Wests Tigers NYC side have pulled off one of the upsets of the season by ending Penrith’s nine-game winning streak with a 10-6 win at Leichhardt Oval.
Brett Kimmorley’s side led from start to finish in a tight Round 16 contest in front of a strong suburban crowd, and despite plenty of opportunities for the Panthers to steal a win, did enough to emerge with a four-point victory on the day.
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After a tight opening quarter that saw limited opportunities for both teams, it was Wests Tigers that posted first points in the 22nd minute, when a well-worked move to the right saw Veiru Mapesone send a hard-running Marion Seve over in the corner.
Mapesone then converted from out wide to give the home side a 6-0 lead.
The top-of-the-table Panthers would continue to mount attacking pressure but come up short as fantastic defence from Brett Kimmorley’s side kept the visitors at bay.
A sharp inside ball from Te Maire Martin to Jeremy Marshall-King almost saw the home side extend their lead before the break, but after a final offload to Esan Marsters, the interchange back-rower was held up in goal and unable to finish off the move.
That saw Wests Tigers take a 6-0 lead into the half-time sheds at Leichhardt Oval.
The second half began with further pressure for the Panthers on Wests Tigers’ line, but continued gritty defence saw the home side hold on to their 6-0 lead.
They would be rewarded for their defensive efforts shortly afterwards in the 52nd minute, with winger Tom Satterthwaite flying highest to pluck a Mapesone bomb out of the air to score in his first game back from injury. Mapesone was unable to add the extras from out wide, though, leaving the scoreline 10-0 in favour of Wests Tigers.
Penrith would finally take advantage of their attacking dominance in the 62nd minute when Paea Pua crashed over off a short ball to reduce the margin to 10-6.
As a great crowd started to build at Leichhardt Oval and cheer home the underdogs, Brett Naden went close to scoring for the Panthers in the final minutes of the match, but his attempted grounding of a kick resulted in a knock-on that saw the home side survive.
That would be the final attacking chance for either team, as Wests Tigers pulled off one of the upset wins of the year to defeat Penrith 10-6 at Leichhardt Oval.
NYC FULL TIME — Wests Tigers 10 (Seve, Satterthwaite tries; Mapesone 1/2 goals) def. Penrith Panthers 6 (Pua tries; Cleary 1/1 goals).
