SPORT Dream debut for Staines

HIS teammates have dubbed him the Ferrari and debutant Charlie Staines showed he has wheels to burn.

He capped a dream debut with four tries as the Panthers blew Cronulla off the park 56-24 yesterday. While the Panthers raced in 26 points in the opening 27 minutes, it was Staines who stole the show.

With a handful of his Forbes mates in the crowd, the 19year-old scored a second-half treble having laid on a try and scored one of his own in the opening half.

“I’m very overwhelmed at the moment,” Staines said. “To be playing is a dream come true. It’s all I wanted to do. Scoring four tries helps. I’m loving it. (Coach Ivan Cleary) kept it on the down-low until

Thursday. I played SG Ball from the Panthers two years ago but moved back home to Forbes to finish my schooling. I moved up for good last year.”

Staines is only on a development contract and became the first debutant to score four tries since Jordan Atkins in 2008.

Elsewhere, Broncos skipper Alex Glenn is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines after a dog-shot from Reimis Smith took the gloss off embattled Brisbane’s first win in 113 days at Suncorp Stadium last night, the hosts comfortably prevailing 26-8 .

The joy of Brisbane’s first win since the NRL’s COVID return was tempered by the sight of Glenn being carried off in the 54th minute with a knee injury after a needless cannonball tackle from Smith. Broncos enforcer Tevita Pangai Jr led the way for Brisbane.