Isaah Yeo states Penrith Panthers won’t make same mistake twice ahead of World Club Challenge

The Panthers suffered a shock golden point defeat at home to St Helens in the one-off match last year and will now travel to Wigan to attempt to put things right, having sealed a third straight NRL title back in October.

​And while the 29-year-old admitted that his side were perhaps guilty of underestimating their opponents’ passion last year, they would not make the same mistakes this time around.

Speaking earlier this week, he said: “I’m super excited. It’s very much a reward for us as there’s only one team (from the NRL) going there and that’s us.

“It’s going to be a good experience and it’s great for the group, but we’re going there to try and win.

“It was really disappointing last year. You could see how much it meant to them and we learned a few lessons which will stand us in good stead for this year.

“We probably didn’t really understand how much it meant to the English players until after they won and they celebrated afterwards. It’s a big game for us and it’s a big game for them so we’re looking forward to the challenge.

“I feel like we respected that last year but we probably didn’t quite understand how much it meant to them until full-time and they’d beaten us and then we could see how passionate they were.

“There’s going to be a sold out crowd at the DW Stadium so it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere. I think the fans are a little bit different out there and are constantly in the game, so we’re really looking forward to that.”

Penrith landed in Manchester from Sydney on Saturday and Yeo is looking forward to seeing a familiar face in the form of close friend and former team-mate Kaide Ellis.

The Warriors are a side that Yeo knows plenty about as a result he added that he was under no illusions about how tough a challenge next weekend’s encounter will be.

He said: “My best mate Kaide Ellis plays for Wigan, so we know plenty about them.

"He’s the godfather for my daughter, so I make sure I watch them as much as I can when they’re televised.

“They’re a really fit side and are rock hard. Their backs do a lot of work and it allows their forwards to be really powerful and defend really well.

“They work really hard for one another, they’ve got those X Factor players like Jai Field and Bevan French who we know and have played over here and they all complement each other really well.

“I think they’ve set themselves up for sustained success. I don’t think they’ll be a one hit wonder and I think they’ll be strong for a long time, so it’s a wonderful challenge for us.”