Sorensen's tackle could be season-defining: Panthers
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive.
Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line.
Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14.
The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds.
Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch.
Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect.
"We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP.
"I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line.
"It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team.
"It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it."
Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye.
They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home.
Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with.
"That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said.
"At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit.
"That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that.
"Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well."
Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win.
"It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said.
"It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
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4 hours ago
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Sorensen's tackle could be season-defining: Panthers
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive. Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line. Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14. The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds. Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch. Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect. "We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP. "I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line. "It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team. "It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it." Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye. They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home. Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with. "That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said. "At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit. "That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that. "Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well." Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win. "It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said. "It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
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Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive. Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line. Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14. The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds. Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch. Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect. "We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP. "I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line. "It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team. "It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it." Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye. They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home. Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with. "That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said. "At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit. "That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that. "Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well." Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win. "It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said. "It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
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Benji Marshall feels some "outrageous" refereeing calls on Jarome Luai cost the Wests Tigers victory in the four-time premiership winner's first game back against Penrith. Luai had a mixed reunion with the club where he became a household name, playing a hand in all of the Tigers' tries but conceding penalties ahead of two game-defining scores in the Panthers' 18-14 win. Nathan Cleary kicked for goal to put Penrith 12-10 ahead after Luai tackled Penrith's new five-eighth Blaize Talagi as he kicked the ball in Sunday's second half at CommBank Stadium. Marking up against another ex-Panther in Sunia Turuva, Tom Jenkins completed his first NRL hat-trick straight after Luai was cited for collecting Liam Martin on a kick chase. Tigers coach Marshall confirmed he would "absolutely" seek clarity on the calls from the NRL. "The game is so hard and demanding and I actually feel sorry for our players because they didn't actually get to decide (the result) tonight," he said. "I thought two calls, the first one on Jarome, on the last making a tackle, I thought was outrageous. "It was the wrong call. I agree with protecting the kickers, but he didn't take (Talagi's) legs out, he didn't put him in a dangerous position. "The second one, he got done for an escort, which I thought was bad too. Then they scored off the back of that set." Luai almost helped his team to victory in the final 10 minutes when Jack Bird regathered his bomb close to the line and offloaded to Jahream Bula. But a miraculous cover tackle from Scott Sorensen and Nathan Cleary stopped the fullback inches short of the line, before Lindsay Smith made a similarly gutsy tackle to deny Bula again. "They're often the difference between winning and losing," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of the two tackles. "It was a tough game. I was really happy with the way we hung in there at the end, repelled a lot of stuff." The 18-14 win keeps the Panthers' mid-season resurgence humming, with an away clash against the Warriors set to prove a litmus test in a fortnight. After a poor start to the season, Penrith are only able to lose four more games to finish with a 50 per cent winning record. Three-time reigning wooden spooners the Tigers head into their bye on a four-game losing streak, but Marshall found positives in defeat. "I thought it was one of our best performances of the year," the coach said. "I honestly thought we were the better side tonight." Luai was involved in everything the Tigers did well as they controlled field position in the first half. "I felt I was locked in throughout the 80 (minutes). A few touches I'd like to have back and execute a bit better," Luai said. "But that's what I'm loving most (this year), that challenge and the learning and the growth." Luai first put boot to ball from his non-preferred right foot ahead of Starford To'a's try, before again swinging to the right side as the Tigers shifted for Turuva to score. In his first game back from a hamstring injury, Jeral Skelton gave the Tigers a sniff with 10 minutes to play as Luai and Adam Doueihi found him on the left wing. But for a second consecutive week, the Panthers rediscovered their gritty best to hit their second bye in form. Benji Marshall feels some "outrageous" refereeing calls on Jarome Luai cost the Wests Tigers victory in the four-time premiership winner's first game back against Penrith. Luai had a mixed reunion with the club where he became a household name, playing a hand in all of the Tigers' tries but conceding penalties ahead of two game-defining scores in the Panthers' 18-14 win. Nathan Cleary kicked for goal to put Penrith 12-10 ahead after Luai tackled Penrith's new five-eighth Blaize Talagi as he kicked the ball in Sunday's second half at CommBank Stadium. Marking up against another ex-Panther in Sunia Turuva, Tom Jenkins completed his first NRL hat-trick straight after Luai was cited for collecting Liam Martin on a kick chase. Tigers coach Marshall confirmed he would "absolutely" seek clarity on the calls from the NRL. "The game is so hard and demanding and I actually feel sorry for our players because they didn't actually get to decide (the result) tonight," he said. "I thought two calls, the first one on Jarome, on the last making a tackle, I thought was outrageous. "It was the wrong call. I agree with protecting the kickers, but he didn't take (Talagi's) legs out, he didn't put him in a dangerous position. "The second one, he got done for an escort, which I thought was bad too. Then they scored off the back of that set." Luai almost helped his team to victory in the final 10 minutes when Jack Bird regathered his bomb close to the line and offloaded to Jahream Bula. But a miraculous cover tackle from Scott Sorensen and Nathan Cleary stopped the fullback inches short of the line, before Lindsay Smith made a similarly gutsy tackle to deny Bula again. "They're often the difference between winning and losing," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of the two tackles. "It was a tough game. I was really happy with the way we hung in there at the end, repelled a lot of stuff." The 18-14 win keeps the Panthers' mid-season resurgence humming, with an away clash against the Warriors set to prove a litmus test in a fortnight. After a poor start to the season, Penrith are only able to lose four more games to finish with a 50 per cent winning record. Three-time reigning wooden spooners the Tigers head into their bye on a four-game losing streak, but Marshall found positives in defeat. "I thought it was one of our best performances of the year," the coach said. "I honestly thought we were the better side tonight." Luai was involved in everything the Tigers did well as they controlled field position in the first half. "I felt I was locked in throughout the 80 (minutes). A few touches I'd like to have back and execute a bit better," Luai said. "But that's what I'm loving most (this year), that challenge and the learning and the growth." Luai first put boot to ball from his non-preferred right foot ahead of Starford To'a's try, before again swinging to the right side as the Tigers shifted for Turuva to score. In his first game back from a hamstring injury, Jeral Skelton gave the Tigers a sniff with 10 minutes to play as Luai and Adam Doueihi found him on the left wing. But for a second consecutive week, the Panthers rediscovered their gritty best to hit their second bye in form. Benji Marshall feels some "outrageous" refereeing calls on Jarome Luai cost the Wests Tigers victory in the four-time premiership winner's first game back against Penrith. Luai had a mixed reunion with the club where he became a household name, playing a hand in all of the Tigers' tries but conceding penalties ahead of two game-defining scores in the Panthers' 18-14 win. Nathan Cleary kicked for goal to put Penrith 12-10 ahead after Luai tackled Penrith's new five-eighth Blaize Talagi as he kicked the ball in Sunday's second half at CommBank Stadium. Marking up against another ex-Panther in Sunia Turuva, Tom Jenkins completed his first NRL hat-trick straight after Luai was cited for collecting Liam Martin on a kick chase. Tigers coach Marshall confirmed he would "absolutely" seek clarity on the calls from the NRL. "The game is so hard and demanding and I actually feel sorry for our players because they didn't actually get to decide (the result) tonight," he said. "I thought two calls, the first one on Jarome, on the last making a tackle, I thought was outrageous. "It was the wrong call. I agree with protecting the kickers, but he didn't take (Talagi's) legs out, he didn't put him in a dangerous position. "The second one, he got done for an escort, which I thought was bad too. Then they scored off the back of that set." Luai almost helped his team to victory in the final 10 minutes when Jack Bird regathered his bomb close to the line and offloaded to Jahream Bula. But a miraculous cover tackle from Scott Sorensen and Nathan Cleary stopped the fullback inches short of the line, before Lindsay Smith made a similarly gutsy tackle to deny Bula again. "They're often the difference between winning and losing," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of the two tackles. "It was a tough game. I was really happy with the way we hung in there at the end, repelled a lot of stuff." The 18-14 win keeps the Panthers' mid-season resurgence humming, with an away clash against the Warriors set to prove a litmus test in a fortnight. After a poor start to the season, Penrith are only able to lose four more games to finish with a 50 per cent winning record. Three-time reigning wooden spooners the Tigers head into their bye on a four-game losing streak, but Marshall found positives in defeat. "I thought it was one of our best performances of the year," the coach said. "I honestly thought we were the better side tonight." Luai was involved in everything the Tigers did well as they controlled field position in the first half. "I felt I was locked in throughout the 80 (minutes). A few touches I'd like to have back and execute a bit better," Luai said. "But that's what I'm loving most (this year), that challenge and the learning and the growth." Luai first put boot to ball from his non-preferred right foot ahead of Starford To'a's try, before again swinging to the right side as the Tigers shifted for Turuva to score. In his first game back from a hamstring injury, Jeral Skelton gave the Tigers a sniff with 10 minutes to play as Luai and Adam Doueihi found him on the left wing. But for a second consecutive week, the Panthers rediscovered their gritty best to hit their second bye in form.
