The Penrith Panthers have continued a strong record in Bathurst with a 22-6 victory over the Wests Tigers.
Posting their sixth win from ten appearances at Carrington Park over the past decade, the hosts, led by Central West junior Isaah Yeo, were a class above in the ‘Battle of the Big Cats' to the delight of a 12,000 strong crowd.
Having stunned the premiers with an upset victory in Bathurst last season, the Wests Tigers impressed in the opening stages and were rewarded with Junior Tupou (9th minute) crossing for his first try of the season.
The Panthers held their nerve defensively after the initial blemish and were rewarded with Sunia Turuva (15th minute) touching down in the corner to lock the scores up at 6-all.
Tupou's inability to catch a long-range kick from Brad Schneider proved costly with the hosts shifting the ball right to send Turuva (26th minute) over for his second four-pointer.
Holding a 10-6 advantage for more than half an hour, the Panthers struck a huge blow midway through the second half with former Bulldogs centre Paul Alamoti (63rd minute) crashing over for a try on his club debut.
Wrapping up a hard-fought result following an error from John Bateman brought on by desperation, James Fisher-Harris (71st minute), charged over next to the posts to finish an emotional week for the departing New Zealand forward.
Next week, the Panthers will take on the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night, while the Tigers will host the Broncos at Campbelltown earlier on Saturday.