GongPanther
Referee
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Adrian Proszenko
4 minutes
“It’s a cruel game, mate,” Barrett said.
If there is a tougher NRL job than being a referee – Gavin Badger limped off with a calf injury in the second half – it is the lot of a losing coach. Even the bloke on the other end of it, Panthers mentor Anthony Griffin, felt for his counterpart.
“I’ve been on a few of them myself where you’ve got the game in your grasp and it slips away,” Griffin said. “It’s a bugger of a game, that one.”
It was also the mother of all comebacks. Four tries in seven minutes, the last to Nathan Cleary, to inject life into a fading Panthers season.
This is a game Penrith had no right to win. They appeared destined for their fifth loss from six starts after Sea Eagles centre Brian Kelly scored two quick second-half tries. The latter had shades of Mark Gasnier’s stunning effort in the Centenary Test. It was all for nought as the Panthers came storming back to register the comeback of the season.
“We’re in a position to win with 18 points up with 14 minutes to go and couldn’t do it,” Barrett said.
“We’re down on confidence but they did really, really well to get into position to win the game.
“And to just throw it away like we did, heartbreaking is not a word I could use for what’s sitting in there [in the dressing sheds], for all of us.”
Plenty of coaches were heavily invested in the outcome.
Barrett was desperate to avoid the spoon. Griffin, if you believe everything you read, to avoid the sack. Ivan Cleary, sitting in the Brookvale grandstand, enjoying permission to hold a family reunion at Wests Tigers. And Garth Brennan witnessing his star recruit for next year, Tyrone Peachey, auditioning for the fullback spot.
On match eve, Phil Gould revealed he would not stand in Nathan Cleary’s way if he decided to play for his old man at the Tigers. Cleary junior has been patchy since coming back from the interstate arena. Origin duty, coupled with contract speculation that has seemingly dogged him since he last put pen to paper, have taken their toll.
At one point the Cleary put in an ill-fated grubber on just the third tackle, the sort of brain fade that can have massive ramifications. Just ask Ben Hunt.
Yet the 20-year-old was on the spot for the match-winner.
It came against a Manly side that don't do things conventionally. Their top try-scorer coming into proceedings was big bopper Shaun Lane. Two of their repeat sets came via kicks from Jake Trbojevic and Marty Taupau. Whatever they were doing worked for most of the match before fading badly.
Both sides were coming off drubbings. Penrith let in 50 against Brisbane, while Roosters put 56 points against on Manly. They were low on confidence, but that won’t be a problem for Penrith after this Houdini act.
The stakes remain high. The Panthers to keep their top-four aspirations alive. The Sea Eagles to avoid the wooden spoon. Barrett conceded that would be the motivation from here on in.
“Everyone knows, we don’t need to speak about it,” he said.
“Again, we just found a way to lose today … We have to find a way to get ourselves off the floor.”
PENRITH 28 (W Blake N Cleary J Mansour D Whare I Yeo tries Cleary 4 goals) bt MANLY 24 (B Kelly 2 D Cherry-Evans M Fainu tries Cherry-Evans 4 goals) at Lottoland. Referees: Gavin Badger, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 6134.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/pe...ly-of-the-last-110-years-20180728-p4zu6c.html
Last year Cleary broke a 100 year record for youngest player to be top scorer in the comp. And now the Panthers have re-written history in scoring 4 tries in 7 minutes V Manly.
If Cleary leaves us,he'll be leaving a club that is building into something very special. God I hope he doesn't leave us...ever.
4 minutes
“It’s a cruel game, mate,” Barrett said.
If there is a tougher NRL job than being a referee – Gavin Badger limped off with a calf injury in the second half – it is the lot of a losing coach. Even the bloke on the other end of it, Panthers mentor Anthony Griffin, felt for his counterpart.
“I’ve been on a few of them myself where you’ve got the game in your grasp and it slips away,” Griffin said. “It’s a bugger of a game, that one.”
It was also the mother of all comebacks. Four tries in seven minutes, the last to Nathan Cleary, to inject life into a fading Panthers season.
This is a game Penrith had no right to win. They appeared destined for their fifth loss from six starts after Sea Eagles centre Brian Kelly scored two quick second-half tries. The latter had shades of Mark Gasnier’s stunning effort in the Centenary Test. It was all for nought as the Panthers came storming back to register the comeback of the season.
“We’re in a position to win with 18 points up with 14 minutes to go and couldn’t do it,” Barrett said.
“We’re down on confidence but they did really, really well to get into position to win the game.
“And to just throw it away like we did, heartbreaking is not a word I could use for what’s sitting in there [in the dressing sheds], for all of us.”
Plenty of coaches were heavily invested in the outcome.
Barrett was desperate to avoid the spoon. Griffin, if you believe everything you read, to avoid the sack. Ivan Cleary, sitting in the Brookvale grandstand, enjoying permission to hold a family reunion at Wests Tigers. And Garth Brennan witnessing his star recruit for next year, Tyrone Peachey, auditioning for the fullback spot.
On match eve, Phil Gould revealed he would not stand in Nathan Cleary’s way if he decided to play for his old man at the Tigers. Cleary junior has been patchy since coming back from the interstate arena. Origin duty, coupled with contract speculation that has seemingly dogged him since he last put pen to paper, have taken their toll.
At one point the Cleary put in an ill-fated grubber on just the third tackle, the sort of brain fade that can have massive ramifications. Just ask Ben Hunt.
Yet the 20-year-old was on the spot for the match-winner.
It came against a Manly side that don't do things conventionally. Their top try-scorer coming into proceedings was big bopper Shaun Lane. Two of their repeat sets came via kicks from Jake Trbojevic and Marty Taupau. Whatever they were doing worked for most of the match before fading badly.
Both sides were coming off drubbings. Penrith let in 50 against Brisbane, while Roosters put 56 points against on Manly. They were low on confidence, but that won’t be a problem for Penrith after this Houdini act.
The stakes remain high. The Panthers to keep their top-four aspirations alive. The Sea Eagles to avoid the wooden spoon. Barrett conceded that would be the motivation from here on in.
“Everyone knows, we don’t need to speak about it,” he said.
“Again, we just found a way to lose today … We have to find a way to get ourselves off the floor.”
PENRITH 28 (W Blake N Cleary J Mansour D Whare I Yeo tries Cleary 4 goals) bt MANLY 24 (B Kelly 2 D Cherry-Evans M Fainu tries Cherry-Evans 4 goals) at Lottoland. Referees: Gavin Badger, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 6134.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/pe...ly-of-the-last-110-years-20180728-p4zu6c.html
Last year Cleary broke a 100 year record for youngest player to be top scorer in the comp. And now the Panthers have re-written history in scoring 4 tries in 7 minutes V Manly.
If Cleary leaves us,he'll be leaving a club that is building into something very special. God I hope he doesn't leave us...ever.
