Penrith have lost their first game at Panthers Stadium this year with a disappointing 18-10 defeat at the hands of Manly this afternoon.
The Panthers took an 8-6 lead into the break but went tryless in the second half with the Sea Eagles doing enough in a scrappy game to secure the two competition points.
“It wasn’t very good,” Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said.
“We’ve lost a bit of rhythm and momentum at the moment. There’s no excuse for it but clearly today we were nowhere near where we needed to be.”
Griffin refused to blame the representative period for the loss.
“You could make a lot of excuses but everyone is going through it at the moment,” he said.
“We just weren’t good enough today.”
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored Penrith’s only try of the game in the first half. The side didn’t look likely to score again apart from a short period mid-way through the second half, but couldn’t capitalise on their opportunities.
In some good news for the Panthers, it appears Viliame Kikau has not suffered a serious knee injury after leaving the field in pain late in the game. It’s understood to be a serious cork.
The Panthers are back at home on Friday night to take on the Warriors but will be without Nathan Cleary, James Maloney and Tyrone Peachey due to Origin commitments.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.