Saturday 23rd August at Penrith Stadium
Penrith 44 – Tries: L Lewis (2), Wesser (2), Priddis (1), Puletua (1), Rooney (1), Waterhouse (1), Whatuira (1); Goals: Girdler (4) | Wests Tigers 28
More: themightypanthers.com/match0853.htm
In the 10th minute, the Panthers were first to score when Tony Puletua ran the ball from dummy half about 10 metres out and ran through the defence to score adjacent to the right upright. Ryan Girdler’s conversion made it 6-0.
Ten minutes later Rhys Wesser was in when he ran into a massive gap two off the ruck from a Luke Priddis pass at dummy half to make it 10-0. Four minutes later, Wesser had a double when he was in support off a Luke Rooney break down the left flank and scored in the left corner.
Luke Lewis was next on the try scorers list when he leapt high off a Craig Gower cross field bomb, catching it only metres out from the line and powering his way over.
With six minutes left in the half, Girdler broke the line on the short side down the left, drawing in the opposing winger and passed to the unmarked Rooney to score in the corner to make it 22-0 at half time.
Two minutes after the resumption, a booming high kick from Scott Sattler was grabbed by a leaping Lewis, and passed it backwards as he landed, with Paul Whatuira picking up the loose ball and running it a few metres to score.
In the 54th minute, Priddis dummied and barged over from close range, with Girdler’s conversion making it 32-0.
The Tigers finally got on to the scoreboard, with two converted tries making it 32-12 with just over 20 minutes remaining.
However, the Panthers countered with a try when Trent Waterhouse dummied a pass to the right which opened up enough of a gap for him to outpace the cover defence to score, with Girdler’s conversion making it 38-12.
The visitors kept at it with two more tries to make it 38-22.
But the Panthers would increase the buffer again, when Wesser field the ball on the halfway line, then threw an inside pass to Lewis, who ran 40 metres on a counter attacking run through the Tigers defence to score adjacent to the left uprights.
The Tigers would have the final say in a high scoring contest with a converted try in the final minute.
The Mighty Panthers 