Without Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris, among other superstars, the Warriors pulled off an unexpected triumph, defeating the defending champions 22–20 in a historic Magic Round upset.
Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai, two Penrith stars who performed admirably in front of a sizable Suncorp Stadium crowd despite being on a losing team, used this match as an audition for Origin.
After just ninety-minutes, the match’s opening try was scored by Blues No. 1 prospect Edwards, who raced on to a Luai ball and outran several opponents.
The Warriors subsequently lost Wayde Egan to a severe blow of his own, and Jackson Ford was assessed for a head knock, which he passed and returned.
Paul Roache replaced him at dummy-half, and as a result, the gun No. 9 was declared ineligible for the match, compounding his horrific history of injuries in recent times.
Nevertheless, the Warriors persevered in the face of difficulty and scored through an aerial attempt by Marcelo Montoya to ground the ball.
He was also brought off the pitch for a head injury, but after defender Izack Tago made an awkward landing on him, he was allowed to return.
After slicing through the Warriors defence and finding forward Scott Sorensen, the Panthers were the next team to cross.
He ducked and weaved before passing the ball back to Luai, who used his speed to take a quick route and put his team ahead by ten points at halftime.
After the interval, Panthers captain Isaah Yeo was sent to the sin bin due to a professional foul, which was disastrous for the team.
Referee Grant Atkins gave the No. 13 the order to march after Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad fled from a swift tap. Yeo held his position and prevented Charnze from making his charge.
With an extra man, the Warriors took advantage, as Ali Leiataua broke through Penrith’s defence to tie the game at ten points apiece.
The next player to score was Adam Pompey, who again burst through a huge space following a brilliant ball from Te Maire Martin.
However, the Panthers hit back and it was redemption for Penrith’s skipper Isaah Yeo who tallied a four-pointer in the middle of the park.
Izack Tago was the next to etch his name on the scoresheet, finishing off a smart backline play by the Panthers to take the lead with 12 minutes remaining.
From there the Warriors hit back through fullback Taine Tuaupiki, beating Tyrone Peachey before the New Zealand fullback kicked the crucial conversion to be two points up.
But the Panthers struck back, and Isaah Yeo, the captain of Penrith, got his revenge by making a four-point shot in the middle of the park.
With 12 minutes left, Izack Tago became the next player to sign his name on the scoresheet, capping off a deft backline play by the Panthers to take the lead.
Taine Tuaupiki, the fullback for New Zealand, overcame Tyrone Peachey and then made the vital conversion to put the Warriors ahead by two points.
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