2021 NRL Round 19, Panthers 18 Broncos 12 – Report

Chloe Schibeci reviews Penrith’s “home” game against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Here’s how the game went.

SCOREBOARD

Player of the Year Points

3 pts – Payne Haas (Brisbane Broncos)
2 pts – Dylan Edwards (Penrith Panthers)
1 pt – Viliame Kikau (Penrith Panthers)

MATCH REPORT

1st Half

The first points of the game came from a Panthers penalty goal attempt from in front after a dangerous hit to Isaah Yeo, who as a result was not able to return to the field for the remainder of the night. This penalty also cost the Brisbane Broncos a player, Thomas Flegler, who was sent to the sin bin for the contact on Yeo. 

The Broncos came close to the first try of the night after one was awarded to centre Kotoni Staggs; however, a knock on in-goal forced the points to be revoked. The Broncos’ goal line defence proved not only that they were well and truly in the game, but also revealed some areas of concern for the Panthers, who were without a handful of their key players. They struggled to come up with a cohesive attacking strategy, struggling to crack the Broncos, despite the amount of possession they had on the Brisbane line. Charlie Staines almost scored a try for the Panthers with just 15 minutes remaining in the first half; however, he was out of the field of play as he grounded the ball. 

Both the Broncos and the Panthers threw everything they had into their attack, hoping to score some points before the end of the first half, yet neither team seemed able to crack the opposition’s desperate defence. In the dying seconds of the first half, Dylan Edwards kicked a two-point field goal to get the Panthers up by four points.  

HALF-TIME: Penrith Panthers 4 Brisbane Broncos 0

2nd Half

The first try of the night finally arrived when the Penrith Panthers were able to crack the Brisbane defence, with winger Brian To’o crossing for an unconverted try. The Panthers were starting to look more comfortable and their attack was improving set-by-set. Just five minutes later, Staines got his redemption try after being disallowed in the first half. Another missed conversion, and the Panthers lead 12 points to nil. 

The Penrith Panthers were able to crack the Brisbane Broncos’ defence once again with Stephen Crichton scoring try number three for the team. The Broncos were showing signs of cracking under the sudden pressure from Penrith. 

Brisbane almost found themselves scoring their first try of the night, however a forward pass denied them their opportunity to put points on the board. The Broncos kept fighting the Penrith defence and finally found themselves crossing for their first points. Despite time running out and still being two converted tries behind, the Broncos found themselves back in the contest, looking prepared for the challenge.

Both teams began to show signs of desperation: the Panthers to defend their lead and the Broncos to score as many points as possible in the remaining time.

Brisbane’s Ethan Bullemor narrowed the margin by another six points, running straight through Penrith’s defensive line and crossing for their second try of the night. Despite the best of efforts from the Broncos, the Panthers just held on in the final minutes, winning by six points. 

FULL-TIME: Penrith Panthers 18 Brisbane Broncos 12

Injuries

to be advised

Match Review Committee

to be advised

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