Penrith officials were unsure whether to laugh or fire up after discovering what appeared to be another shameless lift by western Sydney rivals Canterbury.
The Bulldogs pinched football manager Phil Gould, coach Cameron Ciraldo, and premiership-winning players Matt Burton, Viliame Kikau, Jaeman Salmon and Stephen Crichton from the premiers. Under Ciraldo and Gould, they then adopted the same defensive systems and renewed focus on development pathways.
Now the Dogs appear to have done it again – this time producing a finals promotional video that bears an uncanny resemblance to the one released by the Panthers in 2023.
There is a similar voiceover, the same references to matches throughout the season and footage from the dressing room, and even the same soundtrack featuring Eminem’s Lose Yourself.
The Panthers’ finals video touches on several themes, including why the club could not go all the way. In the Bulldogs’ promo, Crichton’s vocals are overlaid on a montage that also references the Dogs overcoming challenges.
A professional voiceover artist says, “The Panthers, well, we’re hunting history,” at the end of the Penrith video. At the end of the Canterbury clip, Crichton states, “We’re chasing greatness.”
Did you see our new video, Nath? Stephen Crichton and Nathan Cleary at Monday’s NRL finals launch.Credit: Steven Siewert
It is not until both videos are played simultaneously that the similarities become clear. Panthers officials were quick to contact the Bulldogs and inform them of the resemblance, insisting their video felt like a “Penrith re-run”.
One Penrith source also pointed out the Dogs had embraced a “boombox culture”, including blasting music as the team got off the bus before games – something that became almost a trademark at Penrith, with Brian To’o and Jarome Luai their self-styled “chief energy officers”.
