Panthers culture driving Fisher-Harris' Pac Champs bid

New Zealand skipper James Fisher-Harris has praised Penrith for embracing his Māori culture as he turns his focus to the Kiwis' Pacific Championships defence.

The prop played his last game for the Panthers in Sunday's NRL grand final, leading the side to their fourth-straight premiership. 

At the heart of the club's success, he said, is Penrith's desire to embrace the various cultures within the squad and encourage players to represent their countries.

"It's a credit to the club," Fisher-Harris told NRL.com. "Not every club does this but they just embrace it. 

"Not all the players are Māori, not all the players are Pasifika, but all the boys buy in. It shows how much they care about each other and makes you play a little bit harder knowing that."

A total of 11 Panthers will feature in the upcoming Pacific Championships, with Jarome Luai and Izack Tago to represent Samoa on their tour of England. 

It's a figure that would have been even higher if not for injuries to Australian duo Nathan Cleary and Liam Martin, Kiwis prop Moses Leota and Samoan winger Brian To'o.

The tournament will kick off in Brisbane next Friday when the Kangaroos face a star-studded Tongan line up led by Jason Taumalolo and Penrith's Paul Alamoti, with Australia to play New Zealand in Christchurch the following week.

The match will be the first between the pair since the Kiwis stunned Mal Meninga's men in last year's Pacific Championships final with a historic 30-0 victory. 

Penrith's heavy involvement in the tournament represents the diversity of the Panthers catchment area, with a high proportion of people with Polynesian background living in Sydney's western suburbs.

The players have become role models in a historically low socioeconomic region and forged a path for the next generation of boys and girls to follow. 

The Panthers unveiled a Pasifika jersey for the first time this season and opted to wear it throughout the finals to honour departing stars Fisher-Harris, Luai and Sunia Turuva.

It was the latest example of Ivan Cleary's ability to successfully integrate the various cultures into the club. The mentor spent six years coaching the Warriors and said his experience in New Zealand has proved crucial to Penrith's success.

"When I was at the Warriors I learnt a lot about other cultures," Cleary told NRL.com. "That helped me on my personal journey but also my coaching journey. 

"It was totally different to what I'd experienced at Australian clubs in those days, there's a lot more Polynesian players throughout the league now. We want people to be themselves as long as they fit the values of the team. 

"We respect everyone's culture and heritage, their personalities and whoever they are. We have our own culture at the Panthers but the idea is for it to be very inclusive."

Fisher-Harris was emotional in the sheds after last week's grand final victory as the realisation he'd played his last game for the Panthers sunk in. 

The prop moved to Australia to join the club's SG Ball squad in 2013 before making his NRL debut in 2016 and going on to play 203 games for Penrith. 

He was granted an early release from his contract on compassionate grounds and will move back to New Zealand to join the Warriors next season. 

While it was the last time he would play for Penrith alongside Leota, Fisher-Harris was eager to combine with his close friend during the Pacific Championships. 

A shoulder injury, however, forced Leota to withdraw from the New Zealand squad and they will have to wait until the end of next season to reunite on the field. 

The situation has taken some time to hit home for both men, but Leota is pleased they finished their time together at the Panthers on a high. 

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," Leota told NRL.com. "Once everything's settled down and he leaves, then it will all sink in. I'm just soaking it all in for now. 

"It was really special to finish this way. We wanted to send out everyone that was leaving on a high and we did that, so we'll enjoy it."