Penrith’s Premiership defence has been rocked by a fourth straight defeat, as Isaah Yeo’s milestone night was overshadowed by a 22-18 loss to the Cowboys.
A posted crowd of just over 10,000 at CommBank Stadium watched Penrith fail to score a point in the second half as they dropped to fourth last on the premiership ladder.
“We’re in uncharted waters a little bit to some extent,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said post-game.
“We’ve just to keep prioritising the things we can control and I’m sure it will be come and be better for it.”
Paul Alamoti appeared to have set up a grandstand finish when he was awarded a try close to full-time that would have levelled the scores at 22-all and given Nathan Cleary a shot at winning the game with a sideline conversion. But the Bunker pulled the try back after replays showed Alamoti’s leg had gone in to touch prior to a spectacular put-down.
A miracle win though would have overshadowed another ill-disciplined performance where they missed 43 tackles and conceded tries that this great Penrith side simply hasn’t conceded in the last five years.
Cleary said he was searching for answers to turn the form around.
“We’ve worked really hard over a long period of time to develop a winning culture at the Panthers and winning cultures drill down on stuff that we can control and it’s my job as a coach to coach better – there’s so many factors that go into this,” he said.
“We’ve got to come up with the answers and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Panthers had been hoping for a winning night to help co-captain Isaah Yeo celebrate becoming the first man to play 250 games for Penrith. Yeo walked onto the field with his family in a touching moment pre-game, and was presented a the game ball post-match.
Penrith will be looking to avoid a fifth straight win when they head to Brisbane to play the Dolphins next Thursday.
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.