As the 2026 season closed with the Roosters running out premiers, it presents an opportunity to reflect on what sustained success can look like.
Prior to the end of 2022, the last team to win back to back competitions were the Roosters in 2018 and 2019.
The NRL Grand Final in 2025 was played between the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos. Neither made the top 8 in 2026.
Admittedly, the Storm represent the absolute benchmark for consistency since they have entered the competition making the finals 25 times out of a possible 29.
In the Panthers run of success, 2020 through to 2026, the Roosters are the only other team apart from the Panthers to play finals football each year during this period.
In the last seven years, the competition has been won by four different teams, however it was the Panthers who won four of those premierships. On the other side of the four peat they have made the last two preliminary finals, setting the benchmark for consistency in performance in the NRL during the 2020-2026 period.
The record - 2020-2026
The four-peat (2021–2024): Penrith achieved four straight premierships, becoming the first club in 58 years to accomplish the feat.
Minor premiership dominance: Penrith finished on top of the ladder (minor premiers) four times across these seven seasons (2020, 2022, 2023, 2026).
Seven consecutive finals campaigns: Across the entire 2020–2026 period, Penrith have reached at least the preliminary final every single year, appearing in five grand finals.
In the salary cap era and with continued loss of key players from their roster the feat is even more impressive. Coupled with periods of time without major star players due to long-term injuries, it points to a system that had key players working in the shadows of marquee stars, effectively going about their business as quiet achievers in a period of dominance.
While the headlines naturally belonged to the superstars, Penrith's historic era was quietly built on the foundation of those perhaps less in the limelight, the quiet achievers or unsung heroes who either stepped up during Origin windows, absorbed gruelling mid-season workloads, played their specific roles within the larger machine and ensured the Panthers' uncompromising standard never slipped.
Daine Laurie (2020, 2024-2025)
Across two stints at the club Daine Laurie, made his mark as a youth pathway product who provided elite fullback cover as well as the capacity to deputise in a range of backline positions or utility roles.
His best work was most prominent in filling in for Dylan Edwards at the back, seamlessly replicating the crucial backfield carries that have fuelled the dynasty. Blessed with excellent speed and acceleration Laurie provided Ivan Cleary with a weapon that no matter how he was used didn't compromise the structural rhythm of the Panthers machine.
By maintaining a sharp 72.7 per cent win rate across his Panthers tenure, Laurie's contributions ensured the team's relentless momentum never faltered across his 26 appearances for the club.
Charlie Staines (2020-2022)
The "Forbes Ferrari" burst onto the scene in 2020 with a memorable four-try debut against Cronulla. A genuine speedster with elite finishing ability, Staines provided outstanding depth behind starters Brian To'o and Taylan May, giving Ivan Cleary complete reliability on the flanks.
Beyond his 23 tries in 39 games, Staines consistently delivered with solid edge defence and tireless cover chases. His value was fully realised during the 2022 finals when an injury to May thrust him into the starting side for the preliminary and grand final, where he scored a crucial second-half try to help seal the premiership.
Departing with an extraordinary 82.1 per cent win rate, Staines was a dynamic unsung hero who seized every opportunity.
Sunia Turuva (2022-2024)
Turuva was another that emerged through Penrith's elite pathways system, bidded his time throughout 2022, but was described by Ivan Cleary during that period as the ultimate 18th man.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, although overshadowed by stars Edwards and To'o, Turuva provided essential high quality yardage as part of Penrith's starts to sets. His spectacular finishing, low error rate, and relentless work ethic in carry-outs were pivotal during the 2023 and 2024 premiership campaigns, earning him the 2023 NRL Dally M Rookie of the Year award before securing back-to-back grand final rings.
Across a 52-game career for the Panthers, Turuva scored 29 tries and enjoyed a 78.8 per cent win percentage. A valuable contributor to two premiership successes, but not in the limelight of other superstars during this period of dominance.
Jack Cogger (2023, 2026 contracted until 2028)
Cogger arrived at Penrith following a stint in Super League, prior to the commencement of the 2023 season. He has proven to be one of Ivan Cleary's most important recruitments in the second half of the four peat era.
Stepping up as the primary playmaker, either during Origin periods, when resting key stars or during periods of injury lay-off for Nathan Cleary, Cogger has ensured there hasn't been a lack of tactical execution for the Panthers. His defining moment came in the 2023 NRL Grand Final against Brisbane.
Thrown into the action early in the second half when Luai succumbed to a pre-existing shoulder injury, Cogger slotted into the halves organising the attack and allowing Cleary to orchestrate the greatest comeback in grand final history.
Not making headlines, but going about his business Cogger has amassed 30 career games for the Panthers, winning 23 of them, providing critical halves continuity to the Panthers juggernaut.
Jaemon Salmon (2021-2023)
After a promising start to his career in the halves at Parramatta, Salmon's career had stalled until he made the move further west. He underwent an evolution that saw him transform into one of the most reliable and flexible bench utilities in Penrith's entire system.
His capability to seamlessly cover second-row, lock, centre and five-eighth provided Ivan Cleary with wonderful flexibility and coverage within his rotation. Salmon filled crucial gaps during State of Origin periods, resting stretches, and mid-game injury disruptions.
His ability to maintain Penrith's relentless defensive pressure and structural flow off the interchange bench made him a staple of the squad, culminating in 44 appearances, a grand final ring in 2022 and an impressive 81.8 per cent win percentage.
Matt Eisenhuth (2021-2025)
Einsenhuth joined the Panthers in 2021 after a stint at the West Tigers. He quickly became a trusted middle forward option for Ivan Cleary to turn to during this period of dominance. Operating behind the stars like James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Isaah Yeo, he embodied the selfless grit that defined Penrith's culture.
Providing steady leadership as a more experienced operator, relentless tackle efficiency and direct yardage, Einsenhuth became the go to option in the absence of any key middle forward.Whether starting at prop, playing lock, or providing heavy minutes off the bench, his high work rate, low error count, and defensive reliability ensured no drop-off in standard when frontline forwards were rested or injured.
Spencer Leniu (2019-2023)
Leniu debuted for the Panthers in 2019 as a teenager and from 2020 established himself as a critical high impact bench rotation forward. The local junior became the epitome of the ultimate bench weapon, capable of devastating short impact stints building on the platform laid by Leota and Fisher-Harris.
Leniu's arrival on the field prevented opposition forward packs from getting any respite with his violent carries and heavy collision defence ensuring momentum was always on Penrith's side. He is arguably an irreplaceable element of the Panthers three peat bench rotation, providing the mountain men with 62 explosive career matches and a mammoth 83.9 per cent win percentage.
His value could not be more evident than in his performance for the Roosters off the bench in the 2026 grand final, 25 minutes of mayhem.
Scott Sorensen (2021-2026)
Famously on the verge of giving the game away, Sorensen took a meeting with Ivan Cleary that became life defining.
After debuting in 2014 for the Sharks and spending time in the Raiders system a 39 game NRL career looked like it was ending in 2020. Arriving on a lifesaver contract in 2021 after being released by Cronulla, Sorensen quickly developed into one of the most reliable second-rowers and bench forwards in the modern era.
Across his time at Penrith Sorensen has provided flawless defensive steel that kept the Panthers impenetrable during the peak of this period. Whether starting on the edge or bursting onto the field as an interchange forward, his lateral mobility and relentless line-speed were integral to the four-peat dynasty.
He represents the value of work ethic behind anything great, in a true story of resilience, commitment and when coaches prioritise character and see something overlooked elsewhere but know that it can underpin success in a different system.
There are plenty of other players across this period that could be mentioned, however all of these stand out as quiet achievers, not in the headlines, not in the limelight, but critical cogs in a dynasty of consistency and success.
