Panthers stage dramatic fightback at Brookvale

v BYE

Coming from 20-points behind, a young Panthers outfit has silenced the Manly faithful to secure a 31-24 victory in front of 12,463 fans at Brookvale Oval.

With the Sea Eagles appearing in control, the flair of the young Panthers proved too much for the home side to overcome, as the visitors produced six scintillating four-pointers to move back inside the top eight.

Needing less than two minutes to open their account, Sea Eagles five-eighth Dylan Walker breached the Panthers goal-line with some dazzling footwork to give the home side the perfect start.

Responding with a try of their own in the 12th minute, Penrith rookie Nathan Cleary delivered a well-timed pass to utility Tyrone Peachey, who continued his strong vein of recent try-scoring form.

With the game seemingly headed for a high-scoring contest, the home side muscled up as they made their intent known with further tries to Tom Trbojevic (17th minute) and a piece of individual brilliance by Walker to collect his second.

Adding a further two points off the back of a Walker penalty goal just before the break, the Sea Eagles rounded out their best half of the season to lead 20-4.

Returning from a collarbone injury, Manly flyer Jorge Taufua touched down early after the resumption of play to give the home side a 24-4 buffer, but with the game seemingly beyond doubt Penrith launched a remarkable fightback.

Narrowing the margin to ten courtesy of tries to Josh Mansour (49th minute) and Nathan Cleary (54th minute), the visitors began to gain the ascendancy after sustaining repeated pressure from the Sea Eagles.

Taking the lead with further tries to Leilani Latu (67th minute) and Peter Wallace (70th minute) only moments apart, the momentum had well and truly shifted as the Panthers surged off the back of their youthful exuberance.

A final try to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (74th minute) and a field-goal from captain Matt Moylan iced the game for the visitors, as they recorded a memorable win heading into the bye.

Stooping to their fifth consecutive loss, the Sea Eagles appear destined to miss the play-offs once again and have the added burden of missing three of their most experienced campaigners for lengthy periods.

While the result will surely please coach Anthony Griffin, the Panthers will need to ensure their intent from the outset improves or else they may find themselves at the mercy of classier teams heading into the business end of 2016.

Next week, Manly tackle the Titans at CBus Super Stadium on Monday night, while the Panthers have the bye before hosting South Sydney at home the following Friday.