Group 2 Rugby League: Sawtell Panthers send warning shot with ‘bittersweet’ season opener

They might not have come away with the win, but the Sawtell Panthers certainly sent a message to the competition after an impressive start to the 2024 season.

It might have been a heartbreaking finish, but the Sawtell Panthers showed that they are going to be a completely different beast in this year’s Group 2 Rugby League competition after drawing 12-all with the Grafton Ghosts in the side’s first game of the season at Red Hardaker Oval.

Leading 12-6 in the final moments, Ghosts hooker Mason Graham scored his second try of the game from dummy-half with what proved to be the final act of regular time, with Cooper Woods slotting the conversion after the bell to lock things up and ensure that both teams took home a point.

“It is a little bittersweet, seeing as though I believe we were the better team on the day, but credit to Grafton because they showed up and competed all game,” said Sawtell captain Sam Johnstone.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Panthers, who led 12-0 well into the second half thanks to tries to Todd Johnson, Thomas Sanders and Jayden O’Shannessey, before Graham exploited some tired goal line defence with a late double to spoil the party.

“I think our defence was outstanding all day but we turned over a lot of ball,” said Johnstone. “We just did too much defence in the end, missed a few goals and that ended up costing us.

“We outscored them three tries to two, but credit to Grafton, they completed really well, had a lot more possession than us and took advantage towards the end of the game by scoring with about a minute to go to level it up.”

Despite letting the win slip, the team – which has won just three games over the past two seasons – has sent a message to the competition that they are no longer going to be easybeats.

“Grafton have showed year after year that they’re one of the big guns in this competition, so to go out there, compete with them and get a draw, it sets us up well for the season,” said Johnstone.

“I actually think we should have won the game, so that gives us confidence. There are lots of positives to take from the game – our defence was outstanding – but there’s also a lot of stuff we can learn from and get better at as well.”

And while they might not have got the result they were looking for, the local fans braved the rain to help create a lively atmosphere to welcome the side into 2024.

“It was awesome. A lot of the Sawty locals came out due to the talk around town and apparently there were a few blokes at the game that hadn’t been there for a couple of years, so it’s really good for the town to get behind the footy side,” said Johnstone.

“And it was good to get out there, have a game and see what we’re made of, but there’s definitely more than we can work on.”

After matching it with one of the competition favourites, it doesn’t get any easier for the Panthers, who travel to Woolgoolga to take on the defending premiers on Sunday.

“We’ve already reviewed the game, picked up some little things we can get better at and we’re keen to go again this weekend against Woopi.”