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Nathan Cleary is sent off. Photo: NRL Images.
SEASON ROCKED PENRITH’S SEASON FROM HEAVEN HAS BEEN SHAKEN TO ITS CORE BY THE NATHAN CLEARY SUSPENSION, BUT THE PUSH FOR BACK-TO-BACK PREMIERSHIPS REMAINS ON COURSE. FULL COVERAGE INSIDE.
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the western weekender » Friday, August 5, 2022
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Sean O’Sullivan. Photo: NRL Images.
TROY DODDS
S
o you’re cruising along the highway, playing your favourite tunes with only the faint sight of headlights in the rear view mirror. As the sun begins to set on the long journey, it’s almost too perfect. Then you hit a pothole, the stereo stops working, the headlights get closer and an afternoon storm wipes out the sunset. Penrith’s near-perfect 2022 season suffered a brutal blow last Friday night when Nathan Cleary was sent off for a dangerous throw on Parramatta’s Dylan Brown, a tackle that eventually saw him outed for five weeks. He, along with halves partner Jarome Luai (knee injury), won’t be back before the Finals. The good news is that Penrith’s Premiership defence remains in solid shape, with Luai and Cleary to be fresh when the second weekend of September rolls around.
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 | 5.30PM | GIO STADIUM | REFEREE: GRANT ATKINS | BUNKER: GERARD SUTTON The bad news is that the shape of Penrith’s run home has now changed completely. It’s not so much about the Minor Premiership – I still have little doubt the Panthers will claim the J.J Giltinan Shield – but moreso the mental impact of this period. If the Panthers do drop several games on the trot, what does it do to the players who are out on the field, giving their all each week? Does it dent their confidence significantly, or take more petrol out of the tank than originally planned? What bad habits are potentially learned in the next five weeks, that get carried into the Finals? What Ivan Cleary had in his mud map for this final five weeks has now changed dramatically. It is a challenge but not an insurmountable one and certainly one without fatal consequences. In many ways, it’s added some excitement
to the run home. Jaeman Salmon (or perhaps Kurt Falls, let’s see) and Sean O’Sullivan are now handed the keys and will surely relish the opportunity to lead this side around. O’Sullivan worked his backside off last Friday night, and I have no doubt he’ll be the orchestra leader over the next five weeks. Mission one is this road trip to what will be a chilly nation’s capital on Saturday evening. There’s plenty on the line for Canberra, who sit in ninth spot on percentages heading into this one and are desperate to fight their way into the top eight. Claiming the first placed Panthers as a scalp would be an enormous step towards that happening for Ricky Stuart’s men. The Raiders never really looked troubled against the Titans last weekend but their inability to completely put Justin Holbrook’s side away would surely cause Stuart some concerns.
PANTHERS
The danger man here is certainly Joseph Tapine, who’s having a strong season for the green machine and leads the competition in post contact metres by some distance. He’s also second in offloads and sits in the top three for run metres. The Panthers need to fix up their discipline in this one; without Cleary there to manage the contest, there’s a risk it could get away from them. Certainly it was ill-discipline that allowed the Eels back into the game after Penrith had the early ascendency last week. I’m not expecting an easy contest here and it’ll probably take a couple of weeks for the halves to settle in, but I do think Penrith remain a solid chance of winning. They still have their best 1-5 and best 8-13 on the field, and at this time of the year, that certainly means something. Tip: Panthers by 4.
RAIDERS
1 Dylan Edwards
10 James Fisher-Harris
1 Xavier Savage
2 Taylan May
11 Viliame Kikau
2 Nick Cotric
10 Joseph Tapine 11 Hudson Young
3 Izack Tago
12 Liam Martin
3 Matthew Timoko
12 Elliott Whitehead (c)
4 Stephen Crichton
13 Isaah Yeo (c)
4 Sebastian Kris
13 Adam Elliott
5 Brian To’o
14 Mitch Kenny
5 Jordan Rapana
14 Tom Starling
6 Jaeman Salmon
15 Scott Sorensen
6 Jack Wighton
15 Ryan Sutton
7 Sean O’Sullivan
16 Spencer Leniu
7 Jamal Fogarty
16 Emre Guler
8 Moses Leota
17 Charlie Staines
8 Josh Papalii
17 Corey Harawira-Naera
9 Api Koroisau
18 Sunia Turuva 19 Matt Eisenhuth
9 Zac Woolford
18 Albert Hopoate 19 Ata Mariota
Friday, August 5, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time
31
panther rumblings
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WITH THE MASKED PANTHER
EARLY WEEKLY CHAT FOR IVAN !
Cleary goes early: The NRL requires coaches to speak to the media before each game but it doesn’t specify when that has to be. Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has made a habit of doing his pressers early in the week of late, which tends to avoid any speculation about ins and outs for that weekend or being forced to talk up potential debutants. The early-week presser was extremely popular this week, given journalists were eager to hear more from Ivan about Nathan Cleary’s suspension.
Ivan Cleary on Monday.
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No challenge: The Panthers were at one stage keen to contest Nathan Cleary’s Grade 3 Dangerous Throw charge at the NRL judiciary, which would have sparked a media circus surrounding the tackle on Parramatta’s Dylan Brown. Plenty within Penrith believe it should have been a Grade 2 charge. Coach Ivan Cleary also confirmed there was a school of thought around contesting the grading. “Look, we definitely thought we had a case there but in the end, the risk was too high for him to lose another week,” he said.
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Panthers in camp: The Panthers spent a few days this week in camp on the NSW South Coast, aimed at a bit of bonding ahead of the most important part of the season. Perhaps the side is trying to replicate the extremely close bond that was developed during the bubble-like conditions in Queensland for the back part of the season last year, forced by the COVID relocation. “We’re getting away for the week, it was planned a long time ago. It was good timing to get our boys to reconnect,” coach Ivan Cleary said.
licised visit by the Panthers to Jack Harlow’s Sydney show was not just about the boys enjoying a night out. Harlow is part of Fox League’s Finals campaign and has done some work with the Panthers players that will be revealed in the next couple of weeks.
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Squad finalised: The Panthers opted not to join the rush of player swaps and loans ahead of the August 1 deadline, instead promoting from within to finalise their top 30 squad for the season. Sunia Turuva and Thomas Jenkins, who were both NRL Development Players in 2022, have been promoted to the top 30. The club has also promoted Liam Henry to the Development list.
! !
Spotted: Parramatta legend and merchandise guru Peter Wynn catching up with Panthers forward Liam Martin at CommBank Stadium last Friday night. Harlow’s NRL crossover: The well pub-
will pull off the new look. “He’ll probably own it, he’ll make it cool somehow,” he joked.
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Retro jersey: If you love your footy jerseys, you won’t want to miss the Panthers 1991 retro away jersey that will be out later this month. Pre-orders are being taken now on myteamshop.com.au. The white jersey is emblazoned with the classic Dahdah Uniforms sponsorship, and old NSWRL branding.
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Critter to return: Stephen Crichton will have a different look when he runs out against the Raiders on Saturday. The centre will wear headgear for the rest of the season, a result of that serious injury he suffered a few weeks back against Cronulla. We spotted Critter in the crowd at CommBank Stadium last week and he was still very much nursing his wounds. Ivan Cleary is convinced Crichton
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Ayres fallout: It’s safe to say that there’s some very nervous people at the Panthers at the moment in regards to the future of the new stadium development. With Penrith MP Stuart Ayres quitting the ministry and facing an investigation for potentially misleading parliament (he denies any wrongdoing), the project’s biggest advocate has been sidelined. Add to that the current stoush over funding for
other venues and the spotlight being put on the Penrith development from some within the media, and you’d be mad not to suggest there’s at least some sort of doubt hanging over the plan. The Panthers are also eagerly watching developments around the Grand Final, given they likely have a vested interest in where it’ll be played.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, August 5, 2022
feature
COACH CONFIDENT DESPITE SETBACK NATHAN TAYLOR
I
van Cleary says his superstar son Nathan will be working and training harder than ever as he serves his five-week suspension for a dangerous throw. The 24-year-old Clive Churchill Medallist was rubbed out until the end of the regular season after a lifting tackle on Parramatta’s Dylan Brown last week went awfully wrong. Nathan was sent off and subsequently Penrith’s Minor Premiership hopes went into a tailspin after he accepted a five-game ban. With fellow premiership-winning half Jarome Luai also sidelined until at least Round 25 with a sore knee, the Panthers have their work cut out for them in the remaining rounds before Finals. Speaking with the media on Monday afternoon, Ivan said he was proud with how his son accepted his punishment after what had been an emotional few days. “I’ve said this before, but I’m very proud with the way he does own his mistakes and he did that on this occasion,” Ivan said. “I think Nat is really happy that Dylan is OK, that’s the most important thing out of all of this. Because
although he clearly never set out for that tackle to end up how it did, the fact is it became dangerous and thank God Dylan got up and is fine. “The thing is, Nat is a pretty combative halfback, he doesn’t take a backwards step when he plays – certainly not in defence. Unfortunately, just this tackle went wrong.” Even though he won’t be playing a game for the entire month of August, Nathan was back out on the training paddock with his teammates this week – leaving no stone unturned as the Panthers charge towards their third consecutive Grand Final. Ivan said Nathan will be looking to “add value” in any way he can over the next five weeks. “Nat will be trying to find ways to add value and he can certainly do that, he’s got a lot to offer especially from a player’s point of view,” he said. “He’ll also be adding value running against our team, so that’ll make it more interesting. He’ll add wherever he can at the moment and, as the Finals approach, we can start getting him back into our team.” When the time comes for Nathan and Luai to lace up their boots as teammates again, seven weeks would’ve past between fixtures. Ivan said he expects his halfback to return to the paddock “firing” and he has no issues with his 6 and 7’s lack of
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary chats with the media on Monday afternoon. Photo: Melinda Jane.
game time together. “They’ve played together for six years, so I guess that should help, and they’ll be training together once Romey is up and about,” he said. “It is what it is, but I feel like our
training should get us in a good enough position for those guys to click back together, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes.” With Penrith still six competition points clear in first place, Ivan said
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supporters should be upbeat about the remainder of the season despite the tough week. “Whoever wears this jersey, they’ve got a job to do and that’s how we approach things,” he said.
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33
feature
KOROISAU: BRING ON THE HOSTILITY NATHAN TAYLOR
T
he Panthers are expecting plenty of hostility when they play in Canberra this weekend for the first time since 2018. In those four years between fixtures at GIO Stadium, the rivalry between the 1990 and 1991 NSWRL Grand Finalists has only further intensified. Whether it’s been Panthers fans mocking the famous Viking Clap on several occasions at BlueBet Stadium or Canberra players having a dose of white line fever whenever they come up against Penrith, it’s a fierce rivalry that’s no doubt set to continue this Saturday night. Penrith hooker Api Koroisau is one player who is expecting an “outstanding atmosphere” in the nation’s capital tomorrow evening when his Panthers look to bounce back from last week’s loss to Parramatta. Speaking with Extra Time, Koroisau said he’s expecting to cop it from the Raiders faithful. “I just remember the last few times we’ve played Canberra; it’s always been very hostile – we’ve started a mini rivalry I think,” he admitted. “To go down there, I think their crowd has
Api Koroisau was all smiles on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Melinda Jane.
to help keep the team afloat and run the show while he’s away. Koroisau said he’s more than ready to step up his leadership role over the coming weeks. “I think that’s already my job in the team, just to try and move us around and do as much as I can to help the boys out in that aspect,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter who comes in, everyone has their role and I think leadership starts from the bottom, so I think we’ve proved that throughout the year.” If Penrith do manage to knock off the in-form Raiders on the road, they’ll be one step closer to securing their second Minor Premiership in three years. Koroisau said while the club would love to win another J.J. Giltinan Shield for first past the post, it’s not the be-all and end-all. “To be honest, it’s never really been a focus for us. I think it’s just an outcome of winning so many games back-to-back and doing so well this year,” he said. “We’ve never worried about our position on the ladder and, at the end of the day, it’s not going to matter where we finish. We’ll still have to do a job at the end of the year come Finals. “We just have to make sure we stick to the next team that’s up and worry about them this weekend.”
Api Koroisau has been one of Penrith’s best this season. Photo: NRL Images.
always been a bit hostile, so I’m not expecting much of a reception from them on Saturday.” While the Panthers are flying high at the top of the table, the Raiders are currently in the midst of a dogfight for a spot in the top eight. Sitting in ninth following three consecutive wins, a fourth victory on Saturday over the Panthers will put Ricky Stuart’s men in a strong position to jag a coveted spot in the Finals. “They have so much to play for, they are a really dangerous team and, when they do get it right, they do really challenge teams,” Koroisau said. “We’re going to have to be at our best. Obviously, we’ve got a few people out but that’s no excuse these days because there’s so many good players around and so many people coming up in the team. “We’re going to have to be up for the challenge this weekend.” Penrith dropped just their second game of the year last weekend when they were reduced to 12-men for 60 minutes following Nathan Cleary’s send off for a dangerous throw on Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown. While the Panthers ended up winning the second half 6-4, all the damage had been done by Parramatta in the first 40 minutes. Koroisau said while the loss wasn’t ideal, it
34
did give the defending Premiers an important lesson in handling adversity. “I think it was a good thing… a blessing in disguise. So many different things can happen and just dealing with adversity makes you stronger in the end,” the 29-year-old said. “We didn’t quite handle having 12 men well enough in that first half but there’s so many lessons to take out of that and I was proud of the boys with how they turned up in the second.” Up until last Friday night, Penrith had enjoyed the dream season. They had lost one game all year and cruised through the heavy representative period unscathed and undefeated. Koroisau reiterated that adversity is perhaps just what this team needs heading into another gruelling Finals campaign. “Yeah most definitely… you learn so much from those things,” the Blues hooker said. “It’s been pretty smooth sailing throughout the season, we haven’t had too many injuries or guys missing, and people have stepped up and done the job. “For something like that to happen – 12 men for 60 minutes – you can definitely learn a few things from that.” With Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary now sidelined until the end of the regular season, the pressure will now be on Cleary’s co-stars
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, August 5, 2022
Api Koroisau is confident Penrith will survive without their halves. Photo: NRL Images.
HOW THREE LITTLE LETTERS WILL KEEP A PREMIERSHIP PUSH ALIVE F
lang on
league with Peter Lang
E C. Three letters put together side-byside on an Instagram post by Jarome Luai the night after Nathan Cleary was charged with a grade three dangerous throw, which essentially meant he would be out suspended for five weeks and make his return in round one of the Finals series. Coincidently that same game, Luai will also make his comeback from injury. The post was essentially a black and white photo of Luai standing side-by-side with Cleary, their hands locked together, both men looking fiercely into each other’s eyes during the recent State of Origin series. F E C – What the hell does that stand for? I couldn’t work it out, so I tried to ask my ‘cool’ friends. None of them knew either. So, I tried Googling it. Here’s a few of the explanations that came up. F E C – means ‘Forward Error Correction’. Nope that didn’t look right. Another one was ‘Federal Election Commission’, I knew that one wasn’t right. This was becoming frustrating. I was already frustrated by the events of Friday night, like every Panthers supporter I knew the Cleary tackle was an accident, but I also knew that losing your two starting halves was going to be a huge blow for a team searching for back-toback premierships. Maybe F E C was some secret message Luai was sending his halves partner and the rest of his teammates. You know, to keep their heads up and never give up, no matter what the odds stacked against them.
Jarome Luai’s Instagram post last weekend.
Speaking of odds, the Panthers odds to win the comp also blew out, for the first time this season. In frustration, I turned to the Urban Dictionary but some of the meanings tossed up there made even less sense. By lunchtime Sunday, the club had confirmed that Cleary would plead guilty to the charge, thus definitely removing him until the first week of the Finals in September. I thought I’d take one more stab at finding the meaning of those three letters. I Googled it one more time. Finally, there was the answer. F E C – FULL EXCELLENT COMBO Yep, that was it. I took another look at the photo and felt inspired. The dream team will be back for week one of the Finals. Two ultra-competitive blokes who will use the disappointment of being injured, of being suspended, to make sure that the rest of the competition pays for it when they return. Hold your head up high Panthers players and supporters. No matter what challenges the next five weeks bring. For the football gods will then unleash two players, who will both return with fire in their bellies and a real point to prove. I’d love to hear a chant go up from all Panthers supporters when the two of them run out of the tunnel in about six weeks’ time. “FEC! FEC! FEC!” Don’t worry they’ll know what it means… and so will you.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, August 5, 2022
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Hidden Panther
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, August 5, 2022
nrl ladder & fixtures CLUB
PD
W
D
L
B
F
A
+/-
PTS
1
Panthers
19
17
0
2
1
530
236
294
36
2
Cowboys
19
14
0
5
1
491
283
208
30
3
Sharks
19
13
0
6
1
419
312
107
28
4
Storm
19
12
0
7
1
521
344
177
26
5
Broncos
19
12
0
7
1
440
371
69
26
6
Eels
19
12
0
7
1
455
417
38
26
7
Rabbitohs
19
11
0
8
1
472
402
70
24
8
Roosters
19
10
0
9
1
453
364
89
22
9
Raiders
19
10
0
9
1
362
375
-13
22
11
Sea Eagles Dragons
19 19
9 9
0 0
10 10
1 1
414 337
406 461
8 -124
20
Bulldogs
19
6
0
13
1
324
427
-103
14
13
Warriors
19
5
0
14
1
314
513
-199
12
14
Knights
19
5
0
14
1
284
522
-238
12
15
Tigers
19
4
0
15
1
292
477
-185
10
Titans
19
3
0
16
1
308
506
-198
V
Friday, August 5 6.00pm AAMI Park
V
Friday, August 5 7.55pm 4 Pines Park
V
Saturday, August 6 3.00pm Sunshine Coast Stadium
V
Saturday, August 6 5.30pm GIO Stadium
20
12
16
V
Thursday, August 4 7.50pm Sydney Cricket Ground
8
V
Saturday, August 6 7.35pm PointsBet Stadium
V
Sunday, August 7 2.00pm Salter Oval
V
Sunday, August 7 4.05pm Campbelltown Sports Stadium
Face In Th e Crowd
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Extra Time Issue Number 2022-022 PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au WRITERS Nathan Taylor, Peter Lang, Matt Russell, Lachlan Jeffery SALES DIRECTOR Chris Pennisi / 4722 2998 chris.pennisi@westernweekender.com.au
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ROUND 21
Friday, August 5, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time
39
PROPS AND HALVES RUN THE SHOW IN WILD WORLD OF NRL T
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his column is about two big blokes and 16 little ones. Props and halfbacks. They dig at opposite ends of the rugby league rainbow – one group for run metres and offloads and the other for try assists, forced dropouts and 40/20s. This weekend we get to see two of the best props head-to-head when Canberra’s Joe Tapine runs at James Fisher-Harris and vice versa. As a fun question on ‘NRL Tonight’ this week, I asked three retired props to nominate the best on the planet right now. Steve Roach went straight to Joe Tapine. Mark Carroll opted for Fisher-Harris. Tim Mannah struggled, but when pushed, sided with the Penrith enforcer as well. As we look forward to Saturday’s clash in the capital, here’s the tale of the tape from Fox Sports Lab. Both men average around 50 minutes per game. Fisher Harris: 124 run metres, 44 post contact, 24 tackle busts, 10 offloads, four errors, 452 tackles (31 misses). Tapine: 153 run metres, 63 post contact, 60 tackle busts, 36 offloads, 10 errors, 537 tackles (21 misses). So, it’s a numerical win for career best Tapine. But before we get too carried away, and picturing a knowing wink from the many retired props who’ve toiled in this position like Carroll and Mannah, think of the factors not measured in stats – the fear in the opposition, the bent out of shape defence, the confidence of teammates and the big play at just the right time. Pick a prop, any prop, and Saturday’s showdown should be an acrimonious beauty! Now to the halfbacks. If you haven’t heard, Penrith are missing theirs. So too Parramatta.
James Fisher-Harris. Photo: NRL Images.
The Panthers will miss Nathan Cleary for five weeks, a man many see as the best halfback in the world. Can they beat Canberra without him? The Eels need to find a way to succeed without Mitch Moses, who leads the NRL in try assists. Will they beat Manly without him? It won’t be easy as the ladder indicates how important the halfback is. The clubs to buy good No.7s are firing – Chad Townsend at North Queensland, Nicho Hynes at Cronulla, Adam Reynolds at Brisbane. The clubs with elite halves are well positioned again – Cleary at Penrith, Jahrome Hughes at Melbourne and Moses at Parramatta.
Joe Tapine. Photo: NRL Images.
Canberra bought Jamal Fogarty and have made a mid-season revival since his return from a knee injury. The club he left sits last. The Knights have gone backwards without Mitch Pearce. The criticism/uncertainty around the Bulldogs, Warriors and Tigers halves have mirrored their seasons. The anomalies are Manly and St George-Illawarra, but Daly Cherry Evans and Ben Hunt still have their sides in Finals contention and have had a bit to wrestle with. The summary remains – elite props and gun halves dig at different ends of the rugby league rainbow. Both ends are said to have a pot of gold.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, August 5, 2022
PENRITH SCORE THRILLING WIN OVER ARCH-RIVALS PARRA A
lower grades report with Lachlan Jeffery @LachlanJeffery
Trent Toelau field goal in the dying minutes has seen the Penrith Panthers beat a 12-man Parramatta Eels side 25-24 in the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup. The Panthers got off to a perfect start when a gap opened for Soni Luke to score the opening try in the sixth minute. It didn’t take long for Parramatta to hit back when Ky Rodwell charged over in the 13th minute, before taking the lead just four minutes later after a kick landed awkwardly near the posts and Wiremu Greig pounced. The Panthers struck back with a double blow of their own in the final seven minutes of the first half. The first came as future Eel J’Maine Hopgood spun over alongside the posts, followed by Jack Cole backing up a break set up by Hopgood. Cole’s conversion made it 18-12 heading into half-time. From the opening play of the second half, an off-the-ball incident by Greig on Luke saw him sent off, with Christian Crichton sin binned for retaliating. The Panthers took advantage of the field position as Isaiah Iongi crossed to push the lead to 12. Parramatta were then reduced to 11 as Nathan Brown was sin binned, however they managed to score when Mitch Rein darted over from
dummy-half. Another Eels try through Toni Mataele with five minutes left brought the scores level, before Toelau kicked the winner with 60 seconds left. It wasn’t as close for the Panthers in Jersey Flegg, though they were made to earn their 28-12 win over the Eels at Kellyville. Tries to Hohepa Puru and Samuel Lane gave the Panthers a 12-2 lead after they conceded an early penalty goal, before Saxon Pryke scored for the Eels. A penalty goal by Addison Williams after the half-time siren gave the visitors a 14-8 lead at the break. The margin was cut to two shortly after the resumption when Lachlan Blackburn crossed for Parramatta, before Williams returned the lead to six with a try of his own. The Panthers wrapped the victory up with tries in the final six minutes to Puru and Keegan Russell-Smith, taking them to third on the table in the process. The Panthers are back at BlueBet Stadium in Penrith in Round 21, taking on the Western Suburbs Magpies in a Saturday double-header from 11am.
Penrith’s Trent Toelau. Photo: Jake Hunter.
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