NRL 2023: Penrith Panthers retain minor premiership after 44-12 win over Cowboys
The Panthers will hold onto the J. J. Giltinan Shield for another year after securing their second straight minor premiership with a dominant win over the Cowboys.
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The Cowboys are gone, the Raiders and Roosters are in the finals, and Penrith are minor premiers after running roughshod over North Queensland 44-12 at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday.
In front of another sold out crowd which included the club’s old boys, the Panthers secured their third minor premiership in four seasons and sent the Cowboys home to pick at the entrails of a disappointing performance - and season.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said it was “a great night for the club”.
“Four years in a row we’ve been first or equal first,” Cleary said. “Consistency’s such a big part of being successful. Really proud of that.”
After speculation the Panthers may rest their stars, Cleary trotted out a near full-strength XVII.
“There’s so many things that go into (the decision),” Cleary said. “It wasn’t about the minor premiership. We’re happy to win it. But essentially, once we had a top-two sealed, it wasn’t about that.”
COWS “SHELLSHOCKED”
Unlike Manly’s caution-to-the-wind approach at 4 Pines Park in Round 24, the Cowboys threw little but stock plays at a Panthers machine which quickly settled into a rhythm and muscled their opponents out of it.
The Cowboys had recorded one offload after 50 minutes of football. Cowboys coach Todd Payten said his team’s defence was poor, also.
“To go out in that first half, with everything to play for, getting put on the back foot, not showing any real resolve is really, really disappointing. It’s hard to cop,” Payten said.
“They had 17 plays in our 20 for five tries – that’s good enough at NRL level.
“We’re going to sit here after 27 weeks and we’re going to watch the finals, probably for that reason – we didn’t stop enough tries.”
The injection of Jason Taumalolo after 20 minutes failed to spark any penetration in a Cowboys’ attack that even without star backs Val Holmes and Jeremiah Nanai, trotted out eight Origin players and six internationals.
Payten said his team showed “weakness” in the face of the defensively strong Panthers.
“When you’re playing a good, physical side and you show any sign of weakness, they get real hungry,” Payten said.
“That first period of 20 minutes, the only bloke I really saw standing up physically was ‘Luce’ (Luciano Leilua).
“We were shell-shocked. The boys were looking at each other and waiting for someone else to do something when we had to come together as a team and fight together.”
PANTHERS RUTHLESS
First half tries to Stephen Crichton, Sunia Turuvua, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and second-gamer Luke Sommerton, 23, saw the home team go to the break leading 26-0.
It was the sixth time Penrith have kept an opponent scoreless at the break this season.
The Cowboys threw the ball about early in the second-half and after eight minutes posted converted tries to Griffin Neame and Zac Laybutt.
But when Crichton flick-passed for Turuva’s double, the engraving on the JJ Giltinan Shield could commence.
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Originally published as NRL 2023: Penrith Panthers retain minor premiership after 44-12 win over Cowboys
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