No comeback this time as Newcastle upset Penrith 20-12 in fiery clash
PENRITH’S hopes of a top-four finish have gone up in smoke after they imploded against Newcastle, losing two players to the sin-bin for fighting and going down 20-12 in a shock loss.
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PENRITH coach Cameron Ciraldo has threatened to put the axe through his starting side after watching his Panthers again start poorly.
Penrith’s miracle come from behind wins had to end eventually and it did with a thud after the Panthers blew any hope of a top four finish with a shock 20-12 loss against Newcastle.
The Panthers starved off defeats in recent weeks but there was no repeat of a comeback in front of 14,125 people at Panthers Stadium.
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Ciraldo said he had tinkered with the teams preparation this week to try and spark his team’s start to the match but now the focus would shift to the playing group.
“We’ve tried a few things in the lead up to the game might help (with the start),” Ciraldo said.
“I thought last week we started well. We thought we made an improvement there. Today we didn’t see that improvement.
“We keep having the same start. We might have to change the people starting the game.
“We can’t keep doing what we’ve always done.”
Both teams finished with just 11 players each after Knights duo Danny Levi and Shaun Kenny-Dowall plus Penrith pair Tyrone May and Viliame Kikau spent the final minutes of the match in the dressing sheds punches were exchanged in a wild finish.
A Panthers fan was ejected from the game after he launched ball into the back of the head of Aidan Guerra who was sitting on the interchange bench.
“There was some frustration out there,” Ciraldo said. “But that is no excuse to be involved in that. I didn’t see who started it. We have to be better than that. We have to keep our cool.
“I’m not sure what the consequences will be.”
Penrith had long given up the fight before the match exploded. They trailed 14-6 at half-time having made seven first half errors with the Knights scoring three tries.
The Panthers only first half try came from a kick return error by Newcastle fullback Nick Meaney with Tyrone May crossing.
They now have two tough road trips in the Warriors and Melbourne.
“We need to turn it around pretty quickly,” Ciraldo said. “What’s done is done now. We’ve got two weeks to turn it around to get our game back on track. Two tough away trips but that could be the making of our season. Hopefully it’ll put his on the right track.”
The Knights repelled a lacklustre Panthers attack who were aided by a strong second half breeze. Ken Sio scored in the 69th minute before landing an important sideline conversion gave the Knights a 20-6 lead.
Knights coach Nathan Brown said it was the best defensive performance his team had produced under his watch.
“It was a great performance,” Brown said. “The effort from the boys to keep turning them away was outstanding. The try they got in the first half… they didn’t earn that. Their other try came when we had 11 players.
“It was a good 80 minute performance.”
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Brown also refused to rule out Kalyn Ponga making a full-time switch to five-eighth. Ponga played in the halves for the first time, laying on a try and having a hand in another. Brown said he would stay in the halves to play Cronulla on Sunday.
“Kalyn is a good player anywhere,” Brown said. “When he is at five-eighth he gets a little more chance to put himself around the ball and more energy. He’ll stay there next week. He is a good footy player.
“More of a question for Kalyn (if he wants to play at five-eighth), it’s his career. He came to us to play fullback.”
NEWCASTLE 20 (C Denniss A Guerra S Mata’utia K Sio tries K Sio 2 goals) bt PENRITH 12 (W Egan T May tries N Cleary 2 goals) at Panthers Stadium. Referee: Alan Shortall, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 14,125