SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 26: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak of the Panthers looks dejected after defeat during the round 7 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Panthers Stadium on April 26, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Penrith's Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has reportedly asked for a release from the Panthers, despite being contracted until the end of the 2020 season.

The 23-year-old has asked for an immediate release, with the Daily Telegraph first with the report.

The news comes as Watene-Zelezniak has been shopped to rival clubs including Parramatta by Penrith.

The Eels have reportedly sent Penrith an offer for the Kiwis Test captain, but haven't heard back from the foot of the mountains.

Parramatta can afford Watene-Zelezniak, but North Queensland are reportedly interested in the youngster as well.

Watene-Zelezniak has been dropped from both the Panthers' NRL and reserve-grade teams due to his form.

29 COMMENTS

  1. HAHAHAHAHAHA🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 ChocolateSoldierOfDivide how funny is that. I’ve been telling you that Penrith Juniors are useless and now they can’t even give him away to their arch rivals Parramatta. The local junior bloke is so hopeless that he did not just get dropped from 1st grade but reserves also all in the one BIG drop …..🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 Great juniors out Penrith way 💪🐔👉==========🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣👍

  2. Great player having an ordinary season like all the Panthers. Shows what a mercenary club Penrith is to play for. Ready to cut you loose real quick. Get rid of the coach. Good replacement for Lafai dragons.

  3. Yeah pretty good call actually. Think Dallin would like to move to the Tigers to play for a coach that will use him more. Also with Marshall getting old and Reynolds always injured they could potentially move Dallin into fullback and have Mbye back at five-eight. Think Moses would be pretty good at 6 with Brooks at 7. At the bulldogs he didn’t really have a good halves partner to take the pressure of him and his running game.

  4. Firstly, I hope we sign him, and I know we’ve got the cap space to do it, but the Bunnies probably have more cap space (if they want him) and the Cowboys have a greater need (as FB).
    Secondly, and I’m NOT having a dig, and I may well be completely off track/totally wrong, but this fits with my initial thoughts re the Cleary’s deal.
    I know players are professionals, as are the Cleary’s, and the club, but even so, the extent the Panthers/Cleary’s went to in order to have Dad coach his son, not to mention, Dad’s coaching his son at the club, has to put some noses out of joint, especially amongst the more senior players.

  5. Kinda feel bad fo the bloke. Had an awesome off season and was the kiwis captain. Came back to the Panthers wanting to play fullback but the club wanted to use Dylan Edwards and after Edwards had some shockers they dropped him for Aekins who is young and raw. Now there is lots of pressure to perform because of bad results and a new coach and after Aekins gets dropped they go back to Edwards and Dallin gets dropped after playing wing and centre. (Btw he’s never played centre) If only he was given the fullback role and was supported well by the club things could be different.

    As for you Panthers18 trying to make Dallin look bad. Think it’s a known fact that the Panthers have been trying to shop him since the start of the year and now that he’s been dropped completely he wants a release. If it were me and I was being played out of position, not being supported well by those around me, having the club that pays me trying to offload me, as well as being blamed for poor results under a new coach that looks like he has no idea then I’d want to leave also.

    Side note: Ivan Cleary has no clue what he is doing last week apparently Mansour and RCG had a heated arguement at training them both got dropped and Egan. Sione Katoa was absolutely terrible at hooker last week, Brain Too didn’t do anything and they could’ve done with RCG. Now both players walk back into the team and he drops DWZ and blames it on his bad defence. Did he not see Paasi carry 3 people over for a try while Kikau and Edwards just watched. Kikau missed 7 tackles that game, while Too missed 5, yet DWZ is the one getting blamed and dropped.

  6. Without doubt kikau watching as Paasi walked through and scored was up there with darious Boyd from early in the year, something a long way off at panthers

  7. DWZ didn’t seek a release because he was dropped. He was dropped because he asked for a release.
    To much instability at the Pennies at the moment.
    If Parra were to sign him I would move Guth to 5/8 and play DWZ at fullback.

  8. Your comments are always childish and you constantly are attacking people.
    You are either a child or an immature adult who gets off with such childish rants.
    Look at all those emojis like who does that and every comment ??

  9. Pretty difficult fr you to comment on juniors isn’t it Wood Rot? As your club doesn’t have any. So what would you know about juniors? The only juniors you know about are the ones that come to the Nuggets , from other clubs.
    The other day you were saying about our great juniors re-signing. You were referring in part to 2 New Zealanders. That had been there for a year or 2. Anyone that goes there , are your juniors.
    As for the mercenary comment. Penrith bought back Dalin’s ordinary winger brother this year, to keep him happy. After Wests didn’t want him. So they couldn’t be kinder. Then go to drop Dalin as he’s not playing well & it’s ‘ you can’t drop me, I’m the Kiwi test captain ‘! I want to leave now.
    Don’t see the same comments about Brisbane constantly dropping & replacing first graders. They do it almost week to week. Such as Roberts!
    You can’t do worse than keep losing each game this year. So a clean out has started.
    One thing to be sure of Wood Head. There are more juniors coming through at Penrith. He came out of the system & they made him the player to be the Kiwi captain.

  10. Everyone is failing to realize that DWZ missed a sitter on the weekend when the game was still in the balance by dropping the ball cold with no one in front of him but the try line.
    Now you can tell a lot of how much effort and passion a player is putting into the team by their body language.
    When Dalin dropped that sitter his body language showed that it didn’t even phase him, it’s as if he didn’t even care.
    Now you can say “of course he doesn’t care, why should he” but at the end of the day, your getting bloody paid to play, your on contract, getting paid to do a job for your team. I wake up at 4 in the friggen morning and break my but to earn not even a quarter of what Dalin is earning. If he is going to sook about being dropped because he’s not performing or playing out of position, then good riddens to him.
    I’m sick and tired of some of the players that play in the modern day they honestly need a reality check and get their priorities in order!!!!!

  11. @ Panthers18 – not trying to take a shot at you, merely an observation from an outsider considering my ZT name.

    The problem at the Panthers seems to be the Coach. I think bringing Ivan as coach was not a good idea. There will always be some hesitation to roast his own son or drop his son for playing poorly and dealing with that area is delicate when you have 29 other blokes in your squad. There will always be groups within a team, workplace, school etc.

    If Ivan wanted to coach his son, he should have joined the Panthers as a halves coach and not head coach, the conflict of interest seems to be the issue there. Simply look back at last year under Griffin and Ciraldo, the club still played pretty well. There were many games in the 2nd half of the season where they were trailing at half time or even 60 min into the game and they still fought back to win in. It takes a lot for any team in the NRL to achieve those results.

    The team has not changed dramatically from last year to this year but the club has had a fair share of issues – Tyrone May escapades, Gus Gould leaving, Bennet talk, Chairman coming out publicly about Gus/Bennett/Cleary. The fact Ivan thought he had so many more questions than answers 2 weeks ago to yesterday saying he knows the answers/plan just doesn’t stack up. What did he learn over the past 2 weeks that he didn’t know before, possibly acceptance that coaching your own son in a footy club will not be easy.

    Again, not taking pot shots at you or any Panthers fan because i actually like the club after Manly of course but it would seem bringing Ivan was not the answer. There should have been another way to lock up Nathan long term rather than bringing Ivan back.

  12. Mate get a clue, Penrith were already shopping him around and were going to cut him loose. He got in first knowing he’s not wanted.

  13. Get him signed before the Souths game

    1: DWZ
    2: M Sivo
    3: M Jennings
    4: B Ferguson
    5: G Jennings
    6: C Gutherson
    7: M Moses
    8: Jr Paulo
    9: R Mahoney
    10: D Alvaro
    11: S Lane
    12 M Nuikore
    13: T Moeroa
    14: T Mannah
    15: M Mau
    16: P Terepo
    17: B Takarangi

  14. You’re actually wrong there. You’ll find DWZ played centre for a few games in first grade a few years ago. When the team had a lot of injuries. He played very well in the position .
    Isn’t it up to the experienced players to show the way for the new guys in first grade? In attack & defence . DWZ has enough experience to do his job. He just hasn’t done his job, no matter what position he’s put in to play in the backline? Doesn’t say a lot for him . Don’t do tantrums because you can’t play where you think you should. If you’re getting paid & are in first grade , play where you’re told to & do your job!
    Same goes for a the other players there. Experienced players lead the way, in defence especially!
    Maloney is the number 1 tackles misses. Hard to tell everyone else what to do, when you don’t do it yourself.

  15. What a load of crap Kev/ 2041.
    He thinks he should have been fullback, because he wants to be fullback. So didn’t bother trying too hard in other positions, when told to play there.
    So then ,couldn’t take being dropped as a Kiwi Test Captain, when he was dropped for just not bothering.
    So asked for a release.
    If Penrith play it right, they could do alright from DWZ’s release, if they wanted to? Only release him to play at another NRL club, if they can get a couple of that clubs best up & coming players of their choice in return, Dito for any other player leaving the club.
    They’d get them cheaper & still have cap money to spend. Otherwise, no deal.

  16. Your only problem is that it’s looking more & more like a Penrith team!
    What if they also bring some of their bad attitudes with them?

  17. By the end of the year, Penrith will have more cap space than most other clubs put together Eels.
    I like them using their own juniors . However, who have Parramatta got coming through the grades ?
    Must be a decent centre or two? Maybe a winger & a hooker?
    They probably come from Penrith juniors any way. 👍

Comments are closed.