The Panthers edged ahead of Manly on points differential – by a single point – with a sixth win in their past seven starts, confirming them again as a genuine competition threat after the previous round's surprise defeat to the Warriors.

They are sweating, however, on the diagnosis of Wallace, who hobbled off with suspected syndesmosis after less than a quarter of Sunday's game. The experienced halfback could be out for between six and 12 weeks, which stands to potentially end his season, and coach Ivan Cleary was not optimistic on Sunday night: "I don't think it's too good."

"It looks like a syndesmosis injury," Cleary said. "We're just going to have to cross our fingers and hope for the best there. He might be gone for a few weeks."

Fortunately, all other signs from Sydney's far west are good. City Origin fullback Matt Moylan was superb, scoring a great individual try and setting up three others to silence a crowd of 16,698 in Sydney's inner west, while centre Jamal Idris was also a standout in his second game back in the NRL after a spell dealing with personal issues.

It was an ideal way to mark the 300th appearance of veteran front-rower Brent Kite.

"I'm just really proud of the way the guys turned up for me," Kite said. "Wal is going to be missed but we seem to have a team and a whole squad of guys that can step in and do the job."

The Panthers also lost forwards Elijah Taylor and Adam Docker to concussion late in the game but the scenario was just as serious for the Tigers. Already beset by injuries this season, their captain, Braith Anasta, was left with a suspected partial tear of his biceps muscle and Anasta and winger David Nofoaluma were placed on report for a dangerous throw on Idris.

All eyes had been on NRL first-gamer Mitchell Moses, nephew of Ben Elias, partner in crime of Luke Brooks at Holy Cross Ryde College and subject of lofty expectations matched only by his mate wearing the Tigers No.7. His NRL debut was a poorly kept secret – it was well known by game day he would be a late addition to Mick Potter's side – but there was no less excitement about it.

Many a pub conversation has been held in the Red Lion, the Orange Grove and other watering holes about the bright outlook ahead with Brooks, Curtis Sironen and Moses, as well as the injured James Tedesco, starring for the Tigers.

Penrith, however, were not interested in the Tigers' future. Seizing on errors by the opposition, they put behind them the 16th-minute departure of halfback Wallace to take a 12-0 half-time lead through tries to Moylan and centre Dean Whare, with Tyrone Peachey replacing his captain. Cleary's side then stretched further ahead when Moylan, having laid on the final pass for Whare before the break, sent winger Kevin Naiqama in to score with 30 minutes remaining.

There was brief hope for the hosts when Blake Austin skipped over to narrow the gap to 12, but that was quickly erased when Idris galloped over soon after and Moylan continued his wow of a game by handing the strong-running Whare his double.

Even the ever reliable Pat Richards spilled the ball twice on a rotten afternoon for the Tigers.

"We just tried to push things too early when we hadn't earned the right, particularly in attack, and that just put us under the pump in defence," centre Chris Lawrence said. "By the back end of the second half, we'd made too many errors and just burned ourselves. It was a snowball effect from there."

Their time will come. For the Panthers, though, it is quickly becoming obvious that theirs is now.