Panthers' dominance rivalling best record in premiership history

While Penrith's attack is outstanding, their defence this year has been so exceptional that they are rivalling the most dominant regular season in premiership history.

Not since the all-conquering Eastern Suburbs side of 1935 has a team consistently won by as many points as the undefeated Panthers.

After 10 rounds the Panthers have an average points differential of 23.6; only the Tricolours of 86 years ago - spearheaded by future Immortal Dave Brown - have achieved greater dominance when they finished with a mark of 27.63 over 16 games of their regular season.

They ended with a 15-1 record and won both playoff matches to win the first of what would be a hat-trick of premierships.

Also in that 1935 season, Easts had the benefit of twice taking on a newly formed Canterbury team to rack up wins of 87-7 and 65-15, as well as the winless University club - thrashing them 61-5 and 40-5 - which only lasted two more years in the league.

Penrith are not the only side dominating in 2021 with Melbourne averaging a 21-point differential after 10 rounds.

The 1959 Saints have the second-best differential for a full season at an even 20 points while the 1995 Sea Eagles, who were upset by the Bulldogs in a grand final boilover, are the next best with 19.95.

As dominant as they were during their golden era of four premierships in the 1980s, in Parramatta's statistically best campaign in 1982 they averaged a differential of 14.5 points.

Parramatta hold the record for best regular season campaign in the NRL era with a differential of 16.66 in 2001 when they fell short in the premiership decider against Newcastle.

So ferocious has Penrith's defence been this season that they have conceded just 72 points, which makes them by far the best defensive team of the NRL era after 10 rounds.

In fact, it is the best defensive record of any side through 10 rounds since the value of tries was increased from three points to four, with NRL.com Stats having to travel back to the 1974 Roosters (70 points in 10 rounds) to find a side that let in fewer at the same stage of a season.

If the Panthers manage to maintain their points per game average throughout the rest of the season, it will be the best effort since the mighty St George side of 1963, which averaged a paltry 5.28 in the midst of their streak of 11 straight titles. 

Penrith are racking up plenty of points as well, with their tally of 308 points in 10 rounds the fifth-best of the NRL era.

Co-captain Nathan Cleary gave NRL.com an insight into the team's mentality when their opponents have the ball.

Cleary put in arguably the best individual performance of the year in Magic Round, accruing an absurd stat-line against the Titans that included three tries, two try assists, nine tackle busts, eight goals from as many attempts, 173 run metres and 266 kick metres plus two line drop-outs forced.

He also polished off 19 tackles with just one missed.

Cleary's take-away from all that? The missed tackle.

"There was definitely areas I thought I could have been better – especially in defence," Cleary told NRL.com.

"That's something to work on this week and take into next week."

Admittedly the missed tackle, on back-rower Beau Fermor, led directly to a try as the Panthers let in two second-half four-pointers and conceded 12 points all up - the equal second-most points they'd given up in a game this year.

For all his dominance with the ball, Cleary is also arguably the game's best defensive half and neither he nor his father and coach Ivan were impressed with the two second-half tries the Titans scored.

"We just need to be able to keep the intensity for the full 80 minutes no matter what the scoreline is," he added.

"As a team were probably guilty of that as a whole. The last 20 minutes we kind of slacked off a little bit. In saying that it gives us more motivation to play well this week and we're going to have to to beat a good Rabbitohs side this week.

"We definitely pride ourselves on our defence. Just the way we let in those tries was disappointing, they were a bit soft. It's not something we're about.

"It put a bit of a dampener on it but in saying that everyone's pretty stoked to get a win, especially in Magic Round, and start the season 10-0."

Pressed on his own performance, Cleary afforded himself the smallest of compliments.

"Personally I guess I'm building pretty nicely and getting better each week," he said.

"Just working hard. In saying that I'm definitely not content with where I'm at. I still feel like there's a long way to go but I'm enjoying the journey."

It's all a pretty clear indication of the Panthers' mindset, that they can have comfortably the best defence of any side of the modern era at this stage of a season and only see improvement to come.

For his part, Cleary hadn't heard the stat previously.

"Oh really? Wow, that's pretty cool," he laughed. "Again, that's something we pride ourselves on. That's a pretty cool stat."

Explaining just how this particular group has been able to achieve something so rare was a tougher ask, however.

"It's just the teamwork and the ability to have each other's backs when someone makes a mistake and having someone there to kind of save your arse," he said.

"That's something we pride ourselves on with our teamwork and working hard for each other and our scramble.

"Not only that, we've got great coaching staff; Cameron Ciraldo our defensive coach puts a lot of time and work into us and I think we're repaying the favour on the field.

"I think it's just a really good attitude amongst the group, we enjoy each win we have, we just enjoy playing footy together, we love the game and we come in on Monday and try and improve. We've done that well so far this year."