Phil Gould has raised concerns over Penrith’s decision not to select their new signing, Blaize Talagi, to play at five-eighth for the anticipated match against the Warriors in Las Vegas this weekend. Reports indicate that instead, the Panthers will field Jack Cole in the halves for the opening round of the season.
During a discussion on the Wide World of Sports podcast, Six Tackles with Gus, Gould emphasised that Talagi was brought to the club with a specific role in mind: to team up with Nathan Cleary and fill the void left by Jarome Luai. He expressed confusion over the club’s strategy and argued that if they’ve acquired Talagi for this very purpose, it would be sensible to integrate him into the starting lineup from the outset.
Gould further stated, “The sooner they settle on that and get him going, the better.” He believes that allowing Talagi to start will expedite his acclimatisation to the team dynamics and enhance the Panthers’ overall performance. Given his talents and the intentions behind his signing, Gould finds it surprising that the club might delay his deployment in the key five-eighth role.
As the season gets under way, observers will be keen to see how Penrith manages its new recruits and the evolving dynamics within the team, particularly in the critical halves positions.