They have won an unprecedented three NRL premierships in a row – but the Panthers have hailed the real ‘Pride of Penrith’ in inspiring scenes

Superstar halfback Nathan Cleary was spotted in training on Monday morning as he continues to recover from his injury, but he was overshadowed by a pair of famous sisters who brought some shiny new bling to Penrith.

The Panthers are running out of room for all the silverware they’ve collected over the years, but they had no trouble creating some space for a couple of gold medals after the Fox sisters dropped by to chat to the premiers in preparation for the final.

It’s been a tough few weeks for the three-time reigning champions, but Monday’s visit from Jess and Noemie Fox – both avid Penrith supporters – puts things into perspective, just weeks after they excelled at the Olympics.

The sisters were happy to share their stories of redemption with a team facing their own setbacks and just weeks away from the final.

“They are proud Penrith girls and they were kind enough to give up their time to come here and talk to our boys and share their experiences – not just at the most recent Olympic Games but before that too,” said Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.

“They brought their gold medals, which was cool, and it was great what they offered. Our guys got a lot out of it.

“I can’t tell you everything, but it was mainly about preparation, and that’s important in Olympic sports.”

‘Adversity is always present in and around what we do as professional athletes, and right now we’re definitely in that little phase.

Jess and Noemie Fox visited the Panthers headquarters to inspire the playing group for the final (pictured, with co-captains Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary)

‘We’re probably not playing as well as we would like, there’s still a lot at stake.

“It was good to hear from other like-minded people – hopefully we can be as good as the girls – and about the ups and downs of professional sport and how you deal with that.”

The Panthers dropped to fourth in the table, their lowest finish this season since Round 7, after being shocked by Canberra on Saturday afternoon.

They are still without superstar halfback Nathan Cleary, who was on light duty on Monday morning but is not expected back until the first week of the finals, while youngster Jack Cole may have played his last game of the year after suffering a nasty hip drop tackle in the reserves.

No team has ever finished fourth and won the title under the current finals format. The last team to do so was the Melbourne Storm in 2009, but they were eliminated from the competition for exceeding the salary cap.

The 2005 Wests Tigers and 2002 Roosters also achieved this feat, and there is no doubt that the Panthers have the talent and belief to defy history if they finish fourth.

But with a favourable draw and players returning in the coming weeks, they remain in contention to move up a spot or two if the Roosters or Sharks slip up.

Whatever happens, Cleary knows his team will have to improve if they are to get through the tough times and reach the top level for a fourth consecutive year.

The Fox sisters (pictured) were the stars of Paris after both winning gold medals at the Games

Despite dropping to fourth on the NRL ladder after a shock defeat to the Raiders on Saturday, coach Ivan Cleary is confident his team can win a fourth consecutive Premier League title

“The regular season and where you end up is where you end up, and that’s what will happen,” he said.

“I absolutely believe we can win it, but we have to make a decision whether we are prepared to pay that price to win it. At the moment there is probably a question mark around it.

‘We haven’t played at our best this weekend for a long time and we were probably too strong for the opponent.

‘I know we have enough in the body of work this season to be able to compete (for the title). But there have been periods (in recent weeks) where it is right to doubt whether we are prepared to pay the price.

“It’s not easy if you want to go all the way, and you have to pay a high price along the way.”