As the Penrith Panthers enter the final stretch of another competitive NRL season, one of their most beloved veteran forwards is preparing to close a cherished chapter of his career, with an iconic new leadership opportunity waiting on Australia’s west coast. Thirty-three-year-old Scott Sorensen, a four-time premiership champion with the Panthers since joining the club in 2021, confirmed he will depart Penrith at the end of the current season to join newly expanded NRL franchise Perth Bears on a two-year deal. Industry insiders and teammates alike have already thrown their full support behind Sorensen to take up the historic role of the Bears’ first ever club captain, when the side makes its competition debut in 2025.
The news of Sorensen’s departure delivered an emotional moment for the entire Panthers squad last week, when the fan-favourite forward gathered his teammates to share his decision. In comments made to reporters ahead of this weekend’s NRL double-header in Perth, Sorensen opened up about the raw, tearful meeting, making no attempt to hide the depth of his connection to the Penrith organisation. “Absolutely there were tears. I’m not ashamed of that at all,” Sorensen said. “It was tough. Everyone in this organisation knows how much I love this place. That’s why saying I was leaving hit me so hard.”
Despite the sadness of leaving a club where he has built so many memories and claimed four of the league’s top titles, Sorensen said he remains grateful for his time in Penrith and enthusiastic about the next step of his career. “I’ve been given an incredible opportunity to join the Bears and I’m very excited about that,” he explained. “I’m absolutely so grateful and love my journey here, and I continue to enjoy my journey here. So it was very difficult and very emotional, but I’ve still got a few games yet, so I’m going to enjoy those.”
Sorensen revealed he had been weighing up the move since the Christmas holiday period, noting that proximity to his wife’s family based in Western Australia was a major factor in his final decision to accept the Bears’ offer. For the expansion franchise, which has been steadily building its inaugural playing squad over the past 18 months, sports analysts compare Sorensen’s expected leadership role to that of experienced veteran Jesse Bromwich, who anchored the Dolphins during their successful expansion entry into the NRL.
Teammates have been quick to praise Sorensen’s leadership credentials and back his potential as the Bears’ first captain. Paul Alamoti, a young Panthers centre who credits Sorensen with shaping his early NRL career, said the announcement of Sorensen’s departure moved the entire squad. “When I first came into the NRL squad, he was the leader among the left edge and I slotted into that position outside him, and he pushed me to my limits,” Alamoti recalled. “When he broke the news to the squad as a whole, I did get touched by it because his influence on my career has been immense. I have no doubt he’d be a great captain. He has so much passion and he’s a true competitor.”
Like all expansion sports franchises, the Perth Bears face lingering questions about whether their newly assembled squad can compete at the highest level from their first season, particularly as the club has not yet signed a high-profile marquee player. Sorensen, however, is unflinching about the scale of the challenge ahead, framing it as an exciting new adventure that echoes his 2021 move to Penrith, when he stepped into an unknown environment that ultimately led to multiple premiership wins.
“I’m not going to shy away from that,” Sorensen said. “We know it’s a massive challenge going into the unknown, which I understand. But I suppose in a way, I went into the unknown coming here at Penrith in 2021. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and that was exciting, that was motivating. I guess it’s the same thing going to the Perth Bears. Being given an opportunity and going into the unknown a little bit, that’s exciting and that’s something I’m looking forward to.”