Penrith have capitalised on a glut of possession from a lopsided penalty count to beat Manly 16-8 at Pepper Stadium.
The Panthers lead 12-4 at half-time after scoring two first half tries to one.
They opened the scoring in the third minute when prop James Tamou used his strength to push through some soft Manly line defence to score near the posts.
The Sea Eagles hit back in the 11th minute with a try by centre Dylan Waker that was laid on by captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cherry-Evans earned his team two repeat sets with deft grubber kicks before throwing a cutout ball for Walker to score.
Cherry-Evans then became engaged in a running debate with referee Henry Perenara as the first half penalties started to mount against his team.
Penrith finally scored a debatable try in the 35th minute after winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grounded a cross-field kick.
Centre Waqa Blake appeared to knock the ball forward in the air first before his winger took over and grounded it, but the bunker ruled it to be a fair try.
Only one try was scored in the second half. It came in the 45th minute when Manly backrower Shaun Lane drew in two defenders before offloading to fullback Tom Trbojevic who scored.
Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary later added two penalties to give the Panthers some more breathing space and they hung on for a much needed, but fairly ugly win.
The two points sees them stay in touch with the top 8.
Concerned observer
Guest
Some contentious calls there but Manly can look at themselves for this loss. Penrith weren't great and Manly responded by finding a way to be worse, poor discipline and poor ball control. I get the feeling that they turned up expecting a win and got lazy. Trent Barrett should be fined an pubicly censured by the NRL for that tantrum. It is absolutely insulting for him to complain about the referee influencing the game when it was only weeks ago that an absolute howler gifted manly a win against Newcastle. Even worse was that when faced with such terrible offiacting; Nathan Brown was calm and rational and refused to stoop to Trent's level.
TigerMike
Guest
Um I didn't catch the match but likewise this commentary doesn't say too much Except that the panthers won 16-8 Against the supposed best qld halfback right? Well anyway it looks good for next weekend v the tigers "Mandy's defence was outstanding..." haha yes hope it's as great next weekend
The eye
Guest
Pea hearted presser from Barrett spitting the dummy dear thing ..very ordinary in deflecting onto the referee.Ought to walk a mile in Nathan Browns shoes for a lesson in hardening up from poor ref decisions and acknowledging his own shortcomings...If you want to go thru every penalty start and finish at Mathew Wrights on DWZ...didnt like getting beat by his old club one.. little... bit... Potentially Shaun Lane looks back on track and could be outstanding..ditto Lloyd P.with error reduction..but the coach wallows,whinges and whines when his side just wasnt good enough on the day..expected better.
Leon Dimitresku
Roar Rookie
I think Matt Moylan has still a long way to go. Doesn't have the composure of someone like Cameron Smith. I love my Panthers, but, they are hard to watch sometimes.
Leon Dimitresku
Guest
Referees, Penalties and Captains are never a good mix. Traditionally I have dubbed my boys the Penalty Panthers for far too long, so, it was refreshing to see the laces on the the other boot.
Albo
Guest
Manly's defence was outstanding. Penrith's attack was naïve and predictable which is the prime reason for their average position on the ladder. Once again they showed just how clueless they become inside the opposition's 20. With enough ball in attacking positions to win two games, they made hard work in crossing the stripe for two dusty tries and a number of near misses. But an ugly win is better than an attractive & expansive loss. They will still need to improve a lot to make any sort of impact on the 8. Manly still look safely finals bound, but they will need to keep their top side on the park to make any real impact.
John Coomer
Roar Guru
Yea Max I don't mind Perenara either, though you're always going to be in the spotlight when the penalty count is as it was. A few 50/50 ones on the night. I agree this Manly side will peak in a year or so. It will be very interesting to see how they go in their run home this year. They have the Tigers (twice), St George, Melbourne, Roosters, Bulldogs, Warriors and Penrith. They will probably need 5 wins at a minimum to stay in the top 4, which is achievable.
kk
Roar Pro
Hi John, Yesterday, this Manly team proved they are still WIP and talk of top 4, premature. Penrith rattled their cage and the lesson learned from an unfruitful response will stand them in good stead. I estimate they need another 15 games together before we see them at their full potential. The journey ahead is exciting. I predicted they would make the 8, probably in 5th spot. Next year it will be a Manly v Melbourne Grand final. I thought Henry did a pretty good job. He treats players with respect.