'Didn't really get what we thought': Panthers pull out of trial match after Storm decision

The rivalry between last year's grand finalists Panthers and Melbourne Storm has reignited before a ball's been kicked this year over a trial run for the premiers.

Penrith was scheduled to play Melbourne's feeder team, the North Sydney Bears, before the trip to Las Vegas for round one.

However, the Storm have decided to pull a number of players from the NSW Cup side to use in their trial in New Zealand.

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The scrimmage between the Panthers and Bears was scheduled for last Saturday but the premiers have now decided against it.

Morgan Harper, Ben Talty, Tui Katoa and Nathaniel Roache are among the names to be travelling to New Zealand instead of playing for the Bears.

"We wanted a decent quality team, and Norths were the best option," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"[But] we didn't really get what we thought we were going to get."

Cleary went on to refer to the potential Bears side as a "Ron Massey team" despite them playing the NSW Cup grand final last year.

Penrith will play a trial against Manly on Friday, but their team will be depleted with their top players travelling to Las Vegas.