Panthers pounce on hapless Titans

The Penrith Panthers have disposed of a hapless Gold Coast Titans outfit with a dominant 40-0 victory lead by an outstanding Matthew Moylan who starred in front of a strong local crowd of 6,240 Carrington Park in Bathurst.

Penrith came into the match fresh off a strong 24-18 victory over a fast finishing Canterbury side whilst the Titans were looking to make amends after their heartbreaking 19-18 home defeat at the hands of the West Tigers.

The opening exchanges were riddled with errors and penalties as the referees proceeded to punish any ill discipline around the ruck area. Both teams had chances in the opening minutes but it was the Titans who thought they had scored first points in the seventh minute as Aidan Sezer showed tremendous vision to find a flying Anthony Don with a chip kick only to be ruled offside in a questionable decision by the video referee. Minutes later, Zillman appeared to cross the stripe via a sweeping backline movement only for the luckless run to continue for the Titans as they were denied for a dubious obstruction call.

Errors and penalties continued to plague both sides during the first twenty minutes before Penrith capitalised on numerous repeat sets on the Titans line as Jamal Idris strolled through some pedestrian edge defence to score first points in the twentieth minute. The Panthers were in again seven minutes later as Dean Whare cleaned up a spilled ball from Anthony Don and planted the ball in the corner to take an 8-0 lead into half time.

Both sides continued to be ill disciplined in both attack and defence after the break with the run of errors and penalties that plagued the first half continuing into the second.

It would be Penrith who would find their feet first in the second half through a rampaging Jamal Idris who crashed over some soft defence to claim his second of the afternoon. Matt Moylan took over the kicking duties and made no mistake pushing the score out to 14-0 early in the second half.

Idris completed his hat-trick thirteen minutes later as he received a beautiful ball from Jamie Soward to power over Daniel Mortimer and reach out to plant the ball on the chalk to make the score 18-0 with 25 minutes remaining.

Matt Moylan helped put the game to bed in the 64th minute as his magical short ball to Dean Whare helped the New Zealand International race away untouched to all but end any hopes of a Titans comeback.

Moylan put in an enormous second half display as he tore the Gold Coast side to pieces having a hand in three of the five second half tries for the Panthers.

The Titans failed to put up a fight as their appalling discipline and luckless run with officials was compounded by a completion rate below fifty percent that left the Gold Coast looking more like a schoolboy side.

Penrith ran away with the game in the latter stages with tries to Cartwright, Jennings and Manu sealing the 40-0 demolition job in front of a strong local crowd in Bathurst.

The Panthers will look to continue their dominance as they face a tough task against the Sydney Roosters while the Titans will face the Newcastle Knights at home in what is shaping as a crucial match in getting their season on track.

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Matt Moylan
2 points - Jamal Idris
1 point - Jamie Soward

PENRITH PANTHERS (40)
Tries: Jamal Idris (3), Dean Whare (2), George Jennings, Sika Manu, Bryce Cartwright
Conversions: Jamie Soward (0/2), Matt Moylan (4/6)

GOLD COAST TITANS (0)

1: Welcome to the first game of Super Saturday at Carrington Park, Bathurst! Penrith are 1-17 with Isaah Yeo dropping off an extended bench while the Titans lose Kevin Gordon with a broken nose due to a training accident mid-week, replaced on the wing by Anthony Don. Matt Robinson drops off the five man bench. Will the Titans be able to bounce back from a tough first round loss to the Tigers or will the Panthers continue their strong start to the season? Kick off is 10 minutes away!

1: William Zillman kicks off and we are underway!

2: Solid opening sets for both teams. Penrith in promising attacking position in Titans half.

4: Gold Coast survive after a leaping Idris knocks the ball on.

5: Sezer's kick goes dead and Penrith on the attack in the Titans half.

5: Forward pass! Panthers probing lead up play cut down after Moylan's offload goes forward.

7: Possible try to Anthony Don after a kick in behind the defence. On field decision is NO TRY.

7: No Try. A questionable ruling of offside denies a certain Anthony Don try. Panthers penalty coming off their own line.

7: A bone rattling tackle from Nate Myles! Wallace cut in half by Myles and Pettybourne

8: DWZ takes a tough spiral bomb. Both teams involved in tough opening exchanges.

8: Penalty going the way of the Gold Coast. An easy pressure release and they will begin their set on half way.

8: Penalty for crowding in front of the posts for the Titans. Moseley taps and the Titans are on the attack

9: POSSIBLE TRY for Zillman. The on-field call is no try for a possible obstruction.

9: NO TRY. Penalty to Panthers for an obstruction. Penrith get out of jail again.

10: Good touch finder has the Panthers on the attack in the Titans half

10: UNFORCED ERROR PENRITH PANTHERS
Jamal Idris makes an unforced error.
Idris flicks the pass forward to Jennings

11: Gold Coast on the attack in Panthers half

12: DWZ takes a brilliant catch again! This kid has started the game well that's for sure.

13: Referee blows another pressure relieving penalty! Huge touch finder has the Titans on the attack inside the Panthers 30m line.

13: Nate Myles drops the ball of the tap restart and compounds the mistake with a penalty to Penrith. Neil Henry would be fuming with that! Penrith now on the attack on the Gold Coast side of half way.

14: Segeyaro drops the ball at acting half and Douglas jumps on the ball and Titans are working their way out of their own half again

15: Pettybourne has been massive in the opening exchanges with yet another hit up!

15: Goodness gracious. Sezer fields a poor pass from Zillman and fails to get a kick away on last. Change over.

16: Douglas gives away a silly penalty with Penrith on the attack inside the Titans thirty metre line. Silly errors from both teams have made for a scrappy five minute exchange.

16: Another penalty to Penrith. Panthers attacking the line with the Titans struggling to hang on here

17: ANOTHER penalty. Titans are withstanding the pressure but only just!

18: We are going upstairs again for a POSSIBlLE TRY. The on-field referees have ruled a TRY but are checking the obstruction.

18: NO TRY. The video referees have ruled Ryan James was taken out by Brent Kite and we remain scoreless after nearly twenty minutes of scrappy football.

19: UNFORCED ERROR GOLD COAST TITANS
Lachlan Burr makes an unforced error.
Lachlan Burr attempts a silly offload whilst on the ground and loses possesion. Penrith on the attack again inside the Titans half.

20: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Jamal Idris. Kick to come.
Jamal Idris is over! The Titans finally cracked after numerous sets on their line and Idris was simply too big and too strong for the defence.

20: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward unsuccessful.
Jamie Soward unsuccessful with his first kick from out wide. Score remains 4-0 to the Panthers

23: Penrith receive their seventh penalty inside the first twenty-two minutes. Gold Coast doing themselves no favours. Penrith on the attack inside the Titans half once again

24: Jamie Soward knocks the ball on with a certain try on his outside looming! Titans off the hook for now...

24: Quick tap! Titans are away after a penalty early in their set

25: Poor kick from Sezer and Panthers gain possesion five metres from their own line.

26: ANOTHER PENALTY! The referees are finding indiscretions all over the place as Penrith recieve a piggy back into the Titans half.

27: Possible TRY to Dean Whare out wide for the Panthers. On field decision is TRY.

27: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Dean Whare. Kick to come.
DWZ wrestles the ball in mid-air from Anthony Don and knocks it back to Dean Whare who finishes the try neatly in the corner. Panthers lead 8-0 with kick to come from out wide.

28: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward unsuccessful.
Soward misses another tough attempt. Score remains Panthers 8 Gold Coast 0

29: What a calamity! The Panthers have let the ball bounce dead between three players from the kick off. Titans looking to score their first points of the afternoon.

30: Mortimer puts the ball down on tackle three after panicked play leads to yet another error! Penrith working their way out of their own half once again.

31: Soward settles play with a touch finder inside the Titans 10m line. 7 minutes remaining in the first half.

32: A penalty to the Titans inside the Panthers 10m line. Referee talking to Wallace about repeated infringements. 5 minutes remaining in the half. Apologies for time piece once again.

33: Sezer CRUNCHED! A try was looming on the outside but Dean Whare put a stop to that with a rattling rib shot!

34: A seven tackle set will ensue after the Panthers kick it dead. Under four minutes remaining in the first park at Bathurst

35: Moylan makes another bust! Penrith on the attack once more searching for their third try.

37: Segeyaro dribbles the ball into the in-goal and Zillman has no option but to carry it dead for a goal-line drop out.

38: Lewis Brown attempts to barge over from short range but he is held up!

40: Zillman cleans up the kick from Penrith and that is half time at Bathurst! An interesting first half to say the least! Penrith 8 lead the Gold Coast 0

40: Half Time at Carrington Park in Bathurst! Penrith 8 Gold Coast 0. In what was a scrappy first half of footballErrors and penalties have been a dominant feature with Penrith getting the rub of possession and luck from the referees whistle. The Titans were denied two early tries by questionable video referee decisions before the Panthers capitalised on their extended stay in the Titans half by scoring two tries through Jamal Idris and Dean Whare. Will Neil Henry be able to inspire his troops to a second half fightback or will the Panthers run away with the contest in the second half? Second half coming soon!

40: We are back underway! Titans will have first crack with the ball in the second half.

40: Roberts with an absolutely electric break but the Titans bomb another one! Henry will be furious.

40: Now Idris makes a mistake. Both teams have started with errors!

42: Forward pass! Neil Henry will be ripping his hair out!

47: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Jamal Idris. Kick to come.
Jamal Idris bags a double! Crashes over some soft defence and the score goes to 12-0 in favour of Penrith

47: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan successful.
Moylan takes over the kicking duties and makes no mistake. Panthers 14 Titans 0

48: Soward finishes a clinical set with a touch finding kick inside the Titans 10m line.

50: Lookout! DWZ winds up for a big run off a poor kick from the Titans. Panthers on the attack once more in the Titans half.

52: The call has been overturned! Titans unlucky once more with the men in lime green!

52: Titans under immense pressure. Will do well to hold out the Panthers here!

53: We have a possible TRY! Idris may have bagged a HAT-TRICK here. On field decision is TRY.

53: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Jamal Idris. Kick to come.
TRY! Jamal Idris uses his huge frame to run over Mortimer and reach out to the line and bag a HAT-TRICK! Pushes the score out to Penrith 18 Gold Coast 0

54: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan unsuccessful.
Moylan sprays the attempt across the face of goal. Remains 18-0 to Penrith.

55: Zillman takes a towering bomb from Soward. Titans working their way out from the twenty metre line.

56: Sezer's bomb comes down with snow on it and Moylan spills the ball! A great opportunity for the Titans to score some points and have a chance in this game.

57: COACH KILLER! The Titans show promise in attack but Hoffman spills the ball with Don free on his outside.

58: Another penalty to the Panthers. Ball control and discipline is becoming a huge issue for the Titans today in Bathurst.

59: TItans working their way out of their half once again looking to finally complete a set!

60: NO NO NO! Titans continue to be ill disciplined both in attack and defence as they spill the ball once more and concede a penalty soon after! Penrith on the attack looking to seal the game here.

61: Offload central here in Bathurst! Offload after offload finally leads to an error. Titans will get the scrum feed ten metres out from their own line.

63: Titans make another error. Surprise surprise.

64: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Dean Whare. Kick to come.
Moylan probes the Titans defence before delivering a delightful ball to a rampaging Dean Whare who puts this game to bed. Penrith 22 Gold Coast 0

65: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan successful.
Moylan slots it through the posts. Penrith 24 Gold Coast 0

66: Cartwright loses control of the ball in the tackle. Can the Titans finally seize their opportunity and make this scoreline respectable?

67: Titans make yet another error. A day to forget.

70: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by George Jennings. Kick to come.
Marvellous play! That is champagne rugby league. A beautiful set play by the Panthers as Matt Moylan delivers the final pass to George Jennings to cross in the corner and treat the locals to a well-executed rugby league try!

71: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan successful.
Slots it from the sideline. Do you expect anything else from this wonder kid? Panthers 30 Titans 0

71: Zillman with a rookie error.

72: Possible try here to Manu. On field decision is TRY. Video Referee has been kept busy today!

73: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Sika Manu. Kick to come.
All too easy for Sika Manu. A simple ball across the face of Kite to score untouched next to the posts. Panthers 34 Titans 0

73: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan successful.
Moylan makes no mistake.

74: DWZ nearly pulled a rabbit out of the hat but puts a foot in touch and loses control of the ball. Panthers are looking to put the icing on the cake here. Titans scrum feed on their own thirty.

75: Poor finish to the set. Panthers hold strong in defence and keep a clean slate on the scoreline.

77: Another error. 15/32 sets completion rate for the Titans. Even the Globetrotters couldn't win a game with that sort of football.

79: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Bryce Cartwright. Kick to come.
Fans call for another try and Cartwright delivers! A beautiful long ball from Soward to Idris who delivers a nice offload to a sweeping Cartwright to score in the corner. Panthers 40 Titans 0

80: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Matt Moylan unsuccessful.
Ball didn't come back enough. Score remains Panthers 40 Titans 0

80: And that is it from Carrington Park in Bathurst! A hapless Titans side were put to the sword by a ruthless Panthers side lead by Matt Moylan 40 points to nil.