The Mole: Panthers facing 'unthinkable' reality as Bellamy's Storm intensifies

Forget five premierships in a row for a moment. Could the Panthers do the unthinkable and miss the finals in 2025?

The four-time premiers have now lost four straight games and find themselves sitting in 15th spot after five rounds.

Amazingly, the champs haven't won since beating the Sharks in a hard-fought tussle in Vegas what seems an age ago.

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Last year, the Panthers lost seven games all season. The way they're playing, they could equal that number in a month.

Everyone thought the return of magic man Nathan Cleary would end the Panthers' woes against the Cowboys on Friday night.

But while Cleary added some cohesion to the Panthers' attack, they are still lightyears behind the Penrith of 2021-24.

Defence remains a worry, with the black, green and red wall leaking points in uncharacteristic fashion.

Full marks to the Cowboys, who came to Sydney given little chance by anyone apart from their friends and loved ones.

Winless after three rounds, the Cowboys have turned it around in spectacular style in the past fortnight and have found their confidence once again.

Storm intensifying

Beware the wounded Storm! That was the message to come out of Melbourne's 48-24 mauling of Manly at Brookvale on Sunday.

In a remarkable insight into Craig Bellamy's pursuit of excellence, the Storm have scored at least 38 points the week after every loss since the start of 2023.

Bellamy clearly roasts his players after a defeat – as he no doubt did after the shock capitulation to the Dragons last week – and the players respond.

The Storm kept that record alive, blowing Manly off the park in scenes rarely seen at Brookvale.

Manly did put up a late fightback, but by that stage many disgruntled Sea Eagles fans had already headed to the exits.

Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.

Broncos battler unlocked

Mark down Jesse Arthars as one of the NRL's big improvers in 2025.

The 26-year-old Kiwi struggled last season - along with may of his Broncos team-mates, scoring just five tries on the wing all year.

Five rounds into 2025, he has already trumped that tally, with seven touchdowns, including an impressive double in the 46-24 destruction of the Tigers on Saturday night.

Arthars isn't the prototype 100-kilo plus modern winger who steamrolls opponents, but he has pace and great evasive skills and uses them to finesse his way to the tryline.

Unknown Eel who slayed Dragons

A little-known Fijian international who played three NRL games in the last three years proved one of the unlikely heroes of the Eels' groundbreaking first win under coach Jason Ryles.

Shown the door by both the Bulldogs and Tigers, Kitione Kautoga scored a vital try in the thrilling 23-22 win over the Dragons in extra time.

The strongly built 22-year-old ran for over 120m and was a standout in only his third NRL game.

A player capable of bending back the defensive line and pulling off a big hit, he could prove a key man in Ryles' plans for the future.

'Baby' Dolphin 'still learning'

There are few better running halves in the league than the Dolphins' Isaiya Katoa.

The youngster is still learning his organisational game but when it comes to taking on the defensive line, Katoa is fearless.

So much so that he led his team in running metres in the emphatic upset 36-10 win over the Titans.

Still only 21, Katoa is a baby in terms of experience in the key playmaking role but has all the skills.

Latrell punt pays off

How lucky for Souths that Latrell Mitchell doesn't mind a punt – on the football field that is.

In his first game of the year, Latrell was having a mixed night … to put things mildly.

He booted two kicks out on the full, one directly leading to a Roosters try, and had a few nervy moments.

But when the rudderless Rabbitohs looked dead and buried with both halves Jamie Humphries and Cody Walker injured, it was Latrell who stepped up.

With scores tied but the Roosters looking far more confident and organised, Latrell took an almighty punt.

He threw a long, bullet like pass to winger Isaiah Tass that could easily have been intercepted by his opposite, Dom Young.

But somehow the ball - which many thought was forward - found Tass, who went within millimetres of putting his foot on the touch line, before diving over to break the deadlock and provide Souths with one of their best wins in recent memory. 

Sharks lacking killer instinct

The safety-first, conservative nature of NRL football cost Cronulla victory in Thursday night's thriller against the Raiders.

Many teams are so drilled to play mistake-free football that they fail to change their game against 12 men - and that proved the Sharks' downfall.

With the scores locked at 18-all when Hudson Young was sin binned midway through the second half, the Sharks opted to kick a penalty goal to edge ahead.

But all that did was eat up a good 90 seconds of Young's 10 minutes in the bin, and cost the Sharks 80m of field position.

It was a signal to the Raiders that Cronulla lacked the confidence to score a try against 12 men, and Canberra immediately lifted.

The Sharks failed to score again, and the Raiders – who looked like the better side about to get beaten – produced THAT spectacular late try to Sebastian Kris to somehow come up with a deserved win.