Penrith Panthers defended BlueBet Stadium on Friday night against archrivals Parramatta, coming away with a gritty 24-4 win.
Their attack was sharp when given the opportunity but it was their defensive resolve which saw them come away with the two points.
The Panthers got off to a hot start after Paul Alamoti picked off a pass from Eels fullback Blaize Talagi, finding support in Soni Luke and subsequently Jesse McLean who got pulled down 20 metres from the Parramatta line.
They took a settler before Soni Luke took one himself from hooker and rolled through the defence before reaching out to score. Paul Alamoti’s conversion was successful to put Penrith up 6-0 in the 5th minute.
Parramatta suffered another early blow when round one standout Matt Doorey came off the field for a HIA. Later that set it took a fantastic effort from fullback Isaiah Iongi to keep a Daejarn Asi kick in the field of play, being rewarded the next play with a penalty to get Penrith off their own line.
The infamous downtown call came into play in the 13th minute, the Panthers getting called for it, giving Parramatta a full set in attacking territory. The defence showed up, holding Parramatta out before a Matt Arthut cutout ball on a crash play was put down by Ofahiki Ogden.
Yet another set inside the Panthers' redzone ended in an error from Parramatta, when Isaac Lumelume tried a grubber kick for himself on second tackle, handing possession straight back to Jesse McLean.
Parramatta were approaching ten minutes straight of attacking the Panthers' line without reward, making repeated errors on their last tackle options, but getting chances through penalties and six again calls.
With eight minutes left in the half, the Panthers got their first attacking set in twenty minutes, but put it down on a fourth tackle shift. Parramatta handed it straight back, giving the Panthers a golden opportunity late in the half.
The Panthers gained a repeat set, courtesy of a perfectly placed grubber from Trent Toelau, which was juggled by Blaize Talagi before the Panthers defence took him out.
In the 38th minute, Eels hooker Matt Arthur looked to have nailed a 40/20 attempt, but Isaiah Iongi saved it in typical Isaiah Iongi fashion, keeping it in play and giving Penrith two minutes to get up the other end.
That play was immediately rewarded when Soni Luke pierced the Parramatta line, before scanning both ways and kicking to his right, where Mavrik Geyer beat Isaac Lumelume to the ball to add another four-pointer to the Penrith score. Conversion unsuccessful, 10-0.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to score, when in the 43rd minute Brad Schneider put a kick in behind, Paul Alamoti winning the race to the ball and grounding it. Schneider was handed the kicking duties, but missed his first attempt leaving the score at 14-0.
Schneider continued to light it up off the boot kicking a 40/20 putting Penrith into attacking territory. They scored off the next set, Trent Toelau drifting across before hitting Alamoti on an overs line, who crashed over to extend the lead. Conversion unsuccessful, 18-0.
Parramatta had another period of dominating field possession from the 50th to 60th minute, but the first half trend of failing to complete their sets continued, with Penrith's defence holding firm.
Parramatta finally crossed in the 60th minute, Haze Dunster made a half break, before the quick play the ball led to Cini darting from dummy half and crossing. Sanders conversion unsuccessful, 18-4.
BlueBet stadium held its breath as a Daejarn Asi bomb came down with kick pressure on Isaiah Iongi. The fullback held his nerve and took it outstretched, before getting up and finding clear air in front of him. He ran the journey in an early try of the year contender, unbelievable catch, into a great sprint from off the ground. Conversion successful, 24-4.
Isaiah Iongi had the crowd on their feet once again, with another spectacular catch, before breaking 6 tackles on a kick return which got him out to the 50.
The Panthers had to defend their line for a large portion of the final ten minutes. A sharp set play from Parramatta created an overlap, with Sanders going for he cutout ball, but Jesse McLean made a huge effort to shut down the play by knocking the ball down.
The Panthers held out set after set, Blaize Talagi nearly burst through, but lost it over the line thanks to a helping hand from Iongi, but a call of offside handed the Eels back possession. Peachey came up with a huge 1 on 1 tackle in the next play to stop Cini from going through off yet another Sanders cutout, before a repeat set meant the end of the game would be spent inside the Panthers' redzone.
Yet another strong defensive set kept Parramatta out, with Penrith coming away with the 24-4 win.
