Penrith’s stunning mid-season winning streak has been ended by a dominant Canberra Raiders at Panthers Stadium.
The visitors won 30-18 and remain in the top four for at least another week, while Penrith finish the round in seventh spot ahead of their clash with Canterbury next weekend.
The Panthers opened the scoring through Brian To’o early in the contest but Canberra dominated from there, leading 12-6 at the break and remaining in front throughout the second half.
Penrith tried hard but Canberra always appeared to have their measure.
Luck wasn’t on Penrith’s side – they were on the wrong end of several 50/50 calls and made some silly errors at critical times that robbed them of the chance to build momentum.
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said the loss was disappointing but the side remains hopeful of playing Finals football.
“We’ve come from the brink of nowhere to get ourselves in the hunt. If we’re good enough we’ll get there,” he said.
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.