The Panthers have secured their fourth win in a row and are now at the top of the NRL ladder after posting a 36-14 win over Gold Coast tonight.
It was a scrappy match by both teams, with a lot of dropped balls and a couple of silly penalties. Our defence was outstanding for the majority of the match and we did well to capitalise on Gold Coast’s mistakes. The home side managed to stop Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace from playing their usual kicking game, which meant we had to run the ball a lot more than usual.
We got the news just before kick-off that Adam Docker was coming back into the starting side, which meant young Bryce Cartwright would not be taking the field tonight.
We were five minutes into the game when the quick feet of James Segeyaro gave us our first try. He picked the ball up from dummy half 30m out from our line, faked once and then sprinted through two Titans defenders to run the ball all the way over the line to score. Jamie Soward sent the ball straight through the uprights, and the Panthers took a 6-0 lead.
The Gold Coast scored their first points 13 minutes in, when Luke Douglas took the ball from the tap and barrelled straight into our back line, pushing them over the line and eventually getting the ball down. The kick was good so the home side levelled the score 6-6.
A few minutes later the Titans were awarded a penalty and took the kick for two, putting them in front 8-6.
In the next few plays the Panthers had plenty of opportunity to score, getting close to their line on several occasions, but they couldn’t break through the Gold Coast’s back line.
In the 22nd minute Sika Manu had to be helped from the field after copping a loose arm to the head.
The Titans almost had another try in the 26th minute when William Zillman collected a bad bounce and dived over the line, but the video ref ruled a knock on, and the game was restarted.
With 10 minutes until the half time break Lewis Brown ran in our next try! Tyrone Peachey found a hole in the home side’s defence on the 40m line and took off down the field before passing to Sowie, who then sent a massive cut out pass to Lewi who had plenty of space to jog the ball over the line. Sowie’s kick gave us the extra two, and Penrith took a 12-8 lead.
In the final 10 seconds of the half the Panthers were awarded a penalty after Adam Docker was tackled and the Titans defenders nudged the ball out of his hands. Sowie kicked for two, sending Penrith into the break with a 14-8 lead.
HALF TIME: 14-8 Panthers
After a bit of a scrappy start to the second half, the Panthers eventually scored in the 50th minute, when the Titans threw a very sloppy pass that was picked up by Isaah Yeo, who broke through a tackle and ran over a Gold Coast defender to get the ball over the line. Sowie’s kick was waved away, so the score went to 18-8.
For the next 15 minutes both sides attacked their lines hard, but good defence kept them out.
Then in the 65th minute Tyrone Peachey was on the receiving end of a badly timed Titans grubber kick, and it bounced off him and into his arms and he sprinted 90m down the field to score! Sowie’s kick went straight through the posts, giving Penrith a 24-8 lead.
The home side managed another try with 10 minutes on the clock after David Mead was given some space to move, and he ran the ball straight under the posts. Despite Wallace’s best efforts to get the ref to send it up to the video to check a knock on, it was awarded. The kick was good so the score went to 24-14.
With three minutes on the clock Jamie Soward picked up a Titans grubber kick, side stepping several defenders and sprinting 30m to take the ball over the line to score. He converted his own try, giving the Panthers a 30-14 lead.
Matty Moylan put the icing on the cake with less than 90 seconds remaining after picking up a loose ball, running around several Titans players and jogging over the line. Sowie converted, giving Penrith an unbeatable 36-14 win, and moving us into first place on the NRL ladder.
FULL TIME: PANTHERS 36-14
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