Injury hit Panthers shock Tigers 30-8
Their bench may have resembled a casualty ward, but Penrith still conjured an inspired performance to shock the Wests Tigers 30-8 in Monday night's NRL clash at Campbelltown Stadium.
The Panthers lost forwards Adam Woolnough (knee) and Trent Waterhouse (ankle) late in the first half before second-rower Frank Pritchard was treated for a rib cartilage problem early in the second.
Through all of that, fullback Rhys Wesser hobbled about with a corked thigh sustained in the first 40 as his side withstood a second half onslaught from a Tigers side missing talisman Robbie Farah (back).
Leading 18-2 at halftime, the Panthers scored five tries to one through Luke Priddis, Michael Jennings, Maurice Blair, Michael Gordon and Brad Tighe while Jarrod Sammut kicked five goals.
Beau Ryan scored the Tigers' four-pointer while Brett Hodgson booted a solitary goal.
Penrith led 24-2 by the 51st minute after Gordon had latched onto a superb inside ball from Wesser but were always going to need to withstand a Tigers comeback as their supplies of fresh troops dwindled.
The Tigers had to wait until the 58th minute to get their only try of the night, when video referee Paul Simpkins ruled Ryan had grounded a John Morris grubber, and Hodgson's conversion made it 24-8.
The tiring Panthers - who had Pritchard placed on report for a high shot on Tigers five-eighth Tim Moltzen in the 69th minute - then withstood everything the below par Tigers could throw at them with some desperate scrambling defence in front of 11,898 at Campbelltown.
They iced the cake in the 77th minute when Tighe sprinted away and Sammut converted for 30-8.
The Panthers' tone had been set early by forward enforcer Pritchard, who had left both Tigers winger Peni Tagive and fullback Hodgson in Disneyland with monster hits within the first five minutes.
Priddis had guided his side to the surprise halftime lead, diving over himself in the 12th minute and sending the money ball to five-eighth Blair who scored his side's third four-pointer.
After the Tigers had been first on the board through a Hodgson penalty goal, the majority of the first half was played in Tigerland.
Priddis dived over from dummy-half for a soft four-pointer to help the Panthers begin to turn the pressure into points and take a 6-2 lead.
In the 18th, a lightning-like effort from Jennings had the centre latching onto a Sammut grubber for 12-2.
And in the 29th minute, Blair latched onto a beautiful long ball from Priddis, the conversion made it 18-2 and the home side were staring down the barrel.
Penrith coach Matt Elliott said Waterhouse would be sidelined for four-six weeks and Woolnough possibly longer, but Wesser and Pritchard would back up for next week's clash with the high-flying Sydney Roosters.
"It was just all attitude out there today," Elliott said.
"It was outstanding, I just sat back and enjoyed it."
Panthers skipper Petero Civoniceva - who sat alone on his side's depleted bench for periods of the second half - said character was something he'd discovered since arriving at the club from Brisbane.
"I was getting a bit lonely out there but I take my hat off to the boys," he said.
"They were just so courageous, they just kept turning up for each other and that's something that I've noticed within this group when I came to the club."
The Tigers have now only beaten the Panthers four times in 14 attempts and never in three attempts at Campbelltown.
"There were some individual good performances but it's nowhere near as well as we played in the first couple of rounds so we're going to have to re-find that," Tigers coach Tim Sheens said.
"There'll have to be some changes, you don't lose back-to-back games without doing something so we'll have to tweak the side.
"I'm not going to panic at this stage ... the leading teams are on three wins and we're on two wins so you don't do something stupid at this stage."
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