Matt Burton provided so much for the Penrith Panthers in their premiership year and his departure left a hole to be filled. Enter Izack Tago.
In Sunday night’s 20-point win over Canterbury, Tago again showed the Panthers have little to worry about, with his 176 run metres creating plenty of potency on the left edge.
When you consider Burton averaged 108 run metres in the 2021 premiership year and is two years older than Tago, the hype becomes even more real.
At full-time, coach Ivan Cleary revealed Tago holds himself to the highest of standards.
“He’s really hard on himself,” Cleary said.
“It’s pretty obvious the talent that he’s got. And it’s not just talent that he’s got, it’s NRL talent.
“He’s probably got to back off himself sometimes, (you saw tonight) a young guy who is still trying to find his way across the 80 minutes, concentration and a couple of errors in that second half.
“But that’s a part of developing and playing the game.”
The development is very exciting for Panthers fans, as evidenced by his 70-metre bust full of footwork, a dummy and a flick pass to set uxjmtzywp Penrith’s second try.
Since debuting in 2021, Tago has scored five tries in 10 appearances, four of those this season, missing out on a four-pointer for the first time in 2022 against the Bulldogs.
The defence also holds. Another nine tackles on Sunday night, with one missed, kept his defensive efficiency hovering around 90 per cent.
“You’re actually allowed to make mistakes … especially when you’re that young and when he makes them, he makes them flat out and that’s what you want,” Cleary said.
On Sunday night, Tago was just one of two 20-year-olds to exhibit the talent coming through Penrith’s famous junior nursery.
Winger Taylan May did not let the assault charge that hangs over his head affect him, scoring his sixth try in three games this season and breaking seven tackles.
