The Penrith Panthers may have undergone a major clean out with 10 players departing the club this off-season.
But captain Isaah Yeo, 31, says he’s excited heading into 2026 following a much-needed freshen up of the NRL squad, particularly as the core playing group remains intact for the first time since the Panthers’ historic 2021-24 premiership run began.
“I think there was an opportunity for the club to try and freshen up the squad,” Yeo told SEN radio.
“We haven’t lost many from our main 1 to 17, but we’ve had a real refresh in our boys underneath it.”
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Yeo was also brutally honest in his assessment of one of Penrith’s major recruitment strategies for 2026.
“We signed a lot of the (premiership winning) New Zealand Warriors NSW Cup side,” he admitted, following the signings of Kalani Going, Toby Crosby, Tom Ale and Patrick Moimoi.
“We pretty much just raided them after the success they’ve just had,” Yeo added.
“We’ve also got a lot of younger (Panthers) boys coming up into the first-grade squad as well, so it’s a real breath of fresh air.”
As for the feeling around the club, which won’t start the new year as NRL champions for the first time since 2022?
“There’s certainly a different feel in the group at the moment,” Yeo said.
“The last few years we’ve had a few of our top marquee players (leaving), whereas this time around it’s probably come from our juniors and the boys on the cusp of first grade, so that’s exciting.”
Penrith begins its 2026 NRL campaign with a blockbuster 2025 preliminary final rematch against Brisbane on Friday, 6 March at Suncorp Stadium.