Penrith outlast Canterbury in Thriller

The Penrith Panthers have started off their season in stylish fashion with a heart stopping 24-18 win over a fast finishing Canterbury at Pepper Stadium this afternoon.

The Panthers led 24-0 with only 20 minutes to go, however a spirited fightback by Canterbury led to a heart stopping finish, the which only culminated when Josh Reynolds' bomb with 50 seconds to go bounced into touch.

Penrith started the scoring after 13 minutes through rookie Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, after some swift movement and no look passing from Matt Moylan and Dean Whare. Canterbury became their own worse enemy as constant drop balls and penalties hurt them dearly.

Other rookie George Jennings didn't miss out on the fun either, and was sent over the line thanks to a cracking cutout pass from Jamie Soward. Soward's 20 metre pass was sublime and showed the raw talent of the former NSW representative. Soward's conversion on 30 minutes made it 12-0.

A penalty goal right on half time from a infringement in the play the ball gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead at half time.

The misery continued in the second half as James Segeyaro busted them up the middle and outlasted Brett Morris to slam down in the corner. 

10 minutes later Watene-Zelezinak scored his second after another pinpoint kick from Soward and at 24-0 it looked all over.

Canterbury had other ideas and proceeded to score 18 points in less than 20 minutes. Brett Morris was a standout for the Dogs, running for over 150m and scoring a try. 

The score was 24-18 with less than three minutes left. However the Bulldogs left it a little too late - some desperate defence on their own line from Penrith denied the Bulldogs opportunity to tie the game.

Venue: Pepper Stadium
Halftime Score: Penrith Panthers 14 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 0

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:

3 points - Jamie Soward
2 points - James Segeyaro 
1 point - Brett Morris

PENRITH PANTHERS (24)
Tries: Dallin Watene Zelezniak (2), George Jennings, James Segeyaro
Field Goals:
Conversions: Jamie Soward (3/4)
Penalty Goals: Jamie Soward (1/1)

CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS (18)
Tries: Tim Browne, Curtis Rona, Brett Morris
Field Goals:
Conversions: Trent Hodkinson (3/3)
Penalty Goals:

Hello and welcome to League Unlimited's coverage of this afternoons Round 1 match between Penrith and Canterbury at Pepper Stadium.
It's currently 30 degrees out at Penrith and very humid. Going to be very hard work for both teams.
Both sides are 1-17 with Yeo and Koroisau both dropping off the bench for the Panthers and Mbeye dropping off the bench for the Bulldogs.

Lots of storylines heading into this game as well. How will Brett Morris fare with his much publicized more to Canterbury and taking over the Fullback role? Will Penrith exact revenge for last season's preliminary final loss? Will Matt Moylan continue his rise to stardom? All that and many more as we follow this fantastic game on the first sunday afternoon of the NRL season

We are about 10 mins from kick off here at Pepper Stadium, so make yourself comfy, grab a cold drink and check the cricket score! Come on you Aussies!

Here come both the sides, Canterbury get a less than friendly welcome.
Penrith is loud today!

1: Here we go!!

3: Penrith kick on the 4th tackle through Soward and Canterbury receive it 10m shy of half way.

4: On the last tackle Hodgkinson puts iot high but taken easily by Watene Zelezniak.
Two tackles later Penrith receive their first penalty

5: Wallace puts it in the air on the 5th tackle after a good attacking set by Penrith.
Rona knocks it on and Penrith get a repeat set. Pressure on.

6: Penrith go back about 20 metres but it works out well for them as the ball bounces off Perrett and into touch. More possession for Penrith

7: Penrith spread it to the right quickly, Zelezniak is heading into touch before letting an offload which is taken by Rona. Canterbury survive!

8: 40/20 CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Josh Reynolds kicks a 40/20.
Reynolds nails a pin point 40/20!!

8: First tackle back Williams looks certain to score before his offload is grounded By Penrith

9: UNFORCED ERROR CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
James Graham makes an unforced error.
Flat pass from Lichaa is knocked on by the Englishman Graham and Penrith are off the hook. Hectic start here at Pepper Stadium!

9: Penrith make a lot of metres again off their set and the Wallace puts up a towering bomb which is dealt with very well by the custodian Morris

10: Big Hit Alert! Sika Manu with a Brute Big Hit! Do they still have that??

11: George Jennings makes a quick line break after some quick hands before his head gets crushed by Josh Jackson in the play the ball.
Penalty to the Panthers, Jackson on report

12: Penrith attacking from 20 m out. Can they trouble the scoreboard?

13: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Dallin Watene Zelezniak. Kick to come.
Wonderful sweeping play to the right which sees Whare send Zeleniak away to touch down in the corner.
Wonderful hands there from the Panthers. Moylan involved as well. No look pass! Benji eat your heart out!

14: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Beautiful conversion from Soward. Penrith up 6-0

15: Soward with a huge clearing kick on the 3rd tackle. Seems an obvious ploy from Penrith to kick before the 5th.
Morris brings it back past the 20

16: Lots of offloading by the Panthers. Fijian Rugby style!

17: Soward puts in a smart little kick on the last before Perrett showcases his AFL skills with a glorious take!

18: Lots of play through the middle at the moment. whose forwards will tire first?

18: Soward gives his forwards a breather with a low kick into touch. Real calming play

18: Taylor all over the ball player in the play the ball and Canterbury get a penalty.
40m out from the Panthers line.

20: Reynolds has all the time in the world to set and place his kick to the corner before it bounces off Perrett and dead in goal.. 20m restart for Penrith

20: Sika Manu with another strong run up the middle. Huge Human Being!

21: Big Sam is on for the Doggies!

22: FIGHT!!!! Handbags mainly by both parties

22: Zeleniak takes offense froma very rough tackle, takes on Jackson who replies with an elbow (not the worst elbow ive seen, no UFC)

22: Canterbury will receive the Penalty as well. Silly play from the youngster.

23: Could this be a turning point? 15m out and on the attack?

24: Canterbury spread it on the last and Big T Rex toes it through but its is shepherded over the dead ball line by Moylan, pressure relieved

25: A few subs being made by both teams, fatigue setting in.
Interesting to note that neither side has opted for a bench hooker

25: Penrith struggling to get out of their own end are giving a helping hand by Canterbury with a penalty for holding down in the play the ball

26: Another penalty to Penrith , 25 m out.

27: Right on the attack now the Panthers

28: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by George Jennings. Kick to come.
Wonderful stuff from the Panthers here. Penrith get some second phase play going through some offloads, before Soward hits Jennings with a beautiful cut out past and Jennings strolls over in the corner. 20 metre cut out pass from Sow Wow there, masterclass.

29: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Soward can't do any thing wrong, conversion is as straight as a dye! 12-0

29: Penrith have their tails up now, Doggies on the back foot.

31: Penalty to Canterbury after a strong set and they are on the attack.

32: Error! Tony Williams drops it cold 10m out. Just not clicking for the Dogs at the moment

33: Morris (Brett) leaps high to diffuse another Penrith raid, nice take there

34: Deliberate Forward pass and Canterbury's afternoon gets worse. Nice break from Klemmer gives the Dogs some metres before Reynolds is collared and passes it forward to Kaisiano.
Penalty to penrith

35: Canterbury again survive another scare as Penrith's attack comes unstuck through a drop ball from cartwright. Perrett cleans up.

36: Klemmer is pinged for a bad play the ball and the Doggies will have some more defence to do. Can they hang on to half time?

37: Two penalties in a row for Penrith here.Refuse to take the two and are going for another try!

39: Cartwright puts in a lovely grubber which is knocked dead by Canterbury, however Canterbury are penalised again for a dangerous tackle.
Now they finally decided to opt for the 2 points.

39: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL PENRITH PANTHERS
Penalty goal attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
No mistake from 15m out by Soward. Penrith well and truly on top at the current time

40: So that's half time here at Pepper Stadium. Penrith in control of this clash and lead 14-0
Canterbury have been very ill disciplined and will need to improve on that and their completion rate to get back into this one.
Penrith are looking very slick and deservedly lead.

40: Stretch those legs, grab a bite to eat. We'll be back in 10 mins.

40: Welcome back folks, we are just about ready for the 2nd half. Can Canterbury change things around? They'll need a huge 40 mins.

40: Klemmer winds up and makes about 25m! Great run

41: Reynolds hits a huge bomb which swirls in the wind but it's no issue for Moylan, who takes it back past the 20

43: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by James Segeyaro. Kick to come.
OH BRILLIANT!!!! James Segeyaro splits the Dogs in half with a glorious run, has Soward in support but doesn't need him as he fends off Morris to dive in the corner! Great speed showed by the little man there, Penrith on fire!

43: Wonderful offload by Cartwright which opened the hole, great young talent

44: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Another lovely strike by Soward, he's hitting them just as sweetly as Glenn Maxwell at the SCG!

45: Lovely set by Penrith after the try and pin Canterbury inside their 10 with some very strong defence . But ruin all their good work with holding down in the play the ball. Cartwright the offender this time.

47: Soward is absolutely clobbered by Klemmer. After stumbling to the ground he is dragged by his jersey like a rag doll not dissimilar to Brett Hodgson vs Gordon tallis 2001!

47: Error by Penrith, canterbury are 10m out! Can they get some much needed points??

48: NO! They cant, lovely rushing up defence by the Panthers, put Reynolds under pressure and his pass goes to ground and goes forward.

50: Another near perfect set from Penrith, Soward dinks a great little kick in behind the defence and Morris is collared 3m out from his own line after making no ground

51: Segeyaro with a other line break and busts the Dogs up the Middle. Idris is in support but Segeyaro opts to go along and is dragged down 20 m out.
More points?

53: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Dallin Watene Zelezniak. Kick to come.
Oh this just keeps getting better for Penrith. Soward notices that Rona is 15 metres up on his wing so kicks high across to Zeleniak who marks it, swivels past Rona and despite the attention of Brett Morris slams it over the line!

53: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward unsuccessful.
The kick is no good and Soward's perfect afternoon is slightly tarnished. 24-0

55: Wallace kicks on 3rd and drives it low back to the in goal, Perrett tries hard to get away but is tackled 5m out.

56: Canterbury knock it on and Penrith look like they may score again through Segeyaro, but Klemmer strips it off him one on one, nice play there from the doggies! Need more of this.
Two tackles later Canterbury get a penalty and are only 40m out.

58: Canterbury look unorganised on the last and Josh Morris is caught with it despite trying to wriggle loose. Change over. Great defence from the Boys from the foot of the mountains again.

58: Canterbury need something here, can anyone spark them into action? Brett Morris maybe?

59: Moylan takes a difficult kick and is leveled by Reynolds, very courageous take

60: 20m restart for the dogs here after Segeyaro drills a low kick into the corner post

60: In fact its gone out before hitting the corner post and its a scrum 10m out.

62: Brett Morris splits them open, fires inside to Eastwood but the big bopper can't get there, throws inside and the ball is eventually intercepted by the young gun Zeleniak! On fire that boy

63: OHHH! Reynolds goes down like he is shot! But he's straight up! High shot from Peachey. Dogs on the attack

63: Perrett dragged down by soward 5m out!

64: and from the play the ball, Jackson goes to barge over but is bundled into touch by 4 panthers defenders. Great commitment. Penrith desperate to defend this lead

65: Penrith monstering forward, easy metres

66: Penalty to Penrith, Soward pumps it high and Zelezniak is bundled over in trying to get the ball by Rona who is having an afternoon to forget sadly.

67: Forward pass by Moylan after some very nimble and swift hands from the Panthers, looked very good, execution just a bit off.

68: Segeyaro is penalised after going for a huge hit. But it's deemed to be a shoulder charge. A bit dubious this one. Segeyaro's chest and arms make contact as well. Regardless the Dogs get a chance to get some points

70: TRY CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Scored by Tim Browne. Kick to come.
TRY TIME! Finally the Dogs break the line and score their first points of the season. Graham slides a flat poass to Browne to score under the posts. Doubts on the pass but it's awarded.

70: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Conversion attempt by Trent Hodkinson successful.
No problems. 24-6

71: Another penalty to the Dogs, now in Penrith's half. Come back?

73: TRY CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Scored by Curtis Rona. Kick to come.
Reynolds busts them up the middle and in turn finds Brett Morris who is dragged down 5m out! Penalty after a play the ball infringement.
Two plays later, a nice cut out ball from Hodgkinson hits Rona on the chest and he's over!

73: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS 
Conversion attempt by Trent Hodkinson successful.
No issue, 24-12

73: 7 minutes! Can they score again?

73: Dogs have their tails up!

74: OH DRAMA!!! The Dogs go straight through after Morris offloads to Kaisiano who throws to Josh Morris but the Brett Morris pass is called forward!

75: Penrith only 30m away. Field goal to seal the match?

76: Moylan throws it straight to Perrett as the panthers spread the ball, poor decision by the Youngster! Dogs alive... Just...

78: TRY CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Scored by Brett Morris. Kick to come.
BRETT MORRIS YOU FREAK!!!! He breaks the line and races 60 metres and evades three Panthers. Soward nearly gets him but falls off and Morris falls under the posts! Try

78: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Conversion attempt by Trent Hodkinson successful.
No issues! 24-18! Grandstand finish!

77: Josh Morris gets the ball from the kick off and races down the left flank, he gets hammered about 40m out. Soward comes in late. Its play on though!

78: Knock on Penrith!! Canterbrury get the feed 10m out and only 90 seconds left!

79: Dogs 10m out, 3rd tackle...

79: Rona is dragged down 1m out! Gritty defence by Penrith!!
On the last tackle Reynolds puts it high but it goes into touch!

80: Thats it! Penrith Win!! 24-18. What a finish!

80: Well folks, caught your breath yet??
Penrith nearly let the win slip away. Incredible comeback from the Dogs but just left it a bit too late.
Penrith's defence won it for them and the tackle on Rona with 50 seconds to go was so important.

80: Thanks for joining me Ladies and Gentlemen, congrats to the Panthers!