Massive second half from Penrith Panthers firms finals hopes as Knights struggles continue

PENRITH halfback Nathan Cleary wasn’t born when the hoodoo began. Bryce Cartwright was one. Matty Moylan, just four.

The Panthers celebrate victory against the Knight.

PENRITH halfback Nathan Cleary wasn’t born when the hoodoo began.

Bryce Cartwright was one. Matty Moylan, just four. Which is probably why they care so little, right?

While it is yet to be achieved in an NRL season, the Panthers believe they can be the first team in 21 years to win a premiership from outside the top four. Not since Canterbury in 1995 has it been done, when the Bulldogs stormed home from sixth to claim the title.

But with Penrith’s young guns having now won four of their past five — and racked up 80 points in a fortnight — well, suddenly they become a genuine September ”smokey”.

Nathan Cleary of the Panthers.

“Finishing outside the top four, that won’t matter at all for us,’’ Cartwright said. “Anyone can win it this year. Once the playoffs start, it really is a new competition.”

Presently, Penrith sit seventh. This year’s bottom four finals teams are shaping as a formidable group, likely to feature both 2015 grand finalists North Queensland and Brisbane, Penrith and the Jarryd Hayne-led Gold Coast.

The NRL table is quickly becoming a convoluted mess where upsets and inconsistency plague a host of sides.

Indeed, while they were a long way from their best at Hunter Stadium, the Panthers still ran in seven tries — thanks largely to fullback Moylan producing his best game of the year.

So what chance they can go all the way? Remembering that in the past six years, no premiership outfit has finished lower than third.

And, sure, they’ve come close.

Like Canterbury making the grand final from seventh in 2014. Or the Roosters, from sixth in 2010.

And who could forget Jarryd Hayne leading Parramatta to the Big Dance from eighth way back in 2009?

Apart from having their own gun fullback in Moylan, the Panthers also boast a host of rising superstars such as Cartwright, Cleary and wingers Josh Mansour and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, both of whom bagged doubles against the Knights.

Yet still last night it was Moylan receiving all the praise after a game in which he scored one try and played a key hand in at least three more.

Speaking afterwards, Cartwright said that when the 25-year-old was firing, it gave more time for himself, Cleary and hooker Peter Wallace to attack with the footy.

“That was Matty’s best game of the year,’’ Cartwright said.

“Honestly, he controlled everything, was involved in almost every try. When he’s got the ball, he can do anything.

“It frees us up because the opposition, they’re all eyes on him. It gives us more time with the ball out on the edges.”

Asked about the feeling within the young side who also smashed the Roosters 38-18 last weekend, Cartwright continued: “It’s exciting at the moment. You look left or right out there on the field and there’s so much talent. We’ve also basically had the same 17 on the paddock for the past couple of months, too.”

Did Penrith deserve such a lopsided scoreline? “The second half felt like we did, yeah,’’ he said.

PENRITH 42 (J Mansour 2 D Watene-Zelezniak 2 W Blake M Moylan T Peachey tries N Cleary 7 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 6 (B Elliot try T Hodkinson goal) at Hunter Stadium. Referee: Adam Devcich, David Munro. Crowd: 13,771.

Originally published as Massive second half from Penrith Panthers firms finals hopes as Knights struggles continue