A dominant first half performance has seen the Penrith Panthers claim back-to-back wins for the first time in the Jersey Flegg season, defeating the Manly Sea Eagles 30-16 at BlueBet Stadium.
The Panthers kicking game proved too much for Manly’s backs to handle, with a bomb causing an error in the opening minutes. The Panthers shifted left from the scrum, allowing Luke Philp to open the scoring.
Daeon Amituanai scored the Panthers second in the 16th minute when the Sea Eagles were again unable to handle an attacking kick.
They made it two tries in a matter of minutes when a penalty put them in attacking range again. Halves Kristian Li-Mai and Ryley Smith combined to send Sam Lane over in the right-hand corner to make the score 14-0.
Desperate goal line defence allowed the Panthers to hold the Sea Eagles out, forcing an error from James Uesele as he attempted to put the ball down.
The Panthers were rewarded for their defence with another try shortly before half time when Connor Mason picked up a loose ball and kicked ahead for himself to score under the posts, making the score 20-0 at the break.
Strong defence to start the second half allowed the Panthers to go on the attack, with Li-Mai narrowly being denied by the Manly defence. It didn’t take long for them to capitalise on the field position, as another Sea Eagles error from a kick presented a try to Cody Lawson.
Manly continued to apply pressure to the Panthers defence, scoring quick tries through halves Jamie Humphreys and Harradyn Wilson.
The Panthers were forced into a lot of goal-line defence in the final 15 minutes as errors crept into their game. They finally cracked in the 63rd minute when James Uesele crashed over to reduce the Panthers lead to 24-16.
The Panthers finished the game in style, with Peter Taateo barging over under the posts to seal the win, 30-16.
