Penrith Panthers have come from behind to overcome a serious challenge from the New Zealand Warriors, winning 24-16 in the SG Ball at St Marys Leagues Stadium in hot Sunday afternoon conditions.
The Panthers made a strong start, capitalising on early field position when Luke Hanson set up Nick Murphy with a glorious cut out in the 4th minute. Riley Pollard converted from the sideline to give them a 6-0 advantage.
Repeated errors by the Panthers gave the Warriors multiple opportunities and their defence finally cracked when Selumiela Halasima charged through to score in the 17th minute.
Continued ill-discipline hurt the Panthers again in the 26th minute, conceding a try to Etuate Fukofuka underneath the posts following back-to-back penalties.
A stroke of luck helped the Panthers on the half-hour mark, with the Warriors unable to handle a towering bomb. Wilson de Courcey collected the ball and raced over to score, drawing level at 12-all, where the scores remained at half time.
The second half developed into an arm wrestle as both teams struggled with the heat. The Warriors came close to scoring through Ratu Saimone Naborisi when he made a break off a kick, only for Timothy Sielaff-Burns to produce a trysaver on his own 20.
The Panthers defence finally cracked shortly after the drinks break, with Fukofuka surging over for his second.
A high tackle by Warriors forward Ben Peni saw him sent to the sin bin with 15 minutes remaining, however the Panthers inability to complete their sets saw them unable to take advantage.
A run of possession gave the Panthers some much-needed momentum and they finally broke through when Cooper Ferrari grounded a grubber. Pollard converted from out wide to take the lead back, 18-16.
A try to Sielaff-Burns with two minutes remaining to Sielaff-Burns wrapped up the win, with Pollard again converting from touch to make the final score 24-16.
