Friday 25th June at Credit Union Australia Stadium
Penrith 40 – Tries: Jennings (3), Cooper (1), Gordon (1), Tighe (1), Waterhouse (1); Goals: Gordon (6) | Manly 22
More: themightypanthers.com/match1018.htm
An unmarked Brad Tighe leapt up to pick up a high pass and crossed over in the fourth minute to open the scoring.
Manly hit back soon after to lead 6-4 before three quick tries to the home team had them leading 24-6 at half time – the first saw Trent Waterhouse run through a gap close to the line, the second to Michael Jennings when he broke the line and fooled the defending fullback to sprint his way over, and the third, scored by Michael Gordon, started with a chain of passes inside their defensive zone, with Luke Lewis chipping a kick back in field, which was picked up by Kevin Kingston in support, who then passed it to Gordon only metres from the line and planted it adjacent to the right upright.
Soon after the resumption, the Panthers made it 30-6 when Gavin Cooper plucked a high bomb from Luke Walsh to cross near the far left corner.
Manly would be the next to score to make it 30-10, however, Penrith’s lead pushed out again when Michael Jennings plucked an intercept and crossed over untouched.
At 36-10, once again Manly would continue its aim to at the very least retain some respectability by scoring two of the last three tries of the contest, but was countered by the second try in the sequence when Jennings made it a hat trick when he finished an attacking raid down the left hand side.
The Mighty Panthers 