The NYC Newcastle Knights couldn’t overcome a dominant Penrith Panthers at Pepper Stadium on Friday evening, going down 40-16.
Penrith piled on 22 points in the first half and while the Knights made the first move in the second stanza, the Panthers lay down successive tries to notch up a further18 points.
Within minutes of kick off, Panthers fullback Caleb Aekins scored off the back of a 40/20. Dean Blore converted for the home side to lead the Knights 6-0.
It was all Panthers for the next ten minutes, Daniel Brown and Dean Blore crashing over, to stretch the lead to 16-0.
The Knights got their first six at 18 minutes in, Nash Birch offloading to Heath Gibbs before a Jack Johns conversion. Panthers 16-6.
In the 25th minute, another converted try came the way for Penrith, lock Liam Martin gifted a smart off-load to cross the line to make it 22-6 before halftime.
After the break, the Knights came back with some vigour, a 50-metre dash saw Hayden Loughrey end up with the ball before a successful Johns conversion, 22-12.
But the Panthers then piled on three to lead 40-12. Brown weaved across the left side to dive through for his second, another via captain Wayde Egan at dummy half before Mitch Kenny wrestled his way over in the 68th minute.
In the last 10 minutes the Knights crossed via winger Mitch Andrews. At the final siren Panthers defeated the Knights 40-16.
SUMMARY
Newcastle Knights 16 (T: Gibbs, Loughrey, Andrews, G: Johns 2/3)
Penrith Panthers 40 (T: Brown 2, Aekins, Blore, Martin, Egan, Kenny, G: Blore 6/7)
NEWCASTLE
1. Matt Cooper, 19. Lachlan Farr 2. Mitch Andrews, 4. Heath Gibbs, 5. Dean Kouka-Smith, 6. Jack Johns, 7. Hayden Loughrey, 8. Cameron King, 9. Nash Birch, 10. Viko Puliuvea, 11. Dylan Clarke, 12. Sam McIntyre, 13. Zac Hoskin. Interchange: 14. Brendan O’Hagan, 15. Will Davies, 16. Jayden Butterfield, 17. Pasami Saulo.
