LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
It's easy to focus on the 16 players who didn't run out for Penrith on Thursday night, but that would be a disservice to the Panthers pups who made their NRL debuts and did the jersey proud in a gritty loss to the Bulldogs.
Four rookies were named and a fifth made his debut after coming on as 18th man on Thursday, with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary brimming with pride after the match as his young troops frustrated Canterbury all night.
John Fonua was one of the great stories, with the former NSW under-18 fullback quitting rugby league a few years ago before he turned his back on good money to return to footy with the Panthers.
Then there's 23-year-old Zac Lipowicz, a carpenter by trade who shows up to training at 4 pm in his high-vis top covered in mud before pulling on the boots.
The edge forward is heading to Catalans on a two-year deal but had the opportunity to make his NRL debut on Thursday night in a game he'll always remember, despite being $1000 poorer after a fine for a hip-drop tackle that led to a stint in the sin bin.
"It's unreal, I definitely wasn't expecting it," he said after the game where Penrith's stars watched from the stands after they were given a rest.
"I went to work on Tuesday morning, I knew I was coming into training but didn't expect to be playing, especially starting. It was pretty unreal.