Panthers, Warrior share the points
Penrith produced a stunning second-half fightback to clinch a 32-32 golden point extra time draw with the New Zealand Warriors in one of the most remarkable NRL matches of the season on Saturday night.
Trailing 32-6 after 55 minutes at CUA Stadium, the Panthers looked dead and buried but came within a whisker of equalling the greatest comeback in NRL history.
Four tries from Warriors centre Joel Moon and a Lewis Brown touchdown had the visitors firmly in control but the Panthers sparked back to life with four late tries and a Michael Gordon penalty in the last minute of regular time.
Lance Hohaia came closest to separating the scores in extra time when his 35-metre field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar, but the visitors will feel they threw the game away after taking full control early in the second half.
Ivan Cleary's side dominated the first half and took a deserved 20-6 lead at the halftime, with the Panthers looking a shadow of the side that beat North Queensland in Townsville last week.
Centre Michael Jennings opened the scoring after seven minutes when he rolled over from 10 metres out, but it proved to be the only time the home side troubled the scorers in the opening stanza as the Warriors, inspired by veteran halfback Stacey Jones, looked the far better side.
Moon crossed on the 12th, 16th and 33rd minutes with Kevin Locke kicking a penalty goal and three conversions to put the Warriors ahead at the interval.
The second half started poorly for Matt Elliott's side with two turnovers leading to tries with Moon grabbing his fourth of the night after latching onto a grubber kick from Lance Hohaia in the 43rd minute.
Brown then powered over from close range to stun the home crowd.
But the Panthers' response was swift with Shane Elford holding off a challenge from Wade McKinnon to score in the corner three minutes later.
That try finally roused the home supporters and the volume was cranked up again when halfback Luke Walsh (65th) and prop Frank Puletua (69th) scampered over for two more four-pointers as the Warriors began to capitulate in the face of some overwhelming pressure.
With three minutes left on the clock Jennings had the crowd on their feet with his second try of the night and 16th of the season when he latched onto a Wade Graham pass to power over from close range.
Gordon's fifth conversion brought the score to 32-30 and it was the winger who took the game into golden point when he held his nerve to kick over a penalty in the dying seconds.
However, it proved to be the last score of the game.
A Panthers win would have equalled the comeback staged against them in 1998 when North Queensland won 36-28 after being down 26-0 at half-time.
Panthers coach Matt Elliott paid tribute to the Warriors and admitted his side were fortunate to get a share of the points, but said he was proud of the character they showed to claw their way back into the game.
"I would like to compliment the opposition, they came here with a heap of intent and probably shaded us in that area for sure and maybe we stole a point tonight," Elliott said.
"I never thought we were gone though.
"I believed in the players and the one thing that gave us the opportunity to get back into the game was not execution, it was not our attitude, but our belief in one another that allowed us to steal a point tonight.
"But we are better than that."
Cleary said the Warriors' performance was symbolic of their season and rued their luck in golden point, as they drew their second game of the season, having been held 14-14 in Melbourne back in round seven.
"My initial reaction is disappointment, when you have got a lead that big you should win," Cleary said.
"Full credit to them, they had nothing to lose and the strike power to score points and they did.
"We have had trouble icing games, and took that to new levels tonight, that is a couple of golden points the goalposts just have got in the way.
"We just couldn't stem the tide in the end of the second half."
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