The cavalry returned and so did Penrith’s winning ways, with Nathan Cleary leading the Panthers to a 38-12 thumping of the Sydney Roosters at BlueBet Stadium tonight.
The Roosters started aggressively and opened up a 12-0 lead early in the first half, but once the momentum swung back Penrith’s way the home side was never headed.
It was a controlled performance, with Penrith ultimately scoring six unanswered tries on their way to their 16th straight victory at BlueBet Stadium.
Brian To’o bagged two tries in the win but Cleary was again the star – carrying on his stunning form from Origin I to be far and away the best player on the field.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said his side had much better intensity tonight compared to recent weeks.
“I was really happy with the way we bounced back,” he said.
“I thought all our Origin guys did really well. Liam Martin was outstanding.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said his side started well but couldn’t match the Panthers.
“We went from dominating the ball to not having it all for about 20 minutes there,” he said.
Robinson was clearly frustrated at the first half sin-binning of Siosiua Taukeiaho for a high tackle on a slipping Nathan Cleary.
The issue dominated Robinson’s post-match press conference, with the Roosters mentor looking for clarification from the NRL on what it wants Taukeiaho to do in such situations.
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.
