NRL side Penrith Panthers were taking on the Cronulla Sharks yesterday afternoon at Penrith’s home ground Pepper Stadium when an unexpected pitch invader caught the attention of the commentators.
No, this wasn’t a streaker. Rather, Penrith’s very small Panther mascot (read: an unidentified black cat) was sprinting down the sideline and into the in-goal area.
The Panthers were losing 8-6 at the time, and unfortunately, the appearance of the cat didn’t signify a reversal of fortunes; as they went on to lose 26-10 to Cronulla.
In typical 2016 form though, the internet responded with some absolute gold and within hours the cat had its own Twitter account and was conversing with Penrith boss Phil Gould and other fans. Former Penrith Panther Joe Galuvao even called for the cat to be drafted into the NSW State Of Origin side for the game this Wednesday night.
@Gus10Gould @stonasat If I got it I would’ve scored
— Pepper Stadium Cat (@Penrithcat) July 10, 2016
@joegee8 @NSWRL @PenrithPanthers yeah loz said I’m in
— Pepper Stadium Cat (@Penrithcat) July 10, 2016
Check out some of the best that Twitter had to offer, below.
@PenrithPanthers I’m puffed after that run #NRLPanthersSharks
— Pepper Stadium Cat (@Penrithcat) July 10, 2016
#NRLPanthersSharks pic.twitter.com/hxOAeMVZO6
— Simpsons NRL Quotes (@SimpsonsNRL) July 10, 2016
I thought Soward had left the Panthers#NRLPanthersSharks pic.twitter.com/ugb2EmVu7L
— WhatsHisName (@YeahNahMaybe) July 10, 2016
From Twitter accounts to Reddit, the Pepper Stadium Cat has officially gone viral (Photo: Reddit) #NRLPanthersSharks pic.twitter.com/NPS8lY65rQ
— Big League (@bigleaguemag) July 11, 2016
