The Panthers scored their sixth consecutive win by thumping South Sydney Rabbitohs 30-10 at CommBank Stadium on Friday.
Co-captain Dylan Edwards returned from representative duties to lead the understrength Panthers to a comfortable victory. The stand-in skipper scored 18 points alone in a dominant display, providing two tries, four goals, one try assist and over 300 run metres.
Highlights: Panthers v Rabbitohs
The gritty match was won out wide, as the Panthers edges tore Souths to shreds.
Left-edge trio Tom Jenkins, Casey McLean and Blaize Talagi continued their scintillating form, while Brian To'o, Paul Alamoti and Luke Garner each produced moments of magic on the right.
Alamoti scored the Panthers opener from a fantastic chip-and-chase, before silky attack saw McLean and Edwards clinch a double each.
Brian To'o was emphatic in a 61-minute stint, making a number of spectacular catches and big carries.
Press Conference: Panthers v Rabbitohs
Paul Alamoti opened the Panthers account after Brian To'o batted down Brad Schneider's cross-field kick. Alamoti cleverly toed the football ahead for himself, and won the race to score.
Chip-and-chase try by Alamoti
Moments later, the aerial presence of To'o paved the way for another Panthers try.
The winger rose above Jack Wighton for an acrobatic catch before carrying the ball upfield on a marauding run. One tackle later, Tom Jenkins broke away on the opposite wing and Dylan Edwards backed up on the inside to score his first.
Left edge links for Dylan Edwards
Despite their first half being hampered by handling errors, the Panthers still managed to coast to an 18-0 lead at the break.
The hosts scored their third try in the 37th minute when crafty work by Mitch Kenny and Blaize Talagi sent Dylan Edwards into space and the fullback found Casey McLean on his outside.
Panthers turn it on for McLean
The Rabbitohs grabbed the first try of the second half when Liam Le Blanc crashed over, putting the Panthers on notice.
South Sydney looked set to tip the match on its head when Tyrone Munro set his sights on the try line, before Edwards, Jenkins, Talagi and Scott Sorensen scrambled to bring him down.
The Panthers defensive efforts were duly rewarded minutes later; attacking the line, Brad Schneider played a fantastic pass to Luke Garner who made a fantastic offload for Edwards to stroll over.
Garner sends Edwards over
As the contest begun to fizzle out, Brian To'o was given an early mark and subbed off in the 60th minute.
The Panthers had another highlight in store, however. With five minutes remaining, Schneider picked up the scraps of a kick on the Panthers goal-line and dashed to halfway.
The Panthers spun the football left, where Sorensen unleashed McLean on the 40-metre line with an offload. The young centre wove his way through four Rabbitohs defenders, and then beat a final tackle to reach the try line.
Casey carves through Souths
Edwards' fifth successful conversion capped off his perfect night with the boot and took the Panthers tally to 30 points.
The Rabbitohs scored a late consolation try through Alex Johnston for a final scoreline of 30-10.
The Panthers will aim for a seventh consecutive victory in Round 21 when they host Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium on Saturday 26 July at 5:30pm.
