Game Summary
The Penrith Panthers survived a dramatic second-half fightback from the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to claim a 40-36 Round Nine victory in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, on Sunday at Parker Street Reserve.
The Panthers exploded out of the blocks, crossing for three tries in the opening 15 minutes to race to an 18-nil lead. Jaxen Edgar was first to score, collecting a deft pass from Jirah Liddiard to claim his sixth try of the season.
Tom Ale then finished off a brilliant set following Edgar's try, with Harry Armstrong keeping the ball alive before the big forward crashed over. Edgar doubled up moments later, breaking through the defensive line and drawing a second straight try off a kick-off restart.
The Sea Eagles hit back before half-time with Navren Willett going over after a slick passage of play down the left edge, before Tex Hoy set up a try for Kylan Mafoa with Jermayne Cook's pass splitting the defence. Patrick Moimoi then grabbed a crucial try to give the Panthers a 24-18 advantage at the break.
The second half opened in thrilling fashion, with the Sea Eagles levelling the match at 24-all through Paul Bryan, who collected a precise grubber kick from Zach Dockar-Clay to score in the corner. The Panthers responded with Nick Murphy finishing off a Josh Ruxton offload to nudge their side back in front, before Edgar completed a superb hat-trick after Liddiard broke the line and sent him away.
Liddiard then added his own name to the try-scorers' list after a smart kick from Jack Cole freed him in the corner, pushing the Panthers' lead out to 16 points with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Sea Eagles refused to surrender, with Dockar-Clay scoring from close range before Viliame Fifita scooped up a Metcalfe knock-back to make it 40-36 with four minutes left.
Despite the Sea Eagles' best efforts in the closing stages, the Panthers held on to complete a thrilling 40-36 victory. Both kickers were in fine form throughout, with Zakauri Clarke finishing six from seven and Blake Metcalfe six from six.
Talking Points
Jaxen Edgar was the standout performer, claiming a hat-trick to move ahead in the race to be the Panthers' top try-scorer.
The Panthers' red-hot start set the tone, crossing for three tries off consecutive sets in the opening quarter to establish a dominant 18-nil lead.
The Sea Eagles demonstrated tremendous resilience, recovering from 18-nil and 16-point deficits to remain in the contest until the final minutes. Their willingness to throw the ball and find line-breaks through Dockar-Clay and Jermayne Cook gave the Panthers plenty of problems in the second half.
Key Moment
Patrick Moimoi's try in the final minutes of the first half was the turning point of the match. With the Sea Eagles fighting back from 18-nil to close the gap to six points, a levelling of the scores at half-time could have changed the complexion of the contest. Instead, a composed set from the Panthers resulted in Moimoi reaching out to score, giving Penrith breathing room and ultimately proving to be the margin that separated the sides at full-time.
What's Next?
The Penrith Panthers will head to Canberra to face the Raiders on Sunday night in Round 10, while the Sea Eagles have the bye before returning to action in Round 11 against South Sydney Rabbitohs.
