Saturday 1st August at Lottoland
Penrith 22 – Tries: Staines (2), Cleary (1), Crichton (1), Koroisau (1), Naden (1), Yeo (1); Goals: Cleary (7) | Manly 12
More: themightypanthers.com/match1266.htm
Charlie Staines scored the opening try for the Panthers in the seventh minute when he took possession about 15 minutes out and a mixture of speed and footwork saw him reach the line just inside the dead ball line.
Soon after it was 10-0 when Isaah Yeo stepped and jinked his way to under the black dot, with the NRL bunker clearing him of a potential double movement in the lead up.
Staines bagged a double when he took a Nathan Cleary cut out pass and acrobatically dived over on almost the same blade of grass as his first try.
Just before the half hour mark it became 20-0 when Stephen Crichton finished a movement to the left flank, crossing the line untouched, with Cleary’s extras making it 22-0.
The home team finally made it on the scoreboard with just under seven minutes remaining in the half, however a penalty conversion on the stroke of half time gave the visitors a 24-6 lead at the break.
Penrith’s lead was further extended 10 minutes after the resumption when Cleary kicked for himself, dissecting a grubber back against the grain of the attack to the right and slicing through the sliding defence to score.
Manly’s second try reduced it to 30-12 with just over 23 minutes remaining.
However two more tries to the Panthers, the first one to Naden when he steamed on to a pass on the right edge and had a clear run to the line, and then to Apisai Koroisau when he darted through the defensive line only 10 metres out to cross under the uprights further extended their lead again, with the Panthers hitting 40 and leaving Lottoland with a comprehensive victory.
The Mighty Panthers 