Panthers chances jump with Griffin sacking

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The odds on Penrith seizing glory this season have shot up after they fired coach Anthony Griffin just four weeks from the NRL Finals.

His relationship with the players is said to have deteriorated and the club was unconvinced he could deliver the Panthers a title. Yet Griffin's sacking comes at an odd time as Penrith had just pulled off a second consecutive comeback victory of epic proportions at the weekend. The Panthers found themselves 14 points down at halftime and trailing by 12 points midway through the second half of their clash on Sunday. But a late rally from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Josh Mansour snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

It followed a sensational comeback victory to beat the Sea Eagles 28-24 the previous weekend, and left Penrith fifth in the ladder and very much in contention. Griffin enjoyed a win percentage of 60% and his team have won 13 out of 20 this season. However, their key rivals are in much better form as we approach the business end of the campaign. The Roosters have been brilliant of late, winning eight of their last nine games, and they extended their winning run to four with victory over the Cowboys at the weekend. The Storm have also won eight of their last nine, while the Rabbitohs have been even more impressive, winning 11 of their last 12.

Check out an Intertops review and find the best odds from reputable bookies and you will see that those three teams are the clear favourites to win the Grand Final. Meanwhile, Penrith have now drifted out to $11 with some bookmakers after the ruthless axing of Griffin. The Panthers were top of the ladder at the start of the Origin period, but their form has been rocky in recent weeks, leaving them just outside the top four now.

"There has been much speculation and rumours about the club and head coach Anthony Griffin over the last few weeks," said Panthers group chief executive Brian Fletcher said in the statement. "After discussions with Anthony Griffin it is time to end that speculation. By mutual agreement, the club and Anthony have agreed to part ways, effective immediately. Anthony departs the club after much success, having taken the Panthers to the finals in the last two years and leaves the club on track for another finals appearance in 2018. We would like to thank Anthony for his service to Panthers and wish him well for the future."

Assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo will take charge for the rest of the season on a caretaker basis. He will lead a group that has displayed a great deal of mental fortitude in the past fortnight. Their top four ambitions are very much alive as they climbed up to 28 points alongside St George Illawarra. Next up they face winnable games against the Titans, Knights and Warriors, and they could end up building formidable momentum at a crucial time of season.

It is a remarkable shift from the pre-finals freefall, which had seen them lose to the Sharks and the Broncos in their previous two games. Against Manly, they were losing 24-6 and staring down the barrel of a fifth defeat in six games. It would have capped a painful decline for a team that sat atop the ladder at the start of the Origin period. No team had ever overcome an 18-point deficit with just 13 minutes left on the clock in NRL history. But Josh Mansour flew over in the corner to kick-start an amazing comeback, as the Panthers scored four late tries in the space of seven minutes to secure a stunning victory.

They were at it again as they outscored Canberra in an entertaining try-fest on Sunday. There are concerns about the weakness of Penrith's defence, but they ran in their highest score of the season on Sunday and they should fancy their chances of outscoring plenty more rivals before the season ends. Now that they have parted company with Griffin, it might unite the players, backroom staff and the management for a push towards glory, so some punters might fancy those longer odds as they bid to overhaul the Roosters, Rabbitohs and Storm.