Weight of possession told in the opening 45 minutes as CYMS shot to a 22-0 lead and looked likely to put a cricket score on Panthers.

But, it did the same after that as the men in black finally held on to the ball, scoring 16 unanswered points and so very nearly stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.

But despite being down to 12 for the final stages after injuries hit - captain-coach Mick Sullivan had used all CYMS' interchanges - and Panthers enjoying all the momentum the green and golds held strong on their own line to seal victory.

"We knew it was going to be tough, it was hard footy early we wanted to just wear them down and then go from there pretty much," CYMS fullback Ben McAlpine said after the win.

"We'd said all week we just didn't want to make back-to-back mistakes and we pretty much did that for the entire first half.

"They definitely came harder and harder, but it was good to get home in the end, especially with 12 players there at the end."

McAlpine was among CYMS' best but none were better than big kiwi prop Chris Bamford.

Bamford was sensational in the victory, relishing his battle up front against former CYMS prop Simon Osborne, one which was fiercer than any other waged at Wade Park.

"Simon Osborne going to Panthers was always going to be a big loss, so to have someone like Bam to fill his shoes is just massive," McAlpine said.

Despite the sheer size, and reputation, of Panthers' pack the green and gold forwards won the battle up-front early thanks to Bamford and fellow prop Cam Jones.

That, along with super ball handling and a superb completion rate, allowed CYMS to wear Panthers down before Rob Mortimer opened the scoring in the 24th minute.

He dived on a Luke Petrie grubber, McAlpine missed the kick though to leave CYMS' lead at 4-0.

Petrie's try assist came minutes after he forced a Panthers drop-out with a similarly deft grubber, he was huge in the opening half.

McAlpine scored five minutes later through a piece of individual brilliance, chipping ahead, regathering and burning Panthers fullback Jeremy Gordon.

Kurt Beahan went in not long after from a McAlpine kick before Sam Hill finished a length-of-the-field movement from the restart after half-time. McAlpine kicked all three, giving the green and golds a 22-0 lead.

"[Kicking early and often] was our game plan, in those conditions I know being a fullback a slippery ball isn't what you want, so we tried to turn their big boys around [and it paid off in the first half]," McAlpine said.

They were helped by Panthers five-eighth Claude Gordon sitting in the sin-bin for the back end of the first half and the early stages of the second.

The tide turned after Hill's four-pointer though.

Where Panthers had been ill-disciplined and impatient with the ball in the first half, they were the opposite from the 45th minute onward.

Panthers' run started when Jack Siejka scored in the 45th, diving on a grubber from Gordon.

Then Panthers halfback Doug Hewitt crossed from another Gordon kick, which was also tapped back by the mercurcial fullback, who was his side's best and showed exactly why he won the competition's player of the year gong last season.

He iced his performance with a try of his own in 65th minute, kicking two of three conversions too, but for all his efforts Panthers couldn't cross again.

They did everything they could to stop CYMS’ extending their lead though. After McAlpine shanked a 69^th minute penalty goal attempt, Panthers’ rushing defence forced him to skew a field goal attempt wayward, before the men in black charged down another.

They had chances as CYMS' discipline slipped in the late stages, a couple of high tackles and knock ons in the final stages - on their own line - gifted Panthers opportunities they were somewhat unlucky not to finish.

"The slow starts are killing us, you can't afford to give teams like CYMS that kind of start," Gordon said.

"That's just young fellas trying a bit too much too early I think, we just need to settle down a bit. If we can, and we get our starts right, I'm sure we'll go deep into this competition.

"We finished well, but we need to fix up our starts and then we can start competing a bit more with teams like CYMS.

"A few kicks got us in the end."

Jerome Harrison was one of the green and golds to go off injured, while McAlpine confirmed a few others were feeling the three-day turnaround from last weekend's win over Bathurst St Pat's as well.

"Jerome said he heard a snap, but I'm not too sure how bad that is," he said.

"A few other boys copped some knocks, but we've a bye next round so that'll help."