While several of his Penrith Panthers teammates are chasing a historic fifth NRL premiership ring, interchange forward Liam Henry is focused on creating his own milestone, doing the double.
The 24-year-old forward will line up in just his second NRL Preliminary Final this Sunday when the Panthers face the Brisbane Broncos in front of a sold-out crowd at Suncorp Stadium.
Henry has been one of Penrith’s most consistent performers throughout the 2025 season, providing crucial impact off coach Ivan Cleary’s bench.
His reliability has helped the Panthers recover from a shaky start to the year and surge back into premiership contention.
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Speaking with the Western Weekender on Tuesday, the Blayney junior admitted he doesn’t take these opportunities for granted.
“This will be my second Prelim, and I can’t wait,” Henry said.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll fly up on Saturday, stay the night and then game day on Sunday. I’m super excited and can’t wait to rip in.”
Preliminary Finals are often considered tougher than the NRL Grand Final itself, with the pressure of falling short weighing heavily on players.
Henry believes this Panthers squad is well prepared after facing sudden-death football for weeks.
“I feel like for us this year it’s been do or die the whole Finals Series,” he admitted.
Since debuting in 2022, Henry has steadily grown into his role at Penrith. This Sunday’s clash will mark his 50th NRL appearance, following 24 games in 2024 and another 22 so far in 2025.
Remaining injury-free has allowed him to cement himself as a reliable forward rotation player.
“The last two years have felt like it’s just flown. I can’t really describe it,” he said.
“You come into training and then you play on the weekend and then you do it all again. I feel like the last two years have been a bit of a blur, but it’s awesome. I’m stoked to be a part of this group, and I can’t wait until Sunday.”
Henry is contracted until the end of the 2026 season but has already expressed his desire to stay with the Panthers long-term.
With expansion clubs like the Perth Bears circling players, Penrith may need to put forward a strong offer to secure his future.
“I’m absolutely stoked with where we are at as a club and I’ve absolutely loved my time here so far and I hope to be here for a long, long time,” Henry said.
“I absolutely love it here and wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. That’s the plan anyway, but we’ll see what happens.”