Panthers coach Ivan Cleary ‘stunned’ by Warriors

Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary admitted his side were stunned by a first-half onslaught from the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland.

The Panthers were downed 28-12 at Go Media Stadium as a Luke Metcalf masterclass helped the Wahs claim a statement win over the premiership favourites.

It now means Penrith are just two points clear of the Warriors and could be locked on points at the top with the Roosters if they beat the Bulldogs.

Speaking after the game, Panthers head coach Cleary was full of praise for the Wahs, while admitting his side came out too slow and were left stunned by half-time.

“We lost the game at the start. You can’t win the game at the start but you can certainly lose it,” said Cleary.

“We missed the start, Ali got sent to the bin and we kept it down to 18-0, but then we conceded another after half-time and that was it.

“Obviously Isaah Yeo is a big loss and hard to replace, but that’s how it goes. Credit the Warriors though, they were too good.

“They started really well and they kept their foot on the gas, especially through the first-half and they were well-deserved winners.

“They are having a good season and they are definitely going to be a handful as the year goes on.

“The Warriors have been good all year, and they were very good last week so we should have been expecting it.

“They have been very strong all year, they have quality all over the park and they are well coached. We were a bit stunned in that first-half.”

Cleary also addressed the performance of Metcalf, crediting the Wahs’ playmaker for coming in from the cold and producing a player of the match display.

“We didn’t speak too much about their changes in the halves,” admitted Cleary. “Obviously, Luke has been out of the picture for a little bit because Te Maire has been outstanding.

“But they had a pretty good guy to bring in. He (Meltcalf) is a very determined player and they are a great side the Warriors, so they were never going to lose too much there.

“I thought the Warriors were very good for most of that game all over the pitch, not just the halves. We know there is a lot to work on, especially after that first 40 where we just didn’t match them.”