Panthers Outclass Raiders

The Penrith Panthers celebrated the return of star players Craig Gower and Ryan Girdler with a comprehensive 42-8 win over the Canberra Raiders at the Penrith Football Stadium tonight.

On a freezing cold night in Sydney's west, Craig Gower gave a 5 star performance as the Panthers dominated the Raiders in every facet of the game, and this was evident when they went to the sheds at halftime with a 22-4 lead.

The second half was pretty much a clone of the 1st half with the Panthers causing the Raiders defence an endless amount of headaches with Craig Gower dominating the game.

It wasn't all peaches and cream for the Panthers though with Ben Ross being placed on report for a dangerous throw and injuries to Ryan Girdler (Sprained Ankle) and Joe Galuvao (Rib) taking the gloss off a great night for the Panthers.

For the Raiders it just wasn't their night with the news that captain Simon Woolford has injured the AC joint in his right shoulder.

Penrith Football Stadium Referee: Tony Archer Video Referee: Stephen Clark Touch Judges: Russell Turner, Jason Weinstein

PANTHERS 42 Tries: Roberts 2, Galea 2, Rooney, Campbell, Lewis, Rodney Goals: Girdler 4/7, Roberts 1/1 defeated RAIDERS 8 Tries: Mogg 2 Goals: Gafa 0/2

By the clock: 0 min: Kick Off

1 min: News: The Panthers bomb a try as Trent Waterhouse drops a pass from Rhys Wesser with the tryline wide open.

6 min: Try-Panthers: Winger Luke Rooney finishes a sideline to sideline movement by scoring in the corner. Ryan Girdler is unsuccessful with the conversion. Panthers 4-0.

10 min: News: Raiders captain Simon Woolford is seen struggling with what appears to be an injury to his right shoulder.

12 min: News: Panthers second rower Joe Galuvao is taken from the field with an injury to his ribs.

13 min: Try-Raiders. Centre Adam Mogg scores in the corner after another sideline to sideline movement. Raiders 5/8th Matt Gafa is unsuccessful with the conversion. 4 all.

17 min: News: Mark McLinden and Tony Puletua are on the ground after a nasty head clash between the two.

26 min: News: Raiders second rower Ian Hindmarsh is down injured after trying to tackle Panthers interchange forward Ben Ross.

27 min: Try-Panthers: Danny Galea scores after some nice lead up work from halves Craig Gower and Preston Campbell. Ryan Girdler is successful with the conversion. Panthers 10-4.

30 min: Try-Panthers: Winger Amos Roberts scores under the posts after backing up a break by fellow winger Luke Rooney. Ryan Girdler is successful with the conversion. Panthers 16-4.

35 min: News: Ben Ross is placed on report for a dangerous throw on Raiders lock Jason Croker.

37 min: Try-Panthers: 5/8th Preston Campbell sprints 40 metres to score his 5th try of the season. Ryan Girdler is successful with the conversion. Panthers 22-4.

Halftime Report: In a fast paced action packed 1st half the Panthers are playing like a side that has something to prove and they don't look like they can get beaten from here but stranger things have happened.

43 min: News: After many looks by the video referee Raiders centre Adam Mogg is denied a try after it is ruled that Mogg lost the ball over the line while trying to ground it.

49 min: Try-Panthers: Centre Luke Lewis scores after a Craig Gower bomb is freakishly picked up by Amos Roberts who in turned throws and inside pass to Lewis. Ryan Girdler is successful with the conversion. Panthers 28-4.

55 min: Try-Panthers: Interchange forward Shane Rodney runs straight through the Raiders defense to score after running onto a perfectly placed pass from Craig Gower. Ryan Girdler is unsuccessful with the conversion. Panthers 32-4.

58 min: Try-Panthers: Amos Roberts scores in the corner after leaping onto a perfectly placed cross field bomb from Craig Gower. Ryan Girdler is unsuccessful with the conversion. Panthers 36-4.

61 min: News: Ryan Girlder is taken off the field with an ankle injury.

62 min: Try-Panthers: Danny Galea scores his second try of the night after running through a gap in the Raiders defence from close out. Amos Roberts is successful with the conversion. Panthers 42-4

70 min: News: Panthers centre Luke Lewis is receiving attention from the trainer.

72 min: News: Panthers interchange player Whatuira is denied a try by the video referee after it is ruled that a Ben Ross chargedown was actually a knock on.

79 min: Try-Raiders: Adam Mogg scores his second try of the night after he pounces on a mistake made by Luke Rooney made close to his own tryline. Matt Gafa is unsuccessful with the conversion. Panthers 42-8.

Fulltime Report: Despite the win there are still some concerns for the Panthers with Ben Ross on report and injuries to star players Ryan Girdler and Joe Galuvao. ----------------------------------------- Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - C Gower (Panthers) 2 - A Roberts (Panthers) 1 - P Campbell (Panthers) -----------------------------------------