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NRL in Crisis as Panthers’ $3 Billion Bombshell Sparks Outrage After Resting 16 Stars
The NRL has been warned the move by clubs to rest players at the back end of the season may be used as a weapon by potential rights holders ahead of the game’s next broadcast deal. It comes as more mass changes loom on the final weekend of the regular season.
Penrith’s decision to sideline 16 players for Thursday night’s clash with Canterbury has severely diluted what shaped as a blockbuster, while Melbourne Storm are resting a host of players for Friday night’s meeting with the Roosters after all but sealing a top two finish. The NRL is powerless to prevent teams from putting uninjured players on ice and we may see further disruptions in the last round of the competition.
If the Warriors secure a top four berth at the weekend, they are set to rest players for their last-round encounter against Manly rather than have a full-strength squad fly to Australia and back a week out from the finals. Canterbury may also have the luxury of giving players leave passes for the round 27 showdown with Cronulla should they be secure in the top four, while likely minor premiers Canberra face a similar opportunity ahead of a trip to Brisbane to meet the Dolphins.
Panthers’ Daine Laurie ‘open to anything’ in 2026
Jasper Bruce
Fri 29 August 2025 at 5:03 am GMT+1
2-min read
Daine Laurie is keen on remaining at Penrith but concedes he must be open to joining a rival club in 2026.
Laurie is among the most talented players still unsigned beyond this season and reiterated his worth on the open market with a stand-out performance on Thursday night.
The fullback set the standard defensively against Canterbury as Penrith rested players en masse before finals, rolling out the least experienced side ever seen in the NRL era.
When he did have the footy Laurie fired a beautiful cutout pass that put Paul Alamoti in for the Panthers’ only try in the 28-4 loss to the premiership hopefuls.
“It’s probably the best ball I ever threw,” Laurie said of his magical pass on the Panthers’ right edge.
At the Panthers, Laurie is stuck behind incumbent NSW fullback Dylan Edwards for opportunities in the No.1 jersey.
Coach Ivan Cleary has tried Laurie on the wing and from the bench since the Panthers junior returned from Wests Tigers in 2024.
But Laurie’s dream is to play fullback week-in-week-out at an NRL club.
That’s definitely the goal. It’s obviously hard (to achieve that) sitting behind Dyl,” he said.
“Every time I get an opportunity, I try and put my best foot forward.”
Laurie made his NRL debut at Penrith in 2020 and has been tied to one-year deals since returning last year.
He is open to a similar arrangement next year if the Panthers can find room in their salary cap.
“I’m just going to take it day by day, my manager is going to sort all that stuff out. I’m just going to rip in for the Panthers and hopefully they can give me one more year,” he said.
But Laurie knows it might not be so simple and has plenty to offer for the right club.
