Brandy’s inspirational rallying cry to Penrith

SEIZE the moment. No regrets. Give it everything.

These are the motivational words club legend Greg Alexander has for his aspiring Panthers just 12 months after dramatically crashing out in last year’s grand final.

Burned and haunted for months, Alexander declared Panthers players must capture and seize Sunday’s grand final against South Sydney – or face more gut-wrenching anguish.

“It’s one of those moments in your life – you need to grab it. No regrets. Give it everything,”

Alexander said, adding that the pain of losing last year’s decider to Melbourne should motivate and inspire his battered Panthers.

Penrith players have the opportunity to exorcise 12 months of heartache with Alexander saying: “If you get to a grand final and lose, that’s shattering. “That sits in the back of your mind all off season and all season because it’s not easy to earn that chance to play in a decider again.

“There’s nothing more disappointing in the game than losing a grand final. It’s a massive blow and it sticks with you all season. And that is also the greatest motivator.

“So much can go wrong in a season. So when you do get a chance, that will help you overcome any feeling that they’re not 100 per cent.

“We are a bit battered but I don’t think that will be an issue. There is that motivation to do what you didn’t do the previous season and that can be a powerful thing and pretty strong. I think that will get them past whatever soreness they may be feeling.

“The team dealt with it (the 2020 grand final) at the start of the year. They addressed the grand final at some stage during the off season. You never know when another grand final will come around again but the Panthers have earnt the right to play in this grand final.”

It’s been exactly thirty years since Penrith claimed the club’s first title with a dramatic and late win over Canberra. Penrith had played Canberra in the decider the previous year and lost. The similarities with this current side are eerie.

“Like 30 years ago, this team has been given the chance to correct what went wrong the year before and to create their own piece of history,” Alexander said. “The hardest thing about losing a grand final is that it’s over so quickly.”

The TAB has the Panthers as firm $1.67 favourites with Souths to $2.25 outsiders.