Panthers coach steering clear of complacency ahead of flag clash with traditional rivals

Across a topsy-turvy five years as a senior coach, Railways mentor Rhett Pettit knows better than most the contrast of emotions between winning and losing grand finals.

Two years ago, Pettit basked in the spoils of a 14-point grand final victory over Boulder.

It capped off an epic contest — just three years after Pettit had endured the indignity of a last-place finish in his first season as coach.

Back-to-back flags were high on the Panthers’ agenda, but those hopes were dashed in a heartbreaking loss by two points against Boulder in last year’s grand final.

Fast-forward a year and Railways’ 2024 campaign has been among the most dominant in recent GFL history, marked by just one defeat.

For Pettit, however, it was more reason to work harder in pursuit of the end-goal.

“We’re obviously very proud of what we’ve achieved throughout the year, but we also understand that it counts for nothing on Saturday,” Pettit said.

“It’s a 50/50 game between two teams who can win it and we’ll go out with a mindset to execute our best style of footy.

“We know that if we do that, it holds up pretty well — that’s really our mindset.

“One-hundred per cent you don’t (take success for granted) because there’s been a wooden spoon along the way, but we’ve also learnt a lot of lessons from last season, that’s for sure.

“Most of all, we understand fully the repercussions of not playing our best football.”

Pettit said an injection of new talent into the 2024 squad came with a steely resolve to taste flag success.

“It’s a new group this year with probably six or seven players, compared to last year,” he said.

“We have turned over players and hopefully we can create some new history with this group by coming out on the right side of the ledger this weekend.

“We’re totally focused on what’s in front of us.”

It has been a big season for Pettit, who was named coach of the GFL’s team of the year.