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Panthers trounce Knights to make it eight straight in Newcastle since 2016

Panthers trounce Knights to make it eight straight in Newcastle since 2016

Penrith have handed Newcastle their biggest loss this year, the defending premiers taking the Knights to school with a 48-12 victory on a wet night at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
Extending their winning-streak to nine consecutive games, and their record over the Knights in Newcastle dating back to 2016 to eight-straight wins, the Panthers dominated from the opening exchanges in front of 20,197 fans.
In a masterclass first half, they ran in five tries and gave Newcastle virtually no attacking field position.
The game was all but over at half-time with the four-time premiers holding a 26-0 lead, after an opening 40 minutes in which they completed 28 of 30 sets and held 64 per cent of the possession.
"This is as one-sided of a football game as you're going to get," former Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson remarked in commentary at the break.
"It's as dominant as we've seen from Penrith in a long time."
Driving rain soaked the playing surface after half-time but it did little to halt Penrith's momentum, the visitors crossing for a further four tries to seal a commanding win.
Newcastle showed some fight to bag two tries of their own but that was as good their night got.
"We got some lessons from a clinical footy team," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"We were slow out of the blocks to start the game and they made us pay ... They had 50 sets, I've never seen that, 50 sets and they completed 44 of them in those conditions, led by a pretty special player [in Nathan Cleary].
"They find multiple ways to score points, whether it be kicking .. or through shape.
"They're right up there. They are coming home with a wet sail."
The loss was Newcastle's fifth in a row and leaves them placed 14th ahead of the rest of the round's games.
With four games left to play, they remain at risk of falling to dead last and collecting the club's fifth wooden spoon.
Penrith, meanwhile, have jumped into the top four, continuing their remarkable season turnaround, which commenced after losing to Newcastle in round 12.
They were missing a host of big-name players in that match out at Bathurst in May, but had all but Isaah Yeo back on deck for the repeat fixture.
"We got off to a quick start and scored a couple early," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of Friday's early onslaught.
"I thought we were pretty patient throughout the game, which we wanted to do tonight ... also the conditions were very difficult in the second half, and I thought we controlled the ball pretty well.
"I'm a lot happier than I was the last time we played them. That was definitely the low-point of the year for us.
"Credit to the players and the staff, everyone has put their heads down."
Penrith's nine-try haul began when back-rower Luke Garner cut through a gap on the left edge in just the third minute.
Three minutes later, prop Lindsay Smith crashed over after Knights winger Greg Marzhew spilt a bomb to help Penrith take a 10-0 lead.
Little was going Newcastle's way - Jermaine McEwen was pinned for a dubious late shot as Nathan Clearly was kicking, Dane Gagai attempted to divert a 40/20 but took the ball over the sideline and then later knocked-on attempting a simple play-the-ball.
Liam Henry darted over for Penrith's third try in the 26th minute, collecting a loose ball after Scott Sorensen had attempted to offload.
Trailing 16-0, Newcastle's cause wasn't helped when they lost lock Phoenix Crossland to a head-injury assessment seven minutes before half-time.
A few minutes later, Penrith made the most of several six-again calls, winger Brian To'o diving over in the right corner to make it 20-0.
Seconds before the break, Tom Jenkins finished off a frantic bit of play on the left edge, the ball going through several sets of hands before the winger put it down untouched to help the visitors take a 26-0 lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Casey McLean strolled over from close range to make it 32-0.
As the centre scored on the left edge, heavy rain began to fall over the venue but Newcastle surprisingly managed to build some pressure with a couple of repeat sets despite the conditions.
It led to some points with forward Mat Croker soon diving for a Jack Cogger grubber behind the goal-posts.
A couple of minutes after having a lengthy runaway effort ruled a no-try for a knock-on, McEwen finished off a Bradman Best break in the 57th minute.
Five minutes later, a desperate effort from Knights fullback Dane Gagai denied Panthers centre Izack Tago a try, but a few plays later Penrith lock Isaiah Papali'i barged over between the goal-posts.
McLean bagged his second in the 67th minute racing onto a grubber kick before sliding on the drenched field into the perimeter fence.
Tago barged past several Newcastle defenders to score his side's ninth try eight minutes before full-time.
Penrith have handed Newcastle their biggest loss this year, the defending premiers taking the Knights to school with a 48-12 victory on a wet night at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
Extending their winning-streak to nine consecutive games, and their record over the Knights in Newcastle dating back to 2016 to eight-straight wins, the Panthers dominated from the opening exchanges in front of 20,197 fans.
In a masterclass first half, they ran in five tries and gave Newcastle virtually no attacking field position.
The game was all but over at half-time with the four-time premiers holding a 26-0 lead, after an opening 40 minutes in which they completed 28 of 30 sets and held 64 per cent of the possession.
"This is as one-sided of a football game as you're going to get," former Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson remarked in commentary at the break.
"It's as dominant as we've seen from Penrith in a long time."
Driving rain soaked the playing surface after half-time but it did little to halt Penrith's momentum, the visitors crossing for a further four tries to seal a commanding win.
Newcastle showed some fight to bag two tries of their own but that was as good their night got.
"We got some lessons from a clinical footy team," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"We were slow out of the blocks to start the game and they made us pay ... They had 50 sets, I've never seen that, 50 sets and they completed 44 of them in those conditions, led by a pretty special player [in Nathan Cleary].
"They find multiple ways to score points, whether it be kicking .. or through shape.
"They're right up there. They are coming home with a wet sail."
The loss was Newcastle's fifth in a row and leaves them placed 14th ahead of the rest of the round's games.
With four games left to play, they remain at risk of falling to dead last and collecting the club's fifth wooden spoon.
Penrith, meanwhile, have jumped into the top four, continuing their remarkable season turnaround, which commenced after losing to Newcastle in round 12.
They were missing a host of big-name players in that match out at Bathurst in May, but had all but Isaah Yeo back on deck for the repeat fixture.
"We got off to a quick start and scored a couple early," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of Friday's early onslaught.
"I thought we were pretty patient throughout the game, which we wanted to do tonight ... also the conditions were very difficult in the second half, and I thought we controlled the ball pretty well.
"I'm a lot happier than I was the last time we played them. That was definitely the low-point of the year for us.
"Credit to the players and the staff, everyone has put their heads down."
Penrith's nine-try haul began when back-rower Luke Garner cut through a gap on the left edge in just the third minute.
Three minutes later, prop Lindsay Smith crashed over after Knights winger Greg Marzhew spilt a bomb to help Penrith take a 10-0 lead.
Little was going Newcastle's way - Jermaine McEwen was pinned for a dubious late shot as Nathan Clearly was kicking, Dane Gagai attempted to divert a 40/20 but took the ball over the sideline and then later knocked-on attempting a simple play-the-ball.
Liam Henry darted over for Penrith's third try in the 26th minute, collecting a loose ball after Scott Sorensen had attempted to offload.
Trailing 16-0, Newcastle's cause wasn't helped when they lost lock Phoenix Crossland to a head-injury assessment seven minutes before half-time.
A few minutes later, Penrith made the most of several six-again calls, winger Brian To'o diving over in the right corner to make it 20-0.
Seconds before the break, Tom Jenkins finished off a frantic bit of play on the left edge, the ball going through several sets of hands before the winger put it down untouched to help the visitors take a 26-0 lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Casey McLean strolled over from close range to make it 32-0.
As the centre scored on the left edge, heavy rain began to fall over the venue but Newcastle surprisingly managed to build some pressure with a couple of repeat sets despite the conditions.
It led to some points with forward Mat Croker soon diving for a Jack Cogger grubber behind the goal-posts.
A couple of minutes after having a lengthy runaway effort ruled a no-try for a knock-on, McEwen finished off a Bradman Best break in the 57th minute.
Five minutes later, a desperate effort from Knights fullback Dane Gagai denied Panthers centre Izack Tago a try, but a few plays later Penrith lock Isaiah Papali'i barged over between the goal-posts.
McLean bagged his second in the 67th minute racing onto a grubber kick before sliding on the drenched field into the perimeter fence.
Tago barged past several Newcastle defenders to score his side's ninth try eight minutes before full-time.
Penrith have handed Newcastle their biggest loss this year, the defending premiers taking the Knights to school with a 48-12 victory on a wet night at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
Extending their winning-streak to nine consecutive games, and their record over the Knights in Newcastle dating back to 2016 to eight-straight wins, the Panthers dominated from the opening exchanges in front of 20,197 fans.
In a masterclass first half, they ran in five tries and gave Newcastle virtually no attacking field position.
The game was all but over at half-time with the four-time premiers holding a 26-0 lead, after an opening 40 minutes in which they completed 28 of 30 sets and held 64 per cent of the possession.
"This is as one-sided of a football game as you're going to get," former Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson remarked in commentary at the break.
"It's as dominant as we've seen from Penrith in a long time."
Driving rain soaked the playing surface after half-time but it did little to halt Penrith's momentum, the visitors crossing for a further four tries to seal a commanding win.
Newcastle showed some fight to bag two tries of their own but that was as good their night got.
"We got some lessons from a clinical footy team," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"We were slow out of the blocks to start the game and they made us pay ... They had 50 sets, I've never seen that, 50 sets and they completed 44 of them in those conditions, led by a pretty special player [in Nathan Cleary].
"They find multiple ways to score points, whether it be kicking .. or through shape.
"They're right up there. They are coming home with a wet sail."
The loss was Newcastle's fifth in a row and leaves them placed 14th ahead of the rest of the round's games.
With four games left to play, they remain at risk of falling to dead last and collecting the club's fifth wooden spoon.
Penrith, meanwhile, have jumped into the top four, continuing their remarkable season turnaround, which commenced after losing to Newcastle in round 12.
They were missing a host of big-name players in that match out at Bathurst in May, but had all but Isaah Yeo back on deck for the repeat fixture.
"We got off to a quick start and scored a couple early," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of Friday's early onslaught.
"I thought we were pretty patient throughout the game, which we wanted to do tonight ... also the conditions were very difficult in the second half, and I thought we controlled the ball pretty well.
"I'm a lot happier than I was the last time we played them. That was definitely the low-point of the year for us.
"Credit to the players and the staff, everyone has put their heads down."
Penrith's nine-try haul began when back-rower Luke Garner cut through a gap on the left edge in just the third minute.
Three minutes later, prop Lindsay Smith crashed over after Knights winger Greg Marzhew spilt a bomb to help Penrith take a 10-0 lead.
Little was going Newcastle's way - Jermaine McEwen was pinned for a dubious late shot as Nathan Clearly was kicking, Dane Gagai attempted to divert a 40/20 but took the ball over the sideline and then later knocked-on attempting a simple play-the-ball.
Liam Henry darted over for Penrith's third try in the 26th minute, collecting a loose ball after Scott Sorensen had attempted to offload.
Trailing 16-0, Newcastle's cause wasn't helped when they lost lock Phoenix Crossland to a head-injury assessment seven minutes before half-time.
A few minutes later, Penrith made the most of several six-again calls, winger Brian To'o diving over in the right corner to make it 20-0.
Seconds before the break, Tom Jenkins finished off a frantic bit of play on the left edge, the ball going through several sets of hands before the winger put it down untouched to help the visitors take a 26-0 lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Casey McLean strolled over from close range to make it 32-0.
As the centre scored on the left edge, heavy rain began to fall over the venue but Newcastle surprisingly managed to build some pressure with a couple of repeat sets despite the conditions.
It led to some points with forward Mat Croker soon diving for a Jack Cogger grubber behind the goal-posts.
A couple of minutes after having a lengthy runaway effort ruled a no-try for a knock-on, McEwen finished off a Bradman Best break in the 57th minute.
Five minutes later, a desperate effort from Knights fullback Dane Gagai denied Panthers centre Izack Tago a try, but a few plays later Penrith lock Isaiah Papali'i barged over between the goal-posts.
McLean bagged his second in the 67th minute racing onto a grubber kick before sliding on the drenched field into the perimeter fence.
Tago barged past several Newcastle defenders to score his side's ninth try eight minutes before full-time.
Penrith have handed Newcastle their biggest loss this year, the defending premiers taking the Knights to school with a 48-12 victory on a wet night at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
Extending their winning-streak to nine consecutive games, and their record over the Knights in Newcastle dating back to 2016 to eight-straight wins, the Panthers dominated from the opening exchanges in front of 20,197 fans.
In a masterclass first half, they ran in five tries and gave Newcastle virtually no attacking field position.
The game was all but over at half-time with the four-time premiers holding a 26-0 lead, after an opening 40 minutes in which they completed 28 of 30 sets and held 64 per cent of the possession.
"This is as one-sided of a football game as you're going to get," former Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson remarked in commentary at the break.
"It's as dominant as we've seen from Penrith in a long time."
Driving rain soaked the playing surface after half-time but it did little to halt Penrith's momentum, the visitors crossing for a further four tries to seal a commanding win.
Newcastle showed some fight to bag two tries of their own but that was as good their night got.
"We got some lessons from a clinical footy team," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"We were slow out of the blocks to start the game and they made us pay ... They had 50 sets, I've never seen that, 50 sets and they completed 44 of them in those conditions, led by a pretty special player [in Nathan Cleary].
"They find multiple ways to score points, whether it be kicking .. or through shape.
"They're right up there. They are coming home with a wet sail."
The loss was Newcastle's fifth in a row and leaves them placed 14th ahead of the rest of the round's games.
With four games left to play, they remain at risk of falling to dead last and collecting the club's fifth wooden spoon.
Penrith, meanwhile, have jumped into the top four, continuing their remarkable season turnaround, which commenced after losing to Newcastle in round 12.
They were missing a host of big-name players in that match out at Bathurst in May, but had all but Isaah Yeo back on deck for the repeat fixture.
"We got off to a quick start and scored a couple early," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of Friday's early onslaught.
"I thought we were pretty patient throughout the game, which we wanted to do tonight ... also the conditions were very difficult in the second half, and I thought we controlled the ball pretty well.
"I'm a lot happier than I was the last time we played them. That was definitely the low-point of the year for us.
"Credit to the players and the staff, everyone has put their heads down."
Penrith's nine-try haul began when back-rower Luke Garner cut through a gap on the left edge in just the third minute.
Three minutes later, prop Lindsay Smith crashed over after Knights winger Greg Marzhew spilt a bomb to help Penrith take a 10-0 lead.
Little was going Newcastle's way - Jermaine McEwen was pinned for a dubious late shot as Nathan Clearly was kicking, Dane Gagai attempted to divert a 40/20 but took the ball over the sideline and then later knocked-on attempting a simple play-the-ball.
Liam Henry darted over for Penrith's third try in the 26th minute, collecting a loose ball after Scott Sorensen had attempted to offload.
Trailing 16-0, Newcastle's cause wasn't helped when they lost lock Phoenix Crossland to a head-injury assessment seven minutes before half-time.
A few minutes later, Penrith made the most of several six-again calls, winger Brian To'o diving over in the right corner to make it 20-0.
Seconds before the break, Tom Jenkins finished off a frantic bit of play on the left edge, the ball going through several sets of hands before the winger put it down untouched to help the visitors take a 26-0 lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Casey McLean strolled over from close range to make it 32-0.
As the centre scored on the left edge, heavy rain began to fall over the venue but Newcastle surprisingly managed to build some pressure with a couple of repeat sets despite the conditions.
It led to some points with forward Mat Croker soon diving for a Jack Cogger grubber behind the goal-posts.
A couple of minutes after having a lengthy runaway effort ruled a no-try for a knock-on, McEwen finished off a Bradman Best break in the 57th minute.
Five minutes later, a desperate effort from Knights fullback Dane Gagai denied Panthers centre Izack Tago a try, but a few plays later Penrith lock Isaiah Papali'i barged over between the goal-posts.
McLean bagged his second in the 67th minute racing onto a grubber kick before sliding on the drenched field into the perimeter fence.
Tago barged past several Newcastle defenders to score his side's ninth try eight minutes before full-time.
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‘Can't believe it': One-horse trainer Ross Lavis enjoying ride with Randwick-bound Knights Armour
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Casey McLean: Our standards had dropped off at the start of the year
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