Soward and fellow half and skipper Peter Wallace have been credited with a large part of the responsibility for the Panthers’ charge from also-rans to the top four, where they have sat for almost the entire 2014 season.

The pair were at the Sportsground yesterday afternoon, along with the rest of their squad, as the club helped conduct a clinic for hundreds of junior league players from across the region.

“This weekend is very important for us. We haven’t lost two games in a row all season and we need to make sure that we are switched on and avoid it happening on Saturday,” Soward said, referencing last Saturday’s loss to the Roosters.

“Cronulla beat us earlier in the year, and our preparation has been based around what happened in that game.

“They are a young side who like to throw the ball around, and they’ve shown how well they can do it with those come-from-behind wins against the Broncos and Roosters over the last month or so.

“We have to make sure our defence is right early on.”

Soward has embodied the success story that has been the Panthers’ season so far.

Two years ago the Penrith side barely avoided the wooden spoon, before climbing to a more respectable 10th in 2013.

Soward, a strangely maligned player given the fact that he has played State of Origin football and helped St George-Illawarra to a drought-breaking title win in 2010, linked with the club at the start of this season.

Along with fellow new recruit Wallace, he has been a key factor in the Panthers’ push further up the ladder to the point where they are still in serious contention for the minor premiership.

“I don’t necessarily think it has been a surprise that we’ve done this well as a team. We all start with the same goal at the start of the year and having a few patches of real consistency has helped us,” he said.

“There was a run of five wins in six matches there at one stage.

“Once we knew that ‘Wal’ [Wallace] was going to sign with us, I was pretty excited because it meant that I would be able to play with a bit more freedom.

“When he was at the Broncos he really allowed [Darren] Lockyer to free up, and we hit it off straight away when he arrived. He’s a dominant sort of player who really steers the team around and leads us, and it lets me do my thing too.”

For all their success so far in 2014, though, the Panthers still have to consolidate their position in the top half of the ladder, with just four points separating them in second and the Wests Tigers in ninth.

A 32-12 loss to the Roosters was among their more disappointing displays of the year and Soward didn’t shy away from that when assessing his own performance in the black jersey since joining the club.

“Last week was pretty ordinary as a team, and I take a lot of that too,” he said.

“For the first half of the year, though, I feel like I’ve done my job, the same that everyone has. The halves tend to reap the rewards when things are going well, the same as they get a lot of the criticism when things aren’t going well.

“You’ve got to cop the good with the bad.

“It wasn’t pretty last week but ‘Wal’ coming back is a big help after his injury, and no matter where your captain plays it is always a big boost to get him back.”