RUGBY LEAGUE
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A SHELLACKING.
That is just one of many appropriate terms to convey what the Penrith Panthers delivered to the Canberra Raiders in their National Youth Competition match at Carrington Park on Saturday – a 74-10 loss.
Outside of a try in each half for the Raiders, it was one-way traffic of the most devastating variety as the Panthers ran in a total of 13 tries.
A combination of attacking flair from the Panthers and a slew of missed tackles from the Raiders allowed the men in black to post their eighth straight win of the season and remain on top of the ladder.
One of the 11 different try-scorers for the Panthers, centre Robert Jennings, said his side came to Bathurst with a point to prove and plenty of motivation.
“Leading into the game our training was really good, everyone was switched on because everyone wanted to get them back for round one when they beat us,” the younger brother of George and Michael Jennings said.
“All the boys really fired up and looked forward to getting them back.
“That loss was our first game of the season though and we had a lot of players playing in different positions. Even in this game we still had a lot of guys playing in different positions. Credit to the boys though for working their guts off.
“The coach just told me to get involved and to get around the middle. It worked out good for me, but I was buggered by the back end of the game.”
Canberra were the first side to put points on the board through a Jesse Martin try after eight minutes.
But the Raiders allowed the following kick-off to trickle by them in a sign of what was to come.
It meant Panthers quickly replied through their hooker Reed Izzard, before a Tyrone May try put his team ahead for the first time.
Halfback Nathan Cleary picked up the first of his two tries for the day for Penrith 20 minutes in and moments later prop Cowen Epere shrugged off three defenders to take the score out to 24-6.
If the Raiders defence wasn’t already looking soft enough by this point, it was made to look like butter when Panthers winger Ratu Tuisese caught a kick and ran over 70 metres after busting through the middle of the Canberra line.
Tries for Braidon Burns, Corey Waddell and Tuisese before the break took the score to 44-6.
An early second half chance for the Raiders was snuffed out and Panthers continued to pile on the pain with a Jennings try out on the left wing.
Dylan Edwards was on the end of two excellent offloads to score under the posts, while Jack Hetherington also got in on the try-scoring action for the Panthers.
Raiders at least took themselves to double digits through a Will Samuel try, but it hardly restored pride.
To sink the boot in, Panthers’ Jake Ennis dived over in the final minute to wrap up the demolition.
PENRITH PANTHERS 74 (Nathan Cleary 2, Ratu Tuisese 2, Reed Izzard, Tyrone May, Cowen Epere, Braidon Burns, Corey Waddell, Robert Jennings, Dylan Edwards, Jack Hetherington, Jake Ennis tries; Nathan Cleary 11 conversions) defeated CANBERRA RAIDERS 10 (Jesse Martin, William Samuel tries; Bailey Hartwig conversion)