‘Should have kicked the field goal’: Wayne Bennett rages amid NRL heartbreak

Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has been left fuming after one of his biggest NRL bugbears cost his side dearly against the Panthers.

Wayne Bennett wasn't happy. Photo: Fox Sports

The Dolphins have suffered a heartbreaking 28-26 golden point loss to the Penrith Panthers that coach Wayne Bennett admitted shouldn’t have gone that far.

The Panthers score in the third minute but the Dolphins hit back, leading at the halftime break 18-12.

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An early try and a penalty goal had the lead out to 26-12 in the 55th minute and it looked like the Panthers minus their Origin stars were going to suffer a second straight loss at home.

But the return of Nathan Cleary proved decisive as the Panthers came roaring back to lock it up at 26-all at full-time.

Having taken a shot at field goal during regular time, Cleary made no mistake in golden point extra-time, booting a 43m field goal in his first match since 10.

Cleary finished the match with 16 runs for 115m as well as two try assists and two line break assists.

It was a huge result as the Panthers keep within two wins of the Storm for the minor premiership, while the Dolphins are now in seventh and battling to stave off the chasing pack.

The two points would have seen the Dolphins move to fifth on the ladder.

Nathan Cleary is back. Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Isaiya Katoa had a chance. Photo: Fox Sports

It was a loss that appeared to have weighed heavily on Bennett who realised the missed opportunity in a game the Dolphins probably should have won.

“We didn’t fall apart, we were playing a quality football team and they were going to play to the end and that’s what they did,” Bennett said.

“We stuck with them and stayed in it and they got to golden point and got the field goal, but we should have kicked the field goal one minute, two minutes before that when we had them down the other end of the field.”

It came when young halfback Isaiya Katoa bombed to the wing rather than going for the one-pointer with a couple of minutes left in the match.

“(Katoa) had a lot of things on his mind, he’s probably not thinking (field goal) at that stage,” Bennett said.

“We were defending our line with 12 men and then we went down 50 or 60 metres and it all happened pretty quickly out there.

“So I’m not blaming him at all, I’m just telling you that was the moment in the game (where we should have won it) and we wouldn’t have gone to golden point.”

Wayne Bennett wasn't happy. Photo: Fox Sports

Having led all the way until the end, Bennett was asked how the players felt after having drawn with the Panthers at the end of 80 minutes.

Bennett is well-known to hate golden point and once again hit out at extra-time.

“That’s why I dislike the golden point,” Bennett said. “I’ve never been a fan of it, never will be.”

Asked if we’ll ever get away from it, Bennett replied impatiently: “No.”

Dolphins captain Jesse Bromwich admitted his side “should have put them away”.

Bennett also bit back when asked if the Panthers were the best team in the comp.

“I don’t know who the best team in the comp is,” he said. “They need to get their players back, other players on other teams that have played Origin are not going to be their best for the next couple of weeks.

“After the next three or four weeks we’ll have a better idea who the best team in the comp is.”