First came Sean O’Sullivan, then Jack Cogger and — most recently — Brad Schneider, who scored a try and set up two more in Penrith’s 42-12 win over South Sydney on Thursday.
Then there is Daine Laurie and even Orange product Jack Cole, who saw his first minutes of first grade this year against the Rabbitohs and has the size, versatility and a playing style that resembles fellow Central West playmaker and former Panther, Matt Burton.
The Panthers have never been short of options to call on when either injury or State of Origin duties ruled Nathan Cleary or Jarome Luai out of club duties.
But with Luai heading off to the Wests Tigers at the end of this season, Penrith finds itself in a position it has not been in since 2020 when Cleary and Luai, who first combined at SG Ball level in 2015, started to build what has since become a record-breaking halves partnership.
While Schneider (off-contract at the end of 2025), Cole (2026) and Laurie (2024) are all options the Panthers could look to internally at five-eighth, there could be another bolter of sorts to consider, lurking in the background.
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And for the past few years Trent Toelau has been happy to stay in the background. But that doesn’t mean people, the right people, weren’t taking notice of the work he was putting in.
It was showing up on the field too and now Toelau has been rewarded for his efforts, upgraded from a train-and-trial deal to a full-time contract with the Panthers.
“It’s been the best ever since,” Toelau told foxsports.com.au on Thursday night of the upgrade.
It also means spending four or five days a week training with the first-grade squad and, specifically, learning off Nathan Cleary.
“He’s obviously the best number seven going around in the world,” Toelau said.
“Just watching him every day, you pick up little things that he does before games, after games, recovery. You can’t be behind a better number seven at the moment.”
Toelau was speaking to foxsports.com.au after he helped Penrith maintain an undefeated start to its NSW Cup campaign this year, having a hand in two tries and forcing a pair of dropouts in a 30-10 win over the Rabbitohs.
The 24-year-old isn’t actually a product of the Panthers system, having won the Thunderbolts Player of the Year award in 2018 and then the Darren Bell Medal in 2019 after being judged the Storm’s best in the Jersey Flegg competition.
“I got to my last year and for me there was nothing left,” the Victorian said.
So, he got in touch with his manager and ended up in Newtown before making the move to Penrith’s feeder club St Marys, and was later nominated to do a pre-season with the Panthers.
“You could obviously see there was talent there in the kid,” Lee Hopkins, Penrith’s pathways manager, told foxsports.com.au.
“He knew it was going to take time. He was in and out of the Cup side for a bit. He was sort of playing a bit for St Marys and would get called in for the game here and there during Origin periods or when we were low on numbers through injuries and stuff.”
But then Toelau earned himself a six-week train-and-trial contract.
“And he excelled over that period,” added Hopkins, with Toelau going on to now earn a full-time contract as a result.
“From there on he’s gone leaps and bounds and just exploded onto the scene. He’s done an outstanding job for us.”
Toelau began on the bench in Penrith’s NSW Cup team before working his way into a more consistent starting gig, playing both five-eighth and halfback with six tries and eight assists already this season.
The well-balanced Toelau is also averaging 94 running metres and 239 kick metres, capable of playing both in and out of structure depending on who his halves partner is alongside him.
For instance, on Thursday night Toelau played a more traditional halfback role alongside Laurie, impressing in particular with his close-range kicking game as he forced two dropouts.
Toelau also connected well with his halves partner on winger Jesse McLean’s second try of the game, playing with nice tempo as he shaped to go short and back inside before linking with Laurie in a well-executed set play.
The game management is something Toelau said he has picked up on from his time training alongside Cleary.
“His communication with all the boys around the park is top-notch and just his connection with his spine players — Jarome, Dylan out the back — I think his ability to connect with everyone is probably why he’s the best player at the moment,” Toelau said.
The 24-year-old admitted it was “tough” leaving Melbourne, having always dreamt as a kid of one day going on to play for the Storm.
But Penrith is his “new home”, and in more ways than one. Toelau and his partner are expecting their first child, a boy, this month.
“It’s exciting and nervous at the same time,” Toelau said, and while finding sources of motivation has never been an issue given how long he has toiled away in the background, the Panthers playmaker said there are “different reasons” to keep playing well now.
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“I’m not doing it for me anymore,” he added, “I’ve got my partner and a newborn on the way”.
But if Toelau does end up playing in the NRL, as much as it isn’t just his dream anymore, his story will still be a personal one Penrith will point to on the power of patience and perseverance.
“He’s a credit to himself, he’s a credit to the work he puts in. He’s fit, he’s controlled, an unbelievably likeable person,” Hopkins said.
“He just fits the Penrith mould perfectly.
“It [Toelau’s journey] just shows great resilience, that’s what it shows. It shows he had the resilience to hang in there. It’s not easy sometimes going up and down from St Marys.
“… But he’s shown tremendous resilience and that’s a key that sometimes, unfortunately, this generation doesn’t have the patience to wait.
“That’s society in general, if I want it, I want it now. But Trent has shown tremendous patience and tremendous resilience.”
That isn’t going to change anytime soon either, because as much as the potential opportunity that comes with Luai’s impending exit is “exciting”, Toelau is still prepared to do a little bit more waiting.
“I’ve just got to keep learning, keep watching the boys, keep picking up little things they do and then just see what happens,” he said.
“I’ve waited up until now and I’ll keep waiting if I have to.”
Source Agencies
