It was a successful night for the Panthers at Windsor Sports Complex with the home side claiming wins over the Steelers in both the Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions.
SG Ball
Panthers 26 def. Steelers 16
A Friday night clash against the current competition leaders was sure to be a tough challenge for the SG Ball Panthers, however in a highly entertaining and physical match, The Panthers were able to claim a hard-fought victory.
Jett Cleary was on fire with his kicking game tonight, continuously peppering the Illawarra fullback with an impressive arsenal of high kicks.
Crafty work from the dummy halves, Jenson Tuaoi and Zaid Lehn, posed a constant threat throughout the ruck and the physical presence from the both props - Hokafonu Lemoto and Judah Galuvao - sustained a dominant physical
force in attack and defence.
The scoring kicked off in the 7th minute of the game with the fancy footwork of
Tuaomaliemavaitoelau Patea breaking through the Steelers defence, paving a clear path for the centre to find himself over the line. Conversion successful by Jett Cleary.
Moments later Penrith found themselves defending grimly inside their own half, with a nasty kick deflection from the Steelers evading the Panthers fullback. However, what looked sure to be a try to the away team was quickly overruled by the referee for offside.
As often happens in rugby league, the next try was a mix of luck and improvisation. A loose pass from dummy half on the last play went to ground, Cleary making the most of the situation with a deep kick that bounced fortuitously into the hands of Mitchell Heather who found an unmarked Cooper Hale to cross the line. Conversion successful, 12-0.
There were a number of close calls for the Steelers but they couldn’t convert their chances into points. A terrific run by Jack Attard had him tackled just short of the line.
A quick play the ball and well worked set attacking play created just enough space for Panther’s Zedrick Tupulua to crash his way over the line. Conversion successful, 18-0.
Determined to flip the pressure back onto the Panthers, the Steelers pushed themselves back intocontrol late in the half. An impressive backline movement created an overlap out wide for Tom Kirk to race over the tryline in the corner. Converted on the stroke of half-time, 18-6.
The Steelers were first over the line in the second half however repeated errors in their attacking line yet again withdrew another opportunity to add to the scoreboard - obstruction ruled.
The Panthers found themselves defending their own line for over 15 minutes with the Steelers maintaining strong possession inside the 10. Illawarra captain Daniel Meafou scored a good solo effort beating out several Penrith defenders, before scoring under the posts. Successful conversion, 18-12.
Unable to escape the sustained pressure on their own line - with multiple penalties, set restarts and constant forced errors - the Steelers powered their way past the home side's left defence to score in the corner. 18-16, conversion unsuccessful.
Finally finding their way back into the Steelers half, the Panthers received a penalty for a crusher tackle by Illawarra’s Jackson Smith who was placed on report. Fancy footwork by Jack Attard broke through the Steelers defence with a late offload to Judah Galuvao powering his way over the line, extending the Panthers lead to 8. Conversion successful, 24-16.
A short kick off by Illawarra in the final 5 minutes of the game provided Penrith with a much wanted penalty - with the kick failing to make the 10. Taking advantage of the penalty, Hokafonu Lemoto powered his way into goal but was unfortunately unable to ground the ball.
After 70 hard-fought minutes at Windsor Sports Complex, the Panthers came out victorious, defeating the Steelers 26-16.
Harold Matthews
Panthers 30 def. Steelers 12
Returning to the field after heavy back-to-back loses, the Harold Matthews Panthers side were back in top form, defeating the Illawarra Steelers at Windsor Sports Complex.
A slow start to the game saw both teams fighting to break their opposition’s line, but it was the Panthers who posted first points on the board after 10 minutes. Following two penalties for stripping the ball the Panthers placed themselves in great field position to challenge the Steelers defensive line.
In his first touch of the ball Heinz Lemoto proved to be too big and too strong for
Illawarra’s defence, charging through the ruck to open the scoring. Conversion successful, 6-0.
A fumbled ball by the Panthers on their 20m line opened an opportunity for the Steelers attack which saw the home side defending their own tryline for repeated sets.
Nice footwork and a strong run by Steelers backrower Likamani Richter saw Illawarra earn their first points of the game. 6-6.
The Panthers were soon on the front foot again and after doing all the hard work close to the line, Talmage Brown looked certain to score only to fumble the ball over the line.
The Steelers took advantage of the Panthers' error, making quick inroads into the Panthers half, but the Panthers defence managed to scramble nicely.
It was left to some individual brilliance by Cameron Bamblett to bring the side back into control,
with a clever kick behind the line and smart regather to score. Conversion successful, 12-6.
On the stroke of halftime two strong runs by Penrith centre Marcellus Iakopo opened yet another opportunity for the Panthers, joining forces with Bamblett who found Jayden Carter in support to score beside the posts. Half time 18-6.
With the second half less than two minutes old, Penrith took advantage of their dominant field position and Jayden Carter once again found himself over the line for his second try of the game. Conversion successfully converted by Hunter Bell, 24-6.
The reintroduction of the starting props saw the side making easy metres against their opponents. The powerful running of both Roman Tuaimau and Charbel Kheirallah quickly broke through the play, with Tuaimai popping the ball into the hands of Bamblett who was left with little more to do than put the ball down on the tryline. 30-6.
A big hit from Heinz Lemoto did not phase the Steelers attack with a slick backline movement seeing Illawarra winger Jaxon Ballinger showcasing his fast pace, breaking through the Panthers' leftside defence to score in the corner. Conversion successful, 30-12.
