The Panthers NSW Cup boys have put on a good show for their Bathurst fans with a comprehensive 38-6 victory over the North Sydney Bears in Bathurst.
Norths scored their first and only try in the 7th minute when Cheyne Whitelaw reached over to slam the ball down after shrugging off a couple of Penrith defenders. The conversion from Nikko Roberts was successful and Norths led 6-0.
We hit back in the 23rd minute with some tidy catch and pass football which led to Eddie Aiono diving over in the corner. The conversion from Adrian Davis was unsuccessful so Norths maintained a 6-4 lead.
After a strong set of six from the restart, Leilani Latu tore the Bear’s line apart with a barnstorming run through the middle and our boys took the lead with their 2nd try in the 27th minute. Api Koroisau kicked the conversion and the Panthers were in front 10-6.
In the 39th minute, the Panthers scored their third for the day when Will Smith ran the ball right up to the line before offloading to Isaac John who leapt over to score. Koroisau converted the try to bring the score to 16-6.
HALF-TIME: 16-6 PANTHERS
The Panthers got off to a great start this half scoring a try in the 43rd minute when Waqa Blake showed some fancy footwork and fended off a group of defenders to plant the ball down over the line. Koroisau kicked the ball straight through the posts to extend the Penrith’s lead to 22-6.
We were over again 4 minutes later when John threw a perfect floating pass to Christian Crichton who finished the try off with class in the corner. Koroisau slotted over the conversion from the sideline and the Panthers extended their lead to 28-6.
Ben Murdoch-Masila had to be helped off the field by the trainers in the 57th minute after suffering a knee injury in a rough tackle.
In the 73rd minute the Panthers struck again with Will Smith dodging past several Bears defenders, spinning and weaving through the gaps before flicking the ball to Koroisau, who ran 30 metres to plant the ball down in front of the posts. He converted his own try to take our boys to 34-6.
Waqa Blake gave the Panther fans a little something extra to cheer about with a late try in the 79th minute with a solid team runaway try. The conversion was waved away but it didn’t matter because Penrith had come away with the win!
FULL-TIME: 38-6 PANTHERS.
