Panthers Reflect on the Mudgee Miracle

Casey McLean scored a first-half double to give Penrith a 10-6 half-time lead and Liam Martin crossed immediately after the break to extend the margin to 10. 

The Raiders came roaring back, with Simi Sasagi cutting the deficit before Ethan Strange levelled the scores with a try in the 74th minute. 

The four-pointer set the stage for multiple field goal attempts, with Weekes and Jamal Fogarty missing for the Raiders, while Nathan Cleary's late shot was also unsuccessful.

Once extra-time commenced, the Penrith halfback had one more chance to break the deadlock.

The kick initially looked on target, some Panthers even started to raise their arms in celebration, before the ball faded late and clattered into the left upright.

"I kicked it pretty well and thought it was going over but then it hit the post," Cleary recalls. 

"Then Strangey cracked me with a left-foot step and ended up running the length of the field, so it was a pretty bad feeling."

Martin was chasing through and was on the spot when Jed Stuart jumped to collect the bouncing ball. 

The Penrith forward hesitated, desperate to avoid conceding a penalty for tackling a player in the air. The brief pause ultimately proved costly.

"I thought I knew the rule but then I didn't know if they had changed it when they changed the tackling a player in the air rule," Martin said. "I was a bit confused, so I probably should have read up on that. 

"It wasn't a good feeling turning around and watching them run it back. I was just thinking 'is someone going to get him'?"

Stuart linked up with Strange, who stepped past Cleary and surged downfield.

The five-eighth had too much pace for Dylan Edwards and was off and racing.

Amid the chaos, a diving Edwards almost tripped up a chasing Brian To'o, who had to slow to hurdle the fullback.

McLean and skipper Isaah Yeo were among the players left in Strange's wake. 

"I was just hoping someone would tackle him," Yeo recalls. 

McLean had a similar thought. 

"I was watching and starting to make my way back and thinking 'oh no, please catch him'," McLean said. 

As Strange raced away, Tom Jenkins came sprinting across in cover defence from the opposite side of the field. 

The Penrith winger managed to reel Strange in, but the Raider was able to pass back inside to Weekes. 

To'o and Blaize Talagi were chasing desperately, but they couldn't get there in time to stop one of the most memorable tries in NRL history.

"I had chased Strangey from the 20-metre line all the way to the try line, then he passed it to Weekes," To'o said. "I just remember diving at the try-line to try and tackle him. 

"It was all a blur, that was the first time I've experienced something like that. I was around the ball and had an opportunity to stop it but I just couldn't get there. It was very disappointing."

The Panthers look back on the try with mixed emotions. It was a crushing defeat and ultimately played a key role in ending their run of four-straight premierships, but it was also an iconic rugby league moment. 

While they still don't enjoy watching the replay, they can at least appreciate what a crazy moment it was for the fans in Mudgee to experience live. 

"Being from the bush and with mum and dad living out there now, putting the result aside, I'm stoked a community like that got to watch a game like that," Yeo said.

"It was one of the best finishes we've had for such a long time. I would much prefer to be on the right end of the result, but it wasn't to be and it was a really good moment for country footy."