League: Warriors blow chances with bit of biffo

Sione Faumuina is tackled by Penrith Panthers' Rhys Wesser as the Warriors find another way to make things hard for themselves. Picture / Fotopress

Panthers 42 Warriors 34

The Warriors' playoff hopes are down to mathematical calculations after they went to sleep for 15 minutes of the first half during their 42-34 loss at Penrith and spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.

That's hard to do when you concede eight penalties to one, have your bench prop in the sin-bin five minutes either side of halftime and continue to have mental lapses on defence.

The Warriors were cut up about a penalty that went against Brent Webb and Monty Betham in the 68th minute. The pair ran to the defence of halfback Stacey Jones who had been flattened by a shoulder charge from Panther prop Ben Ross.

Captain Steve Price approached referee Russell Smith with the line that the penalty was due the Warriors but Smith naturally followed the NRL's line and awarded it to the Panthers for the retaliation of Webb and Betham.

When Preston Campbell kicked the goal to make it 36-28 what momentum the Warriors were building was gone and so was the time in which to win. By then, they had let the Panthers build a belief they were going to win.

It leaves the Warriors in dire straits, needing victory in all four remaining games - against the Eels and Knights at home and the Storm and Sea Eagles away - plus reliance on other results going their way. The only consolations from the weekend were that the Roosters remain level with them on 20 points, plus the fact no one was injured.

There appears little point in coach Tony Kemp reshuffling his side at this late stage. It is more a matter of getting them to perform as he knows they can and as they did against Brisbane and Canberra.

But he and Price will be wondering what spark is required because the various motivations of desperation to make the playoffs - building credibility with their fans by producing repeat wins, saving the coaching staff and sending Jones off after a good last season with the club - appear to be doing it.

They had the best possible start in Penrith when their first set was followed by a second after a Rhys Wesser fumble, then a try to Nathan Fien. But from there the Panthers replied with five touchdowns, most of them soft and as a result of poor decision-making by the Warriors rather than scintillating Panthers attack. When Richard Villasanti was sin-binned for a professional foul just before the break, with the score 28-12, their day looked done.

But, as has often been the case this season, they dragged themselves back into things when possession went their way and they held it, scoring 16 unanswered points to level at 28-all, looking like they could score more.

Panther's centre Paul Franze squashed that thought when he pushed through ordinary defence, Campbell converted from the sideline to show that luck was with the home side and then came the Jones-Ross incident and the two penalty points that killed them.

Wesser scored again, Sione Faumuina replied after the hooter had gone, the total 76 points down to leaky defences rather than skilled execution on attack.

Afterwards, Price told the media that he believed Ross could have pulled out of the tackle on Jones. The eyes of Ross "lit up" when he saw it was the much smaller halfback he was charging at, Price said.

Certainly, Ross made no attempt at a kick charge-down. Jones was left prostrate for about a minute. Play continued up-field as players from both sides exchanged blows near where the halfback lay. Smith took a touch-judge's report and one from video ref Phil Cooley before giving the Panthers the kick at goal.

Told of Price's comments, Panthers coach John Lang replied with an accusation of his own. "Steve Price is the last guy to be complaining about hitting a guy late after he has kicked the ball," Lang said. "It happens every week and if they want to start penalising people that's fine, but for Pricey to be blowing up about it ... he's kidding himself."

Price's response was that he never played dirty.

Penrith won the forward clash. Props Joel Clinton and Ross made 153m and 136m respectively while the Warriors' best were Ruben Wiki with 114m and Price with 107m.

Panthers captain Craig Gower engineered much of their attack in an open game played at pace, Smith keeping a big 10m between the teams. It was a situation that should have suited the Warriors. Instead, they found yet another way to make things hard for themselves.