Polished Panthers storm toward finals
IT’S time to get excited Penrith fans, here come the finals.
With still two rounds remaining of the regular NRL season, the men from the foot of the mountains last night all but locked up a top-eight finish and pretty much ended the Wests Tigers’ year in the process.
In a match of vital importance to both teams, the Tigers were awful as the Panthers charged to a stunning 40-10 victory on the back of seven tries to two.
Teenage sensation Nathan Cleary continued his amazing rise with another outstanding performance, while his halves partner Bryce Cartwright was at his dangerous best as the Panthers ran riot.
Matt Moylan was also magical, along with Trent Merrin, but it was hard to find a Penrith player who didn’t stand out last night.
The same couldn’t be said of their opposition, who came up with one of their worst defensive efforts of the season at a time when they simply could not afford it.
Last night’s win pushes the Panthers to 28 competition points, which might be enough to get them into the playoffs although a win in their remaining games against the Titans or Sea Eagles will guarantee it.
But for the Tigers, the reality is they will now need results to go their way as they remain stuck on 24 points. With closing matches against the Warriors and the Raiders, the Tigers will have to win both and hope the Titans and Warriors fall over.
Without James Tedesco last night, the Tigers seemed to lose all confidence but it was their defence that was the real lowlight as the Panthers raced in some embarrassingly easy tries.
Cleary controlled the match perfectly with his kicking game giving Tedesco’s stand-in Jordan Rankin a night to forget, although the makeshift fullback wasn’t on his own in that respect.
The Panthers led 28-4 at the break on the back of five tries with the Tigers’ only points coming off a forward pass in the leadup to Josh Addo-Carr’s opening try in just the sixth minute. But from that point on the Panthers took control, with an incredible 100m try sparking the onslaught.