A second-half surge propelled the Panthers to a 26-16 win over the Bears at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.
After trailing 10-6 at the interval, the Panthers bounced back with four tries to secure back-to-back victories in comfortable fashion.
Daine Laurie scored a double for the Panthers, and was joined on the scoresheet by Jesse McLean, Jack Cole and Sam Lane while Paul Alamoti kicked three goals.
NSW Cup Highlights: Round 14
Match Summary
Courtesy of Anthony Eltarraf, NSWRL
An impressive second-half showing from the Penrith Panthers earned a well-deserved 26–16 victory over the Bears at North Sydney Oval.
The opening try was a stunning one, with Siulagi Pio snatching an intercept from a Penrith pass and racing 85 metres to score between the posts against the run of play.
The Panthers hit back soon after, mounting pressure on the Bears' defence before dummy-half Billy Scott put in a well-weighted grubber that was grounded by Daine Laurie to level the score.
As half-time approached, the Bears regained the lead when Jesse Marschke’s kick found Israel Ogden, who turned a seemingly broken play into points – slipping, regathering, and powering over to give his side a 10-6 lead at the break.
Penrith came out firing in the second half and it took just nine minutes for them to level the game once again. A slick left-edge shift found Jesse McLean, who got on the outside of his defender before muscling through the fullback to score.
The visitors then took control of the contest, running in two more tries in quick succession. Five-eighth Jack Cole took advantage of a scattered defensive line after a barnstorming run from Billy Phillips, before Paul Alamoti broke through up the middle and found a charging Daine Laurie who crossed under the posts. Alamoti converted three from four attempts to give the Panthers a commanding 22–10 lead.
The Bears, to their credit, refused to go away. After Trent Toelau was sent to the sin bin, they hit back almost immediately through Phillip Makatoa, who crashed over following clever work out of dummy-half by Jayden Yates.
But in the final play of the game, Penrith sealed the result with a try in the right corner to a diving Sam Lane, capping off a hard-fought 26–16 win over North Sydney.
Talking points
- A fully composed Panthers outfit controlled and dominated the second half, scoring four tries and only conceding the one while Toelau spent time in the sin bin, sealing their victory in an entertaining clash.
- The Panthers’ edge defence held firm while playing one man down, refusing to let the Bears get around them and constantly finding a way to keep them out.
- Despite losing, Bears hooker Jayden Yates stood out with his solid vision and rapid dummy-half runs that continuously troubled the visitors’ defence.
Key moment
In such an action-packed and hard-fought bout, the Panthers’ third-consecutive try in the second half through Daine Laurie proved the winning try in the end. Paul Alamoti found himself in the middle of the field, running sideways until he was able to find his fullback who burst through a gap in the middle of the Bears’ defence to score between the posts.
What’s next?
The Bears look to bounce back as they host the Canberra Raiders next week, while the Panthers face the second-placed St George Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong.
