New Bronco Capewell given leave for a month to attend Panthers’ premiership party

Kurt Capewell is prepared to remain locked out of his home in Queensland for a month, just so he can take part in next weekend’s Panthers’ premiership party where up to 10,000 fans are expected to line the streets of Penrith and fill BlueBet Stadium.

More than 5000 tickets for the belated celebration were snapped up within hours of being made available to members on Thursday.

Kurt Capewell will attend the Panthers premiership party, even though it means he needs to remain locked out of Queensland for a month.Credit:Getty Images

Deputy leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, local member and proud Panthers supporter Stuart Ayres has made sure the team will be given the chance to travel down High Street on top of an open-deck bus.

Nearly every Penrith player will be in attendance for the party that kickstarts with a street parade at 10am.

Tyrone May was sacked last week and will not feature, while Api Koroisau will be forced to bypass the event because he remains unvaccinated.

Isaah Yeo and Jarome Luai are the only other players who could be forced to skip the event because of the pending arrivals of their babies.

Capewell is in Brisbane where he is now under contract with the Broncos, but was given permission by his new employers to enjoy one last hurrah with his Penrith teammates.

Unless the Queensland-NSW border opens early, Capewell will need to remain in NSW before being allowed return home without quarantining on December 17 – the same day he is required to report for pre-season duty at Red Hill. He will keep himself fit in Sydney before taking part in a three-day army camp with the Broncos.

“I definitely wasn’t going to miss next weekend,” Capewell told the Herald. “It’s unfortunate the borders are shut at the moment, but I’ll still be getting back down there. I spoke to Brisbane and they were more than happy for me to get back, and they understand how important it is.

“I’ll fly back down to Sydney at the end of the week, but I can’t get back up here until December 17 [without having to quarantine]. I’ll fly back that day and go straight to training that day.

The route for the Panthers’ premiership street parade next weekend.Credit:Penrith Panthers

“Although we celebrated pretty well when we won it, it will still be good to see everyone again and have a quiet beer.

“I caught up with Nathan and a few of the boys after his operation, but I haven’t seen the rest of them since October 6.

“It will just be good to see all the fans and celebrate with them and the community and people who worked behind the scenes at the club – they have all been a massive part to helping us get to where we got to.”

The 2021 premierships is the third in the Panthers’ history, and Cleary was a huge reason for the title. Capewell said he was fortunate to play alongside a halfback who was at the top of his game and already achieved so much in his career.

Capewell joined the Panthers in 2020 and was part of the team that lost last year’s grand final before the triumph in this year’s decider. In July, he signed a three-year deal with the Broncos from 2022.

Panthers icon Royce Simmons vowed to have a beer with everybody in Penrith after the 1991 premiership, but club chief executive Brian Fletcher said there was no way co-captains Cleary and Yeo would be following suit.

Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo will not attempt to have a beer with everybody in Penrith, as Royce Simmons promised after the club’s first premiership in 1991.

“Royce was retiring after that grand final – Nathan and Isaah still have another nine, 10 or 11 years of playing, so they can think about trying to do what Royce did then,” Fletcher said. “It will be great for our fans to see the players. We’ll get between 7500 and 10,000 fans, which would be great.”

The Panthers, whose premiership celebrations were well documented on social media – one controversial post led to May’s sacking – will also celebrate the club’s Merv Cartwright Medal on November 25.

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