s history”.
It is quite the transformation for the Kiwi international, who joined Penrith’s SG Ball squad over a decade ago in 2013 and struggled with his discipline in his rookie NRL season, making 14 errors and conceding 11 penalties.
In the four straight years Penrith has qualified for a grand final, Fisher-Harris has not hit double figures in either of those categories once.
“I think James deserved that [request to be granted] because of what he’s done,” Alexander told foxsports.com.au on Thursday morning.
“He’s been at the club since he was 15, left home, came to Penrith. It wasn’t, ‘Oh that’s James Fisher-Harris. He’s going to be a first grader and we’ll treat him like that’.
“He had to work his way through the junior ranks, the lower grades, so I think with the work that he’s put in and the respect that he’s been able to gain from his teammates and those that are involved at the club… James is pretty special.”
So special that the club was never going to stand his way when Fisher-Harris informed the club on Sunday morning of his desire to return home, having only recently returned from New Zealand after attending his grandfather’s funeral.
“I think it’s probably been rattling around in his head for a little while,” Alexander said.
“I wouldn’t say too long, but [he has a] young family, went home for his granddad’s funeral and just realised with his brother returning from overseas to come home and I guess just thought, ‘That’s what I want to do’.
“And once the request had come in, I don’t think there was anyone at Penrith that sort of said, ‘Well, hang on’… I think we all just said, ‘Well, he’s been a great player for the club and if that’s what he wants to do, we’re not going to stand in his road’.”
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Like Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota has also come a long way from his inconsistent first few seasons in the NRL to establish himself as one of the league’s better front rowers, while emerging forwards Lindsay Smith and Liam Henry have impressed with their high workrate.
But Alexander concedes that replacing Fisher-Harris is “going to be near-impossible”.
“Well, you know, he’s hard to replace because he’s become one of the best front rowers in the game over the last four years,” Alexander said.
“So, you can’t replace it really. Certainly, all the front rowers – and there’s probably seven or eight front rowers that sit at the top – there’s not much between them actually when you think about the best in the game.
“There’s a few of them, but in terms of replacing James Fisher-Harris, that’s going to be near-impossible. But that doesn’t mean that someone can’t come in and do a job that’s good enough.”
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The Panthers have already been linked with a potential play for Tigers forward Stefano Utoikamanu, although there is no guarantee Penrith will look to use the money freed up by Fisher-Harris’ departure to target a top-tier front rower.
For instance, with Luai’s impending departure also weighing over the club’s future perhaps there could also be financial flexibility now to target a long-term solution at five-eighth.
Brad Schneider has been solid filling in for the injured Nathan Cleary while Jack Cole has been earmarked as a possible replacement, although he suffered a calf injury that sidelined him over the early stages of the season, returning via NSW Cup in Round 4.
If the Panthers do go to the market to replace Fisher-Harris there aren’t many attractive options for next season, with more plausible alternatives in the 2025 off-season.
Utoikamanu headlines that list that includes North Queensland duo Reuben Cotter and Griffin Neame, with the 23-year-old Kiwi an intriguing option given he is already producing and yet still on an upwards trajectory.
Looking internally, the Panthers could also shift Liam Martin to the front row given he already has a running style that is perfectly suited to the position, while the club is stacked with options at second row, including recent debutant Mavrik Geyer.
The Panthers also elevated Maori All Stars representative Preston Riki to the Top 30 roster in March while 22-year-old former Cowboy Riley Price is another long-term option.
Alexander said he has “confidence” in Penrith’s system but added it is hard to truly replace a player of Fisher-Harris’ calibre.
“I know the production line has been good and hopefully that continues and I’m confident that it will, but you go through ups and downs in age groups… it’s hard to replace players that are internationals, that are State of Origin players and that’s what we’ve had to do over the past four years,” he said.
“A couple have walked out the door. But I’ve got all the faith in the world in the systems that have been set up and the ability for the club to pick the right players to either stay or move on.
“But it’s a challenge. It’s not next man up and there’s a thousand men to pick from. The side has been chipped at and chipped away at and that’s the salary cap era we live in.”
Source Agencies
