Panthers open up ledger over Bay

Portland Panthers received the confidence boost they needed  when they romped home to a deserved 36-22 victory over the Bay Slayers.
Following Saturday's timely win, a relieved Panthers' coach Craig Bird said his side was desperate for a win, and to win at home after three consecutive losses in the Whangarei City and Districts Rugby League Competition was satisfying.
"We have a lot of young guys in the team this year - and a few of them are just learning how to play league, having switched from rugby ... but they have started to believe in themselves and they are starting to click as a team now - we were desperate for a win today and it showed in the way we played," Bird said.
The Panthers were the better team on the day with their gutsy 80-minute performance. New recruits Setima Paraha and Josh Poasa worked tirelessly in the forwards. Scrum-half Kass Wall and stand-off Linn Hunapo combined effectively in the halves, while 48-year-old fullback Raki Harding was still going strong, and led from the front, Bird said.
Bay Slayers' Simon Latu scored early in the piece, but it was the all Portland show for the most of the first half. Jason Hita, Paul Langi, Charles Shelford, Charles Lawrence and Anthony Carter all crossed the line to help their side to a handy 24-10 lead at halftime. After the break, the Slayers put down a soft try, which kick-started Portland once more.
The Panthers  sent Hunapo in to score in the far corner to extend their lead after 60 minutes.
Charles Lawrence added the Panthers' final points with only minutes remaining in the game, charging over several of the Bay Slayers to dot the ball down under the posts, with Shelford converting the try.
The Slayers fired one last shot late in the match, when Santos Gilies ran around the relaxed Portland defence to score, but the Panthers had it in the bag, and were already celebrating their first win of the 2010 season.
In the top-of-the-table clash between Moerewa Tigers and Hokianga Pioneers, the Tigers outclassed their visitors with a 38-19 defeat to maintain their pole position. Hokianga spent too much of the first half on defence after losing early possession, and their high tackle-rate took its toll on the side during the second half. Although they were 16-16 at halftime, the Pioneers could not match their hosts' second half determined performance.
Anything that could go wrong did for for the Kaikohe Lions, who travelled to Takahiwai to play the side on the hunt for a win after last weekend's upset home loss to Moerewa.
With only 12 men on board, the Lions left Kaikohe only to be caught up in the road block at Mangakahia, and were forced to travel back to Kaikohe and take the alternative road south to Takahiwai.
Their match, scheduled to kick off at 2.30pm, started an hour late, but with a man down, and no one on the bench, Kaikohe struggled through the 80 minutes as Takahiwai thrashed them 76-6.
At Dargaville, City Knights held off a late-charging Wairoa Bulls, to win 38-34. Trailing 12-16 at halftime, the Bulls fired up in the second 40 to close the gap with  several tries, but they fell short by two points, with the Knights winning two weeks on the trot.
At Otaika Sports Park, Hikurangi were too strong for the visiting Otaua side, winning 62-8.