Penrith Panthers lock forward Isaah Yeo believes a host of new recruits at the club will be of benefit heading into the 2026 campaign.

The Panthers managed to play a preliminary final in 2026 after a dismal start to the campaign, where at one point they sat in last place on the table.

Much of Penrith's best 17 have remained at the foot of the mountains heading into 202,6 creating a sense of stability, but beyond that, Ivan Cleary's side have let a host of players go.

That list is led by Brad Schneider, Trent Toelau, Luke Sommerton and Daine Laurie, who all featured on the fringe of the first-grade side in 2026, while David Fale, Mavrik Geyer, Asu Kepaoa, Zack Lamont, Zac Lipowicz and Riley Price have all also departed.

In response, Penrith have raised the New Zealand Warriors' NSW Cup-winning side with Tom Ale, Kalani Going and Freddy Lussick joining, while Jack Cogger also returns after an ill-fated stint at the Newcastle Knights.

Yeo said there is a fresh feel to the squad heading into 2026.

“We haven't lost many from our main 1 to 17, but we've had a real refresh in our boys underneath it,” Yeo told SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“We signed a lot of the New Zealand Warriors NSW Cup side; we pretty much just raided them after the success they've just had… we've got a lot of younger boys that are sort of coming up into the first-grade squad now as well.

“We've got a real breath of fresh air in that regard.

“I think there was an opportunity for the club to sort of try and freshen up the squad, but then on the other side, the boys that have been let go, it's probably a good opportunity for them to sort of go and see something different, be in a different system and have success somewhere else.

“There's certainly a bit of a different feel in the group at the moment, just because of the sense of that new energy and that freshness that's come from that second part of the squad.

“The last few years… with a few of our top marquee players (leaving), whereas this time around it's probably come from our juniors and the boys on the cusp of first grade, so I think that's exciting.”

None of the new recruits is likely to immediately play first-grade, but Ivan Cleary flagged on multiple occasions throughout 2025 that having less experienced depth options was a problem for Penrith.

That has been, to an extent, corrected heading into 2026, while the players who stood up on their run from the bottom of the table into the top eight will also be far better for the run that included winning efforts in the finals against the New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury Bulldogs, before they fell short against eventual premiers the Brisbane Broncos.

Penrith's run saw them go within a single game of a sixth straight grand final, having won four premierships in a row.