A disjointed performance sees the Panthers defeated 26-10 by Cronulla Sharks at Pepper Stadium on Sunday.
Missing Origin stars Matt Moylan and Josh Mansour, the reshuffled Panthers backline featuring Zak Hardaker at fullback and Will Smith in the centres never clicked into gear.
Despite enjoying a fair share of attacking possession, the Panthers efforts to score were continually stifled by a swarming and physical Cronulla defence.
At the other end, defensive lapses cost the Panthers dearly as the Sharks ran away with the game in the second half.
Youngster Dylan Edwards made his NRL debut on the Panthers wing and pulled off an early try-saver to deny Valentine Holmes in the corner.
Sharks fullback Ben Barba scored a first-half double, capitalising on some gaps in the Penrith defensive line combined with some slick offloads.
However the home side kept themselves in the contest with a typically strong Leilani Latu try between the sticks in the shadows of halftime.
Nathan Cleary had the opportuntiy to level the scores after the siren, but his attempted penalty kick was waved away.
HALFTIME - Sharks 8-6
Mitch Brown finished a well-constructed Sharks play to open the scoring in the second half but once again the try couldn't be converted.
A terrible handling error from Will Smith on the Panthers tryline gifted Joseph Paulo the simplest of finishes to extend Cronulla's lead.
A Chad Townsend penalty with 20 minutes left in the contest pushed the advantage out to 14 points.
Cronulla applied the icing on their 13th-straight victory with a four-pointer to Luke Lewis in the 70th minute.
Isaah Yeo showed some impressive pace when he broke the line three minutes later to race away and score despite the tackle of Barba.
However it was little consolation for a disappointing performance in front of a vocal home crowd at Pepper Stadium.
FULLTIME - Sharks 26-10
