Panthers obliterate Sharks to become best defensive team in 58 years

The Panthers thrashed the Sharks on Friday night and in the process have become the best defensive team in almost six decades.

Charlie Staines scored four tries the last time Penrith met Cronulla and added three more to his tally on Friday. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Another week, another record broken.

A night after Melbourne rewrote history by cracking the half-century to claim the biggest points differential after nine rounds in the NRL era, Penrith went just that little bit better.

The purring Panthers kept their perfect start to the season intact by demolishing a toothless Cronulla side 48-0 at Bluebet Stadium on Friday night.

The eight-try rout lifted their points differential to a mammoth +200, four more points than the Storm, the only team to beat Penrith in over a year, had improved to after their Rabbitohs’ romp.

The previous record of +177 was also set by Melbourne, in 2012.

The Panthers have also become the best defensive side after nine rounds since the St. George Dragons in 1963. Ivan Cleary’s men have conceded just 60 points across the first nine weeks of the season, holding their opponents scoreless on three occasions.

No matter which way you add it, it all sums up to a Panthers side perhaps more motivated than the one that lost just one game on their way to a heartbreaking grand final loss to the Storm last year.

If Melbourne showed little compassion towards an undermanned South Sydney, Penrith was similarly cold-blooded against a spiritless Sharks outfit that have now dropped five straight games.

Asked whether he thought his team wanted to respond to the Storm’s ruthless effort, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said: “You’d like to think the boys always watch footy.

“But certainly a game like that, maybe.”

Pressed on why he thought it wasn’t a two-horse race for the premiership, he said: “Because it’s round nine. It’s a long way to go, long way to go.

“No one remembers the first half of the year. Still gotta get through Origin and all that.”

This time the home side made short work of a Cronulla side that had no answers to the well-oiled machine that Nathan Cleary and company are rolling around in at the foot of the mountains.

Almost a year after shooting to stardom with a remarkable four tries on debut against the same outfit, Panthers winger Charlie Staines bagged a hat trick against his favourite opponents.

Even front-rower James Fisher-Harris got in on the party, breaking a 50-game drought of tries, while Cleary finished the game with a perfect eight-from-eight off the kicking tee.

SHARKS HORROR START

Penrith were given a welcome mat into their own front yard.

Their opening three tries to Fisher-Harris, Staines and Stephen Crichton were all preceded by Sharks errors from Will Chambers, Wade Graham and Shaun Johnson, respectively.

They barely had to spend time in their own backyard either, with Cronulla not even playing the ball inside the opposition’s half until the 15th minute of the contest.

Penrith’s fourth try was a slick left-side shift highlighted by a Cleary reverse no-look pass that ended in Matt Burton crossing, completing a ruthless first half demolition.

James Fisher-Harris scored his first try in 50 games on Friday night. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

PANTHERS PERFECT FINISH

There was no letting up after halftime either, with Kurt Capewell grubbering for Viliame Kikau, Staines bagging a second-half double, and even plodding prop Matt Eisenhuth touching down.

By the end of the night they had eight line breaks to none, doubled the Sharks’ run metres 1813-900, and forced a whopping 34 missed tackles compared to just 10.

Whether it was down their left, their right, or down the middle, the irrepressible Penrith attack ensured Cronulla barely had a look-in down the other end.

“They’re just such a good side at getting on the front foot, but we helped them there tonight. Once they got a roll on, as they tend to do, it’s a slow kill,” Sharks caretaker coach Josh Hannay said.

WADE TREADING WATER

Two years ago he was arguably the best left-edge in the league, and the rightful heir to Paul Gallen’s throne at Cronulla, and perhaps even Boyd Cordner for NSW.

But, playing on an unrecognisable left edge, the form of Sharks skipper Wade Graham has mirrored that of his team, producing a number of uncharacteristic errors against his former club.

But Graham certainly wasn’t alone, with not a single Cronulla player running for more than 100 metres in what was easily their worst performance of the season.

RARE SHARK SIGHTING

In a move that could spark their season though, out-of-favour front-rower Andrew Fifita, who hasn’t been sighted in the NRL this year, could be a chance to make an anticipated return next week.

“The thing that’ll count against Andrew is not having played for a month. The speed of this game for a big body is a challenge,” Hannay said.

“But certainly, in Andrew, there will be another fit body available and someone we know that’s done the job for the club over a number of years, so he’ll certainly come into contention.”