The Penrith Panthers have avenged their Round 1 defeat to Brisbane downing the Broncos 15-4 in a game overshadowed by Bunker drama at Suncorp Stadium.
This was a match that gave us an early glimpse of what we could see come September. Both sides had plenty of early scoring opportunities, but it was the Panthers that drew first blood after a tense opening ten minutes.
Jarome Luai could get on the outside of the defence and found Sunia Turuva. There was a hint of a double movement, but the try was given to the in-form Fijian flyer. Nathan Cleary converted from the sideline to give Penrith an early 6-0 lead.
Six minutes later, the Panthers thought they had their second try of the contest. Cleary broke through and found Moses Leota, but the big forward was laissez-faire and was dislodged of possession by Kurt Capewell. Fortunately, Penrith was able to get some points for their sustained control down the other end when Cleary knocked over a penalty goal for an 8-0 cushion.
It's arguable the Panthers could've led by more at the break with two tries revoked from the Bunker. The first was the most controversial, with replays showing the slightest knock-ons from Scott Sorensen. The second was more clear cut, with Zac Hosking ruled to have knocked on in the contest denying Stephen Crichton's try. Brisbane's defence was on full display as it was only an 8-0 margin at the change of ends.
To start the second half, the script began the very same way the first half ended. Penrith were able to capitalise and get their second try. Crichton went close on the play before, however, Cleary threw a dummy and went straight through Riki and Taupau to get their second and open up a three-possession lead.
Brisbane were able to work their way back into the game and five minutes later they thought they had their first try. There was some Penrith defence who just stopped in the line and allowed Madden to go through and link up with Walsh to score. However, the Bunker intervened when they spotted a knock-on.
However, five minutes later the Broncos got their reward. A clever cross-field grubber from Reece Walsh found Selwyn Cobbo and the flying winger got his side on the board. However, the Bunker was again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Kotoni Staggs thought he got his side to within four points when he crossed. The Bunker initially cleared interference before Adam Gee intervened and told Ashley Klein "It doesn't look right to me, Ash." That intervention gave Klein a second look and overturned his initial call of interference and enraged the Suncorp Stadium crowd.
The rest of the second half was a slugfest with Penrith dominating possession down the other end of the field and doing enough to win the match. Cleary knocked over a disrespectful field goal at the end of the game to seal a 15-4 verdict.
Penrith wasn't at their best and had several tries taken off the board, but they dug deep for each other and earnt a vital win before their Origin bye week. For the Broncos, their attack missed Adam Reynolds significantly, and although Jock Madden tried his heart out, the difference was clear without their general controlling the show.