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It was the unexpected lifeline that allowed Scott Sorensen to haul himself off the rugby league scrapheap and live out his wildest dreams.
Five years ago, Sorensen was justifiably worried that his NRL career had run its course.
At the age of 27, and after 39 top-grade games over the course of seven seasons, the back-rower had been released by Cronulla and his phone was not exactly running hot.
“There were a few conversations about going overseas, but nothing was set in concrete,” Sorensen recalled on Tuesday.
With a young family to support, he was considering taking up an offer of a job on the wharves at Port Botany, before fielding an approach from Penrith coach Ivan Cleary.
Bereft of alternatives, he had no hesitation in agreeing to a sit-down, “just to have a chat”.
Scott Sorensen poses with the premiership trophy after last year’s grand final.Credit: Getty Images
“They gave me a call when I was on the way home after that meeting, and, yeah, I’m very, very fortunate that I got an opportunity to play some footy here,” Sorensen said.
It would seem fair to say the arrangement has worked well for both parties. At Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, Sorensen will play his 100th game for the Panthers in the preliminary final against Brisbane.
If they win that, he’ll find himself lining up a week later in his fifth consecutive grand final, hoping to add to his four premiership rings.
Sorensen’s track record suggests he can lay claim to the unofficial title of Penrith’s lucky charm.
In his 99 games for the club, they have won 78. That gives him a winning strike rate of 78.8 per cent – the best in the team. Prior to the move west, he won 16 of his 39 games for Cronulla and Canberra, at 41.0 per cent.
A victory on Sunday would also extend Sorensen’s undefeated record in finals for Penrith. He’s featured in 12 play-offs with the Panthers and is yet to suffer a loss. During his time at Cronulla, they lost three of the four finals he contested.
“It’s a dream come true,” Sorensen admitted. “To be playing in such an incredible club with such an incredible group, I just can’t credit Penrith enough.
“I’m not standing here in this position without this club, obviously. I’m just forever grateful, and very excited that we get an opportunity to do it again this year.”
Scott Sorensen after losing a final with the Sharks in 2020, the year before he joined Penrith.Credit: Getty Images
Noentheless, Sorensen is still not satisfied.
“Not finished yet,” he declared, exuding a confidence he insists was still intact midway through the season, when the Panthers inexplicably found themselves languishing at the foot of the competition ladder.
“Oh, we’ve always been confident, most definitely,” he said. “We know what we’re capable of, we just unfortunately weren’t doing that through the start into the middle of the year, and were pretty disappointed about that.
“We just knew we had to sort of get our groove back and get back to just keeping it simple and working harder at training. And it was nice that we could turn it around.”
While the Panthers produced their best first half of the season last week when they eliminated Canterbury in a 46-26 drubbing, Sorensen said there was still room for improvement – especially in defence.
“We hold ourselves to account with how much pride we take in our defence,” he said. “So yeah, it’s pretty disappointing, letting in 26 points. But we know that. And we know we need to be better. And we know that we need to hold up against the Broncos this weekend.”
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Given what’s at stake this week, it is perhaps understandable that Sorensen was unaware of his looming 100-game milestone.
“Wow. I honestly didn’t even know that,” he said. “Look, I think I’ve said that a lot in the past that obviously I wouldn’t be where I am today without this club. I absolutely love this club. I get to put this jersey on every week, and I do my best not to take it for granted, because I really love this group.
“I love the coaching staff. I really love the environment and the culture that’s built here, and I love being a part of it.
“Thanks for letting me know that. It’s very exciting. It’s awesome. I’m very, very humbled and grateful to be here.”
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