By DAVID HAYWARD
MOST rugby league pundits regard Canberra and Brisbane as the teams of the 1990s.
Yet while Brisbane can be classed as a dynasty in that decade, Penrith were also on the verge of a similar vein of dynasty to the current crop of Panthers in this period.
However, there was a tragic event in 1992 that altered the dynastic courses of the decade. This made one a bona fide dynasty and the other a lost dynasty of sorts.
Leading into the 1992 season, Penrith was the benchmark team that conquered the juggernaut Canberra Raiders side in the previous season’s decider. They were relatively young with an average age of 24.6 years, boasting a core group that had played together for over five years, a team that had played in the previous two grand finals and an elite halves pairing of Greg Alexander and Brad Fittler. It was a strikingly similar side make up to that of the modern-day Panthers whereby the decade was theirs for the taking.
The potential of this team came to a grinding halt with the tragic death of 21-year-old rising star hooker Ben Alexander, Greg’s younger brother.
Ben’s role in the 1991 premiership is somewhat underrated and overshadowed, with good reason, by the two-try heroic performance of club legend and veteran representative hooker Royce Simmons in the grand final. Ben’s major contribution to the premiership occurred two weeks prior in the preliminary final against North Sydney. With the Bears on top of general play after 30 minutes and the Panthers seemingly struggling to get on top, coach Phil Gould substituted Simmons at hooker to inject Ben’s speed and ball-play out of dummy half. As a result Ben sparked two back-to-back tries to put Penrith up 12-0 at halftime, from which point they would go on to win a thrilling conest 16-14. This highlighted not only a changing of the guard of the hooker position at Penrith but also the style of play hookers would embrace in the nineties and beyond.
With the world at Ben’s feet, his passing on June 21 1992 within an instant meant the Panthers harrowingly became the lost dynasty for the decade.
When one door closes, another opens. And the Broncos galloped through opening created for the 1992 season to claim their first ever premiership.
There are a number of similarities to the 1992 Broncos to the modern-day version. Both had/have only played in one finals series in the previous four seasons, both have/had a diminutive half back, both have/had a powerhouse young prop forward, a strong core group that had played together for five years, and both have/had a similar amount of experience, with the 2023 Broncos having an average age of 25.4 years old (one year older than the 1992 version).
With the Panthers and Broncos on a collision course for the 2023 title, this season in many ways is a remake of how the dynasties ultimately collided and re-formed for the decade in 1992.
There are two key figures from 1992 that are ever present in this finals series, and intriguingly they sit in the same coaching box, that being Broncos coach Kevin Walters (1992 Broncos five eighth) and his assistant coach John Cartwright (1992 Panthers second rower).
It must be said, Cartwright produced one of the most emotional and heroic acts of leadership in rugby league when not only did he take the field and captained the side three days after Ben’s funeral, he led the team to victory. This placed the Panthers equal second after 12 rounds (behind the Broncos in first). Understandably, their season unravelled over the last 10 rounds in the wake and sorrow of Ben’s passing and it took 10 years for the club to re-emerge as a premiership force.
Given the contrasting experiences of both Walters and Cartwright in 1992, no doubt they will be driving home the point to the Broncos players that premiership windows can come and go in the blink of an eye. They must make the most of every opportunity as it comes.
Should Penrith go on to win three titles in a row it will ensure their dynasty is not lost like their nineties predecessors. In the process, this will make it far more challenging for the current Broncos golden generation to emulate the feats of their nineties golden era.
On the contrary, should the Broncos win the premiership this season, it could chart a course to similar achievements of their nineties golden era, while in the process potentially ending the emerging dynasty of the Panthers.
It would be a similar – but thankfully less tragic – way than how the dynasties evolved from 1992.
