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Penrith’s NRL finals hopes ended today after they were crushed in a strong performance by the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.
Both teams needed the win to stay in the running for the finals but it was the Warriors who reigned on home turf, easily accounting for the Panthers 42-20.
The Panthers started well enough, with a try to winger Luke Rooney after a pass from centre Michael Jennings just five minutes into the game.
But the visitors were unable to keep up the pace, and the Warriors scored five tries in quick succession to claim a match-winning 30-4 lead by the break.
The Panthers at least tried to mount a comeback, winger Michael Gordon scoring the first try after the break.
Rooney then scored his second to give the visitors the smallest whiff of a comeback but the try ultimately caused more controversy than respite.
After the touch judge refused to rule a forward pass in the lead-up to the try it was alleged Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon spat at him.
Television replays indicated as much, McKinnon appearing to spit after launching a verbal tirade against the touch judge, who was running to the goalposts for the conversion attempt.
It was unclear how close the spit got to the official.
McKinnon was placed on report by referee Ben Cummins, leaving the Warriors a nervous few days over his fate, with the last round before the finals being played next weekend.
The Penrith rally was shortlived, an easy try at the 60-minute mark to centre Jerome Ropati, putting the result beyond any doubt.
A try to Warriors’ hooker Ian Henderson pushed the Warriors lead to 42-14 with just seven minutes in the game.
Although Rooney got his third, it was too little too late, in a match that ended Penrith’s 2008 campaign.
More than 15,000 turned out to watch the match.
With a poor for and against record the Warriors will need to beat Parramatta and hope either Newcastle or Canberra lose in the final round next week.
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