Kenny backs succession plan as Penrith push to improve

“Probably start with wanting to give Wal a wrap," Kenny said. 

“I'm super excited for him, he thoroughly deserves the opportunity to become an NRL coach and he's definitely got the backing of everyone out in Penrith.

“I also think Ive's going to stay connected to the club in some capacity, so he's going to be a great mentor and advisor for Wal, so super excited for that.

“Also feeling just really happy for Ive. It's great for him to have his future sorted and probably a bit of a weight off his shoulders having made that decision and made it public, so stoked for everyone involved.

“Obviously it's going to be change, but that's not for another 18 months or so, so we've got a lot of time up our sleeve before we have to cross that bridge.

“I think actually hearing the words … it was a little bit of shock, but it's something that we've probably all been wondering for a while and we've all had to come to terms with the possibility – and now it's actually happened.

“Like I said, we've got a bit of time up our sleeve.

“He's not leaving tomorrow or anything like that, so we'll make the most of these last seasons we've got with him.

“It's not a rash decision, it's part of what you'd probably call a natural progression?

“It's something the club have probably thought about in the back of their minds for a while, and Ive obviously wasn't going to coach forever and he's given so much to the club, he deserves to be able to walk away on his terms.

“He feels like it was the right time to step away, which would be great for his family, and it's also a great time for Wall who's definitely ready to coach in the NRL.

“He's got a group that's super supportive of him and we're looking forward to that when it comes.”

Sidelined after suffering a fibula fracture and high grade syndesmosis injury in Penrith’s Round 7's golden point win over the Dolphins, Kenny said his recovery had been going well.

“I've still got a bit of a journey in front of me, but been enjoying this process, touch wood," Kenny said.

"I've been super fortunate with injuries in my career, this is the first time I've had what some might consider more of a serious injury during a season.

“So first time that I've got a big rehab in front of me and I'm looking forward to the challenge of trying to come back better.

“Baby steps at the moment, I've probably got another eight weeks in front of me, but I'm going well.”

Currently sitting comfortably at the top of the ladder, Penrith have been the standout performers this 2026 season, looking a class above in the majority of their games.

After falling short of making the grand final last year in their bid for an unprecedented five-peat, Kenny said motivation was high for more success this year.

“We had a really good pre-season and the silver lining of falling short last year was probably meant that we had a bit more time to train together this off-season," Kenny said.

“I think we just, we started really well based on that and also probably a little bit of a chip on our shoulder of not doing what we wanted to last year.

“We're certainly far from perfect and we've got we've got plenty of improvement in us, but it's just a credit to everyone to want to just continually get better.

"That's the mentality in the coaching staff, that's the mentality across the playing group, everyone's just trying to always get better.

"At the moment, thankfully it's working out more often than not on the field, so we'll just keep trying to get better.”

The Panthers will close out this year’s NRL Magic Round with their game against St George Illawarra Dragons.