After conjuring a grand final miracle to break Brisbane's heart last October, Nathan Cleary tormented the Broncos again at BlueBet Stadium on Thursday as he led the premiers to a dominant 34-12 victory.
Cleary finished the night with three try assists, three line break assists and four tackle breaks while fullback Dylan Edwards ran for 307 metres as the Panthers made it seven wins in their past eight games against Brisbane.
The night started badly for the Broncos when fullback Reece Walsh was forced from the field after just four minutes following a head clash with Taylan May and was unable to return.
May was placed on report for failing to lower his body height and attempt to make a tackle, with Brisbane's new kicker Kotoni Staggs landing the penalty goal for a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers hit their straps in the 14th minute when Cleary sent a pinpoint long pass over the top for winger Sunia Turuva to cross wide out and make it 4-2 to the premiers.
Sunia Turuva Try
The home side then turned up the pressure and makeshift fullback Selwyn Cobbo did a fine job to defuse two grubbers to keep Brisbane's line intact before the weight of possession told and Izack Tago skipped through a Brendan Piakura tackle to score. Cleary converted for a 10-2 lead.
When Mitch Kenny exploded out of dummy half and fooled Billy Walters with a dummy to grab the Panthers' third try the score had blown out to 16-2 after 25 minutes.
Having had his cut stitched, Walsh returned to the sideline with 10 minutes remaining in the half but headed back up the tunnel after experiencing problems with his vision.
Cleary busts the line
The Broncos launched a right side raid in the 34th minute which ended with Deine Mariner trying to dive into the corner but stepping on the sideline before he took flight.
A mistake by Fletcher Baker on his own 30-metre line handed the Panthers field position and Cleary made the Broncos pay when he put the ball on a platter for Tago to cross for his second.
Trailing 22-2 at the break the Broncos were dealt a hammer blow when Walsh was officially ruled out for the rest of the game and the Panthers went further ahead when slick hands created space for Brian To'o to score.
Come the 50th minute and To'o made it a double courtesy of a Jarome Luai long ball before the Broncos finally got on the board through Mariner, who showed some great footwork to beat three defenders,
On the hour mark the Broncos produced a long-range special when Piakura found space down the left wing and sent the ball back inside to Jesse Arthars who powered through Edwards' tackle to score to get it back to 34-12.
Kotoni Staggs then muscled up in defence to force an error from Liam Martin as the Broncos hung tough in the face of adversity.
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Match Snapshot
- Broncos fullback Reece Walsh was sent for a HIA in the fourth minute after a head clash with Taylan May, who was placed on report for high contact. Walsh passed his HIA but was unable to return due to facial swelling.
- The Panthers completed 19 of 21 sets in the opening half and had five line breaks to Brisbane's none.
- Dylan Edwards chalked up 307 metres for the Panthers from 29 runs.
- Panthers centre Izack Tago now has seven career doubles in 51 games.
- Broncos lock Pat Carrigan worked hard all night with 157 run metres and 43 tackles.
May on report after Walsh forced from the field
- Panthers winger Sunia Turuva has scored seven tries in his past four games at BlueBet Stadium.
- The Panthers have won seven of their past eight games against the Broncos.
- Broncos prop Martin Taupau was placed on report in the 45th minute for lifting his knee as he took the ball into the defensive line.
- Panthers winger Brian To’o has scored 18 tries in his past 15 NRL games. He ran for 263 metres on the night, including 111 post-contact metres.
- Panthers centre Taylan May left the field in the 58th minute for a HIA which he passed. Prop Lindsay Smith went for a HIA in the 76th minute.
- Broncos back-rower Brendan Piakura was sent for a HIA in the 78th minute.
More push and shove at Penrith
Play of the Game
Izack Tago's second try was a thing of beauty, laid on for the in-form centre by the game's premier playmaker in Nathan Cleary. The two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner glided across the field, dummied twice and bamboozled the Broncos defence before delivering a perfectly timed short ball to send Tago over for Penrith's fourth of the night.
Izack Tago Try
What They Said
"I thought the way we were disciplined about how we wanted to play and then the choices we were making based on that, I thought was as good as we've done for a while, even last year. So hopefully that's a sign of things to come... no one wants to see one of the best players [Reece Walsh] go off, but I thought it was an accident, I thought he was actually trying to pull out of the tackle. Reece Walsh moves pretty fast so these things can happen, it's unfortunate for Reece." - Panthers coach Ivan Cleary
Panthers: Round 3
"We faced a bit of adversity there early and we didn't handle it as well as we should've. The second half was better, we got into some rhythm, but the game was gone by then and it was too late. I thought our start was actually pretty good until we had to make those adjustments and as a team we didn't handle that too well. Then we started to try and do things as individuals which was never going to work, both in defence and attack, and before we knew it the game was gone." - Broncos coach Kevin Walters
Broncos: Round 3
What's Next
The Panthers open the Easter weekend of footy with a trip to Allianz Stadium on Thursday night to face the Roosters.
The Broncos will be sweating on the fitness of Reece Walsh and Adam Reynolds as they square off with the Cowboys in a massive Queensland derby at Suncorp Stadium.