[ad_1]
League leaders Penrith Panthers have re-established their one-game lead on the high with a 24-12 win over Manly.
In a fiery, entertaining match at Brookvale Oval, the Sea Eagles took it to the Panthers for a lot of the first hour of play, however they pale late to go down, delivering a deadly blow to their finals possibilities.
The primary-placed Panthers had been a good distance from their twin premiership-winning finest on Thursday night time, squandering possibilities in good discipline place and struggling to click on with out common five-eighth Jarome Luai (sickness) and hooker Mitch Kenny (injured).
However Penrith managed to show the bounce of the ball into factors when a determined Sea Eagles facet couldn’t.
Regardless of outperforming the guests for the primary half, Manly’s season now seems sure to complete outdoors of the highest eight.
The Sea Eagles’ factors differential is inferior and even when they win their remaining three video games, they’re unable to complete with higher than a 50 per cent successful file.
Manly set the tone early, worrying the Panthers with their expansive assault, and twice broke the premiers’ goal-line defence from shut vary — a notoriously tough activity in 2023.
The rating sat 12-12 on the break however Penrith had been fortunate to be on the board in any respect.
Their first attempt got here from a Stephen Crichton intercept towards the run of play and their second after Liam Martin knocked on into Manly’s Raymond Vaega because the pair contested a kick.
Had there not been a sort out in between Martin’s knock-on on the appropriate and Crichton’s grounding of the ball on the left, the bunker would virtually actually have rescinded the attempt.
The second half might hardly have began worse for the Sea Eagles, shedding each Ben Trbojevic and Brad Parker to game-ending head knocks inside two minutes of the restart.
They by no means regained the ascendancy loved earlier than the break.
Penrith’s third attempt got here after an uncommon play from Manly fullback Reuben Garrick, who booted the ball straight again to the Panthers after receiving it from a kick.
Manly’s defensive position nonetheless scattered, Sunia Turuva danced via Lachlan Croker and Aaron Woods for a attempt from long-range.
It wasn’t till Brian To’o crossed for a seventh-straight recreation that the Panthers started to breathe simply.
ABC/AAP
Loading
[ad_2]
Source link
