An understrength Penrith Panthers side have suffered a heavy loss in the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, falling 36-16 against the St George Illawarra Dragons at Collegians Sporting Complex in Wollongong.
Simple errors were a problem for the Panthers all afternoon as they fell to their fourth straight loss.
Despite the end result, it was a perfect start for the Panthers, with Daeon Amituanai scoring within two minutes after the Panthers forced an error from the Dragons in their first set.
Eddie Blacker received a reminder of the cruelties of rugby league when he raced 50m after backing up a break by Luke Sommerton, fending defenders away, only to knock on in a tackle at the tryline.
It proved to be a costly mistake, with the Dragons going the length of the field to score in the next set through Benjamin Johnson. Alexander Lobb converted to give the Dragons the lead, 6-4.
They made it a double blow in the 21st minute when Treigh Stewart darted through and set up Sione Finau. Lobb again converted to make the score 12-4.
Fortune smiled on the Panthers in the 28th minute when Matt Stimson had the ball stripped over the line, but managed to get to it before anyone else to score the Panthers second try. Kurt Falls added the extras to cut the deficit to two.
A one-on-one strip on Peter Taateo put the Dragons back on the attack and they quickly capitalised as Stewart darted through to score near the posts.
They again made it two tries in quick succession after when Finau raced the length of the field after a dubious knock back ruling, taking a 24-10 lead to half time.
The Dragons continued to dominate after the break, scoring the first try of the second half when Max Feagai leapt up to a bomb and found Zane Musgrove on the inside. Lobb converted to push the score to 30-10.
Despite making repeated errors, the Panthers didn’t let the score get out of hand, getting a try back when Amituanai found space on the left and kicked back inside for Falls to set up Liam Henry under the posts on the hour mark.
They were made to pay for another missed opportunity in the 66th minute when the Dragons broke through again, with Stewart scoring his second try for the afternoon to extend the lead to 36-16.
That was the end of the scoring, as the Panthers managed to keep their line intact for the rest of the match, while errors denied them any realistic chance of scoring further points.
