Penrith have piled on four late tries in an eight-minute burst to fight back for an incredible 28-24 win over Manly at Lottoland.
The Panthers had played poorly and were down 24-6 with 13 minutes to go, before conjuring up an escape act that keeps their top-four hopes alive.
Josh Mansour scored the first try in the comeback after the Panthers swung the ball wide and he was on the end of a great ball from Waqa Blake.
Four minutes later, Isaah Yeo charged onto the ball from close range to score and reduce the deficit to 24-16.
The Panthers then scored in the restart set when second-rower Viliame Kikau put Waqa Blake away and he scored under the posts. That made it 24-22 with seven minutes to go.
Then in the 75th minute, Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic lost the ball on his own line in a Viliame Kikau tackle and Nathan Cleary was on hand to pounce and score the winning try.
Earlier, Manly had lead 8-6 at half-time after a lacklustre first half.
Penrith scored the first try of the match in the 26th minute when they decided to take a tap and go for a try after getting a penalty near the posts. They swung the ball wide and centre Dean Whare showed his speed and determination to get the ball down in the corner.
Young Manly hooker Manase Fainu later showed good footwork to score from close range just before half-time to give the Sea Eagles the lead at the break.
Manly then scored the first three tries of the second half to take a commanding lead. Their first came after centre Brian Kelly beat a tackle on halfway and raced thirty metres before drawing Panthers’ fullback Tyrone Peachey to put skipper Daly Cherry-Evans over under the posts.
Five minutes later, Kelly scored the first of his two tries for the match after Tom Trbojevic chimed into a backline move and fed him a great ball.
Kelly was in again five minutes later when he grounded a Tom Trbojevic grubber millimetres from the dead ball line.
Penrith looked to be at long odds to win the match from there, but they somehow managed to get a crucial two points.
Sea Eagles’ fans will be scratching their heads at how they let this one get away.
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