The Dolphins came up short on Sunday afternoon in Penrith, losing 28-26 in golden point, with the dagger coming from a marvellous 42-metre Nathan Clearly drop goal.
MATCH REPORT:
The action kicked off early, with Penrith's Sunia Turuva crossing the line in the 3rd minute to put the Panthers on the board. However, the Dolphins quickly responded, with electric fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who secured a first-half double. Isaiya Katoa added a third try for the Dolphins, entering the half-time break with an 18-12 lead.
In the second half, the Dolphins extended their lead to 14 points with a diving try from Jack Bostock and a penalty goal by Jamayne Isaako.
Despite trailing 26-14, the Panthers mounted a thrilling comeback. Moses Leota and Daine Laurie scored crucial tries, shifting the momentum in Penrith's favour. The untimely penalisation and sin-binning of Dolphins forward Josh Kerr in the 74th minute provided the Panthers with the opportunity to equalise the match.
A successful Nathan Cleary penalty goal tied the game at 26-all, pushing the match into golden point extra time.
Facing the first four minutes of extra time with a player down, the Dolphins were presented with the challenging prospect of slowing the Panther's momentum.
However, Nathan Cleary once again proved instrumental, guiding the Panthers to victory in his first match since round 10, sealing the exhilarating win with a spectacular two-point drop goal.
Match: Panthers v Dolphins
Round 20 -
home Team
Panthers
2nd Position
away Team
Dolphins
8th Position
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
FROM THE COACH:
When asked about the penalty award to the Panthers that resulted in the game-equalising goal, Wayne Bennett threw his support behind his player Josh Kerr, saying, "We gave away a lot of penalties today, so which one do you want to pick on? Penalties are, unfortunately, a part of it (the game)."
Dolphins: Round 20
He also added that the team is "building every time we get on the football field, and the good news is we are getting better, and we're not getting worse", focusing on the positives of the match despite the loss.
