The NSW Cup Panthers traveled to McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday afternoon, where they suffered their sixth consecutive loss, falling to the Knights, 42-22.
The Panthers started strong, with Patea and Iongi executing several powerful runs to dominate the middle and put early pressure on the Knights. This pressure led to a rushed pass from Mapapalangi that went out of bounds, giving the Panthers a full set in the Knights’ half.
In the 10th minute, Nick Murphy scored the first points for the Panthers after a play that moved through Zack Lamont, ending with Tyrone Peachey delivering a decisive cutout pass to Murphy, who finished acrobatically in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 4-0.
The Knights regained momentum and scored their first try in the 20th minute. Sebastian Su’a broke through the line and offloaded the ball, which deflected off a Panthers defender into the hands of Will Pryce, who easily scored. The conversion was successful, putting the Knights ahead 4-6.
Five minutes later, the Knights extended their lead with Hayden Sutton breaking through and connecting with Jenkins on the right edge, who ran away to score. The conversion was successful, making it 4-12.
The Knights’ offensive onslaught continued, with Will Pryce bypassing Hayden Sutton to set up Krystian Mapapalangi for an acrobatic finish in the corner. The successful conversion brought the score to 4-18.
Two minutes later, Pryce found David Armstrong with a cutout pass, resulting in another easy try for the Knights. With three minutes left in the half, the Knights were in full control, leading 4-24.
The second half began similarly to how the first ended, with Will Pryce throwing another cutout pass to Mapapalangi, who cut back inside and scored despite being tackled by three defenders. The conversion was successful, extending the lead to 4-30.
The Panthers had a chance with a full set inside the Knights’ 20, but Falefa Letoi lost the ball while attempting to score. The Knights capitalized on this mistake, with David Armstrong racing the length of the field to score. The conversion was successful, making it 4-36.
In the 64th minute, Tyrone Peachey scored the Panthers’ second try, catching the defense off guard from dummy half to score from close range. The conversion was successful, bringing the score to 10-36.
Peachey added another try in a similar fashion, following a play-the-ball by Falefa Letoi close to the line. The conversion was successful, narrowing the gap to 16-36.
With nine minutes remaining, Jordan Grant broke through the line and scored under the posts, offering a glimmer of hope. The conversion was successful, bringing the Panthers closer at 22-36.
The Panthers advanced into attacking territory on the next set, but Zack Lamont’s kick led to an illegal contest by Murphy on McCarthy, giving the Knights a penalty and sealing the game.
With two minutes left, Liam Sutton finished the game with a solo effort, breaking through the line and scoring from 15 meters out. The conversion was successful, finalizing the score at 22-42.
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