Panthers show their teeth in opening weekend romp
HALIFAX PANTHERS opened their Betfred Championship season in perfect fashion on Good Friday, putting the London Broncos to the sword with a 47-14 victory at the Shay.
The rampant hosts scored no fewer than eight tries, with Connor Robinson impressing with the boot to convert seven from eight goal attempts.
The match was barely four minutes old when Eliot Morris skipped past two tackles to score under the posts and hand his side the perfect start.
The London side struggled to get any rhythm against a buoyant Fax team, and a second try followed soon after when Liam Harris burst through from midfield, beating a tackle to go over in front of the posts.
The hosts showed no signs of slowing down the scoring, and after a Broncos error gifted the Panthers another set of six in the attacking zone, Ed Barber crossed the whitewash for the first of two scores.
Whilst Halifax were dominant, the Broncos found a reply and got onto on the board when miscommunication allowed Abbas Miski to sneak in at the corner.
Tempers flared shortly before the interval, with both Jacob Fairbank and Greg Richards being sent to the sin bin for an off-the-ball incident.
And despite strong Broncos pressure before the half-time hooter, the Panthers defence held firm.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Halifax dominant from the whistle.
Barber went over for his second following a Broncos knockon to open up a four-try advantage.
The scoring continued at breathless pace, with Misti going over for his second after the Panthers gave away a penalty deep in their defensive zone.
On 55 minutes, debutant Zak McComb showed dazzling feet to skip over the line, drawing celebrations from teammates and staff alike.
McComb’s try was added to by Fairbank and Grix, with the latter ably assisted by McComb to cap a stunning Panthers debut.
The Broncos scored with an interception late on but the Panthers would have the final say, with a McGrath score and a Robinson drop goal sealing a convincing win.