2023 NRL Round 6: Panthers 44, Sea Eagles 12

The Penrith Panthers dominated against the Sea Eagles in front of a sold out home crowd.

Result

Penrith Panthers 44
Tries: (7) Dylan Edwards 5th, 29th, 33rd, 52nd; Brian To’o 17th; Scott Sorensen 37th; Nathan Cleary 79th
Goals: (8) Nathan Cleary 6th, 18th, 21st, 30th, 35th, 39th, 54th, 80th

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 12
Tries: (2) Jason Saab 59th; Tom Trbojevic 74th
Goals: (2) Daly Cherry-Evans 60th, 75th

Report

Both the Panthers and the Sea Eagles are sitting on just two wins for the year, though Manly are ahead by one competition point as a result of their draw with the Newcastle Knights last weekend. Both sides will be looking for a win to keep themselves in the top eight.

The Panthers started out on top, Dylan Edwards scoring the first points of the afternoon for the Panthers just five minutes in. 

Panthers were on the receiving end of a drop out after a strong effort to ensure Manly was caught in the in-goal area. They were awarded a penalty in the same set, which allowed them to retain the possession, leading to Brian To’o scoring Penrith’s second try of the night. 

The Penrith Panthers continued to dominate the game, leaving little to no room for the Sea Eagles to capitalise on any given opportunities. 

After a penalty goal and a second try for Edwards, the Panthers led 20 points to nil, leaving Manly further behind as the first half drew to a close. 

The Panthers were coming close to yet another try, however, gave away a penalty to the opposition – momentary relief for Manly…until a one-on-one strip leading to Edwards’ first half hat-trick. 

Scott Sorensen crashed his way through to add another converted try to the Panthers’ first half tally. 

The wealth of possession the Panthers had in the first half didn’t go unused, going into half time leading the Sea Eagles 32-0.

Edwards scored his fourth try of the night in the 52nd minute.

Finally, the Sea Eagles were able to get their first try. Daly Cherry-Evans kicked a beauty into the in-goal area, where Jason Saab grounded the ball, giving them their first points of the night. 

While it wasn’t their best effort, the Sea Eagles definitely had improved in the second half, in both attack and defence. Far less points were scored for either side, and there was a determination from Manly that was lacking in the first half. Unfortunately, they were too far behind to make a big comeback. 

Manly scored a second try with just five minutes remaining, ever so slightly narrowing the gap. 

Despite an uglier second half, the Panthers continued to dominate the game, going on to win by 32 points. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS

3 – Dylan Edwards (Panthers)

2 – Nathan Cleary (Panthers)

1 – Stephen Crichton (Panthers)