Panthers punished for poor first half

The Panthers slumped to a 28-18 loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs on a disappointing Thursday night at Accor Stadium.

The Panthers paid full price for a poor first half, unable to recover from a 28-0 deficit at the interval. An unlikely comeback appeared to be in sight as the Panthers powered back into the contest, but it was not to be.

TICKETS: Get behind the Panthers at home in Round 5

Scott Sorensen (concussion), Trent Toelau (leg) and Brian To'o (hamstring) were all forced off with injuries as the Panthers ended the match with just 14 players.

However the Panthers could only blame themselves after ending the first half with eight errors, five penalties, six completed sets out of twelve and 28% possession.

Within 10 minutes, the Rabbitohs scored twice through Keaon Koloamatangi and Alex Johnston while the Panthers lost Scott Sorensen to a game-ending head injury.

A horror first half unfolded for the Panthers, who proved their own worst enemies.

After a poor penalty allowed the Rabbitohs to extend their lead to 12-0, the Panthers invited Souths back on the attack by kicking out on the full. The hosts obliged and Koloamatangi crashed over for his second try.

Error after error kept the Panthers under pressure, and poor goal line-defence allowed Davvy Moale and Jye Gray to take the Rabbitohs to a 28-0 half-time lead.

With a mountain to climb in the second stanza, the Panthers went to work.

Liam Martin charged onto a short pass by Jack Cole to open the Panthers account, and Paul Alamoti's conversion reduced the deficit to 22 points.

The Panthers suffered another setback as halfback Trent Toelau was forced off the field with an injury, but his replacement was up for the challenge.

Brad Schneider came off the bench with almost immediate impact, taking the line on to score from a frantic last-tackle play. Another Alamoti conversion made it 28-12 with 22 minutes to play.

A historic comeback appeared within reach, and inched closer when Moses Leota powered his way to the try line. However, a dubious no-try ruling brought the Panthers momentum to a halt and proved costly.

The Panthers hopes fizzled out as errors crept back in, and were effectively put to bed when Brian To'o limped off the field late in the piece.

Rabbitohs hooker Peter Mamouzelos was sin-binned for a professional foul in the closing stages, allowing the Panthers to add respectability to the scoreboard with a Jack Cole try and Paul Alamoti sideline conversion.

The Panthers return to CommBank Stadium in Round 5 for a Friday encounter with North Queensland Cowboys.

TICKETS: Get behind the Panthers at home in Round 5