Penrith coach Ivan Cleary admits last night’s win over the Wests Tigers was “ugly” but says his side will get plenty of confidence out of the thrilling Golden Point win.
The Panthers produced another below par performance but somehow walked away with the two competition points, downing the Tigers 9-8 in front of 14,000 fans at Panthers Stadium.
Nathan Cleary produced two clutch plays to secure the win – a sideline conversion after the full-time siren to level the game and a field goal in extra time to win it.
Ivan Cleary said he was pleased with his side’s defence, but acknowledged there’s plenty of work to do in attack.
“It was a pretty competitive game in slippery conditions. Both teams defensively were pretty strong but we continue to make errors and put ourselves under pressure,” he said.
“I thought defensively we were pretty good. They threw plenty at us and we turned them around a lot.
“We came here tonight trying to base our performance on effort and the grind… and hopefully that will allow us to unlock our potential.”
Last night’s one-point win means Penrith have won two from their opening four games.
“You’ve just got to find a way to win sometimes and we did that tonight,” he said.
“We’ve clearly got a bit of work to do there but I’m confident we will get there.”
The Panthers play the Titans on the Gold Coast next week.
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.
