THE Penrith Panthers might still be trying to find their groove, but they will head to Bathurst for this week's NRL clash against Melbourne Storm on the back of a confidence building win.
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After an opening round loss to the Eels loss, returning coach coach Ivan Cleary was happy to see his Panthers bounce back on Saturday to down Newcastle 16-14.
It kept the Panthers' impressive record against Newcastle intact - they've not lost to the Knights since 2016 - but there is certainly room for improvement.
"We're still trying to find our groove as a team. The boys have played together for a bit but obviously with a new coach, we're doing things slightly differently," Cleary said.
"Our last couple of games, including our last trial, we haven't been able to hold the ball and haven't been able to mount any pressure and we got a bit more of that tonight. Hopefully as time goes on, we can get a little bit smoother."
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Cleary, who's Panthers at one stage led the Knights 16-8, knows the undefeated Storm will be a more formidable opponent come this Saturday.
However, that they have now opened their account for 2019 is something the coach knows will lift his players.
"You just want to get a win - your first win of the year any time. Without turning it into a must-win, it was an important win for us tonight," Cleary said.
"We know we need to play a lot better, and I'm sure we will, but we're definitely happy. Winning solves everything, as they say, so hopefully we can build on that one."
Storm will be chasing three consecutive wins come Saturday night at Carrington Park, having dispatched the Brisbane Broncos 22-12 in round one then downing the Canberra Raiders 22-10.
But like Cleary, Storm coach Craig Bellamy knows there are areas his men must improve to add another victory to their tally.
Better discipline will be a focus after conceding 10 penalties and making 10 errors against the Raiders.
Panthers face Storm on Saturday at Carrington Park, with kick-off at 7.35pm.