Brad Fearnley's Penrith Panthers clinch Jersey Flegg Cup in golden-point thriller

It took field goal in golden-point extra-time off the boot of Penrith halfback Isaiya Katoa - after a strong Fearnley charge - to seal the 19-18 win over Newcastle.

The Panthers had trailed by 12 points with less than seven minutes remaining.

It's experience Bathurst talent Fearnley, who lined up at prop, won't soon forget.

"I was standing as blocker and after he [Katoa] kicked it I couldn't even walk to him, I just collapsed, I just had nothing left," the 21-year-old said.

"If he didn't kick it I don't know what would've happened, I wouldn't have been able to defend the next set, so I just took a knee.

"I played in stints, so I played the first 20 then the last 30-odd and into over-time. I was buggered.

"Words can't really describe it, everyone was just that gone, Newcastle was in the same spot as us. You've just got to pinch yourself that you've even won the game.

"I was just in disbelief to be honest, I don't even know how we brought that back."

Heading into the match the Panthers had not beaten Newcastle in the 2022 Jersey Flegg season.

The Knights defeated the Panthers 24-6 and 26-12 during the regular season and bettered them 22-16 in the first week of finals.

But Fearnley and his team-mates backed themselves to get the job done and when they went to the sheds at half-time locked at 6-all with the Knights they looked a real chance.

When the Knights then skipped out to an 18-6 lead the Bathurst talent was nervous, but Penrith hauled themselves back into it with a pair of late tries.

The second of those - scored by Lithgow native Sam Lane - came with two minutes of regulation time left.

"We never played them with a full strength team so we had confidence with our full team back for the grand final," Fearnley said.

"We just turned it on at the right moment, we probably started a bit flat and let them get over the top of us early and then just clawed it back in the last 10 minutes of the game.

"It was stressful, I thought we were gone.

"But we were pretty confident in over-time that we'd get it done."

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It was Fearnley's first taste of premiership success since 2019 when he came off the bench for the first grade Bathurst Panthers in the Group 10 grand final.

They won that match 9-8 against Mudgee. That was decided in extra-time as well.

But Sunday's triumph in the Jersey Flegg decider now ranks as Fearnley's league highlight.

"It's pretty special, I think the coach said we've been training for 48 weeks since the pre-season. Like I see these blokes more than I see my family, you see them at training and then you see them on the weekend," he said.

"It's pretty wild and I think it's the most special grand final I've ever won. Just elation.

"It's my first one with Penrith, we had the COVID seasons the last two years and before that didn't make the grand final. So we've turned it around."

At the presentation came another special moment as Fearnley joined skipper Hohepa Puru in raising the premiership cup on the podium.

He and his team-mates then watched on as Penrith's NSW Cup side won their grand final.

"I made sure I got on stage with it [trophy], I told our captain 'I don't care, I'm getting up there with it' I wanted to hold it and get in the photo," Fearnley laughed.

"We all hung around after it and watched [the NSW Cup] we were still in our playing kit then jumped in a bus and went to Panthers. They did a bit of a function for us, there were people coming out of the woodwork."

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