Panthers blow Titans away late

A late flurry of tries has seen the Penrith Panthers rise to the top of the NRL table with a 36-14 thrashing of the Gold Coast Titans in front of 10,000 fans at Robina tonight.

The infamous five-year plan implemented by club boss Phil Gould looks like it's coming to fruition early at the foot of the mountains - the Panthers will finish the round in first place as we reach the halfway point of the 2014 NRL season and it's largely thanks to an excellent recruitment drive and a well-timed blooding of young talent.

Penrith started with several sets in defence early on before James Segeyaro stepped through several feeble tackle attempts to run 40 metres to score the opening try of the night. The visitors then struggled for ball and field position for the next twenty minutes, conceding a try via Titans' prop Luke Douglas, then conceding an unnecessary penalty goal to trail by two.

The new ladder leaders started flexing their muscle in the ten minutes leading into halftime, striking through Lewis Brown off a similar Segeyaro run, then a penalty goal on halftime putting them ahead 14-8 at the break.

Errors littered the opening exchanges of the second half before the Panthers extended their lead to ten through a try to Isaah Yeo. The Panthers backed it up with a long-ranger to Tyrone Peachey to take the score to 24-8 before a desperate Titans outfit hit back with an entertaining try to David Mead.

But the day was Penrith's - Jamie Soward and Matt Moylan both scored in the final ten minutes to put the Titans away with a final 32-14 scoreline.

The visitors weren't without their issues though - Sika Manu (eyeball) and David Simmons both left the field injured during the game. They'll be assessed before Penrith head home to host the St. George Illawarra Dragons. The Titans are at home again next week against the Melbourne Storm.

GOLD COAST TITANS (14)
Tries: Luke Douglas, David Mead
Conversions: Kevin Gordon (2/2)
Penalty Goals: Kevin Gordon (1/1)

PENRITH PANTHERS (36)
Tries: James Segeyaro, Jamie Soward, Lewis Brown, Isaah Yeo, Tyrone Peachey, Matt Moylan
Conversions: Jamie Soward (5/6)
Penalty Goals: Jamie Soward (1/1)

LATE MAIL: Gold Coast Titans - The hosts see James Roberts drop off the extended bench. They take the field 1-17

LATE MAIL: Penrith Panthers - Tyrone Peachey moves to the bench with Adam Docker starting in second row. Bryce Cartwright has been demoted after making his NRL debut last start.

Plenty riding on this one tonight - welcome to the home of the snake - Cbus Super Stadium at Robina, where the Gold Coast, having slid to tenth after leading the competition earlier this season, will be looking to jump as high as fifth or fourth with a win tonight. The Panthers meanwhile can take the competition lead with a win of ten points or more.
Penrith are looking exciting after putting the weakened Eels through the cleaners last week, but will be wary of a side with plenty of firepower in the Titans - they welcome back big guns Myles and Bird, and have Dave Taylor in some exciting form. Kickoff 5:30pm stay with us.

We are UNDERWAY. Gold Coast with the first use of the ball running left to right on your update screen. Titans in home blue, Panthers pretty in pink. GAME ON.

3: First penalty of the night from the men in pi... well, yellow. Titans have it inside Penrith teritory.

4: Outstanding first set from the Titans. Blair grubbers, forces David Simmons dead with a tackle. Dropout Penrith, Titans to receive.

5: Matt Moylan takes a catch on the full in-goal, Panthers 20m restart. Poor end to that set.

6: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by James Segeyaro. Kick to come.
Segeyaro steps, steps again he's away and it's TRY TIME for the Panthers beside the posts!

7: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
The man in the pink headgear converts with no problems!

10: Good set in defence for the Titans all amounts to nought, they concede a penalty on Penrith's 30m which puts the visitors inside the Titans' half.

12: A Soward grubber is deflected back to Penrith earning the visitors another set of six, but the Panthers then spill it next tackle. Titans now push up field and get their own penalty.

13: Six again Gold Coast after an offload is touched by a Panthers hand. Plenty of pressure here...

14: Segeyaro penalised for not being square at marker. Titans penalty in front, they tap and play.

14: TRY GOLD COAST TITANS
Scored by Luke Douglas. Kick to come.
Douglas drives over from short range running hard off the Srama penalty tap. Great forwards try.

15: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION GOLD COAST TITANS
Conversion attempt by Kevin Gordon successful.
Gordon converts for the Titans to level the scores.

16: UNFORCED ERROR PENRITH PANTHERS
Matt Moylan makes an unforced error.
Moylan takes the kickoff anddddd... it's over the touchline on the full. Titans penalty, play starts from about 30m from Penrith's line.

17: Play stopped with Albert Kelly down injured after Adam Docker tackled him without the ball. He's up and about now though. Penalty Titans.

17: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL GOLD COAST TITANS
Penalty goal attempt by Kevin Gordon successful.
Gordon has no trouble adding the two points from in front.

20: Penrith earn a penalty coming out of their own half, and now go hot on the attack.

21: UNFORCED ERROR PENRITH PANTHERS
Isaah Yeo makes an unforced error.
Penrith look to work the numbers on their attacking left but Yeo can't get the pass right and it's spilled forward. Titans scrum.

23: Double knock on in the middle of the park, Penrith will get a scrum right on halfway.

25: Penrith with a penalty just inside 20m from the Titans line and they take a quick tap. Lots of pressure last few minutes... Titans need to hold out here.

26: Penrith look likely on the right but a few tricky passes lead to David Simmons being tackled just short. Handover Titans.

27: VIDEO REFEREE possible TRY to the Titans. Checking handling and grounding for William Zillman...

28: NO TRY - Zillman ruled to have bobbled it and that's a knock on. Panthers handover. It was a stunning piece of play, Takairangi away down the sideline, kicks ahead inside, Zillman came from the clouds to ground it but he was found to have knocked on.

30: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Lewis Brown. Kick to come.
The Panthers run it on the last and BOOM! It's a try to Brown. Segeyaro ducks up the middle, the ball is passed four or five times before Soward finds Brown running wide and he scores.

31: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Two more points for the visitors.

31: INJURIES - Sika Manu (eyeball) and David Simmons is also off.

33: UNFORCED ERROR PENRITH PANTHERS
Peter Wallace makes an unforced error.
Wallace pushes a pass and it's an error. Titans scrum just short of their own 40.

34: David Mead's scored in the cor... nope. Touchie has ruled he was out... the replay shows that should have gone upstairs.

37: Review of the earlier decision there proves the touchie correct - Mead had left the sideline to catch the ball, he's out. Correct call.

39: Both sides chancing their hands as halftime approaches. Penrith have the ball with sixty seconds to go til halftime, coming off their own line.

40: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL PENRITH PANTHERS
Penalty goal attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
A late penalty puts the Panthers in front by a converted try at the break.

41: We're back underway at Cbus Super Stadium, Penrith take the first set and kick deep on the last.

43: Titans have a penalty and full set in Penrith's danger zone but can't convert it to points. Penrith push back up field.

45: Titans last tackle options not quite what they need. Penrith work it out again.

50: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Isaah Yeo. Kick to come.
TRY TIME for the Panthers, after absorbing plenty of pressure. A dodgy pass inside their own half is cleaned up by Yeo who shrugs off a couple to score.

52: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward unsuccessful.
Missed conversion for Soward.

60: Penrith looking to catch their breath, finding touch with 23 minutes to go deep inside Titans' territory.

62: Titans handle the pressure of repeat sets in defence well and now work it up the park.

65: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Tyrone Peachey. Kick to come.
A long range try which could guide the Panthers to the top of the NRL table! Peachey grabs a poor fifth tackle kick from the Titans and runs 90m to score.

66: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Sixteen the margin now, Soward with his fourth from five attempts.

70: TRY GOLD COAST TITANS
Scored by David Mead. Kick to come.
What a beauty of a try for the Titans! They field a kick return in front of their own posts, make it to halfway, then spread it wide, it's raked from Taylor's grasp and eventually regathered, six more but finds Mead and he races away for a try.

70: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION GOLD COAST TITANS
Conversion attempt by Kevin Gordon successful.
Gordon adds the extras quickly, which puts Canterbury back on top of the competition for now.

75: Penrith attack but the last tackle kick is *just* taken in goal by Mead. Now Titans penalty inside the Penrith 40m.

75: Oh dear me, Titans throw it away. Penrith ball just short of halfway.

77: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Jamie Soward. Kick to come.
TRY TIME for Jamie Soward - the Panthers will finish Round 13 at the top of the table! Picks up a deflected kick on halfway, dodges a couple of defenders and that's too easy.

78: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Soward converts his own four-pointer and the visitors are a happy bunch tonight!

80: TRY PENRITH PANTHERS
Scored by Matt Moylan. Kick to come.
Floodgates opening late here! Moylan is the support player on the back of a Tyrone Peachey break. Great work by the mountain men.

80: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PENRITH PANTHERS
Conversion attempt by Jamie Soward successful.
Soward adds two more for the Panthers and they'll finish with an emphatic victory today.