“Completely outclassed” – Panthers fans left stunned after Warriors defeat

It was a humbling night for the Penrith Panthers in Auckland as the premiership favourites were beaten 28-12 by the New Zealand Warriors.

A late charge by the Panthers gave them a sniff of a comeback late on, but in truth the game was lost in the first-half after a blitz from the Wahs.

Tries from Erin Clark, Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita put the home side 18-0 up at half-time, with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad crossing to make it 22-0 just after the break.

It was a dominant display from Andrew Webster’s side, but in the final quarter the momentum started to swing towards the Panthers as Nathan Cleary put his foot on the gas.

He crossed for a try before kicking a 40-20 and setting up Jaxen Edgar for a four-pointer. Two touchline conversions made it 22-12 before Paul Alamoti who touched down.

However, Alamoti’s score was ruled out after replays showed Liam Martin was offside from Cleary’s kick, this allowed the Wahs to march up the other end and secure the win with Metcalf’s second try.

The 28-12 scoreline was a fair reflection of a game that the Warriors dominated for 60 minutes. The crowd in Auckland created a sensational finals-like atmosphere on a superb night for the Kiwi club at Go Media Stadium.

But while the Wahs fans celebrated, it was a setback for the Panthers in their quest to secure the minor premiership and their fifth NRL title in six years.

One Penrith fan reacted: “Outmuscled. Unfortunately thats fact. And thats probably the only team who has the muscle to do it to us. Takes almost an Origin level team to do it to the Panthers and the Whas have come with it.”

Another added: “The Wahs came out on fire and clearly rattled the boys. Defensive gaps early cost us. We weren’t prepared for that consistent physical assault. Having said that, the later recovery was encouraging. Bring on chooks!”

“Let’s be real, we were completely outclassed out there for 60 minutes,” said one fan.

“Cleary came alive for the last part and had them sweating, but the better team won,” another fan concluded.”

While the majority of Panthers fans accepted the Warriors were the better team, some already had revenge in mind ahead of the finals.

One said: “Players out and we kept going. Most teams would have folded their and had 50 put on them. Get Edwards and McLean back, we’ll see them in the finals.”

While another added: “Wahs can only play for 60 minutes. That was their best game and they nearly couldn’t put us away on an off night. We take them at the end of the year I have no doubts.”