The Panthers seem to be doing a very similar thing to us on the field. They've taken the NRL style of play and amped it up a level and are just too intense for the rest of the competition to compete with. It's difficult to see any other club toppling them next season unless something dramatic happens. They also seem to be like us in that their youth teams and reserve grade seems packed with talent and they don't seem to struggle when big names leave.
But despite only winning 2 so far (Good chance they'll match us and win 4) their behaviour is miles away from ours. Did anyone see the reaction from the players when Dylan Edwards won the Clive Churchill medal for Man of the Match in the Grand Final? He got laughed at, senior figures shaking their heads. It was a humiliating walk up for him, horrific stuff. Not one handshake or backslap and barely a clap. Compare and contrast with the reaction when Cleary won it last year.