NRL: Panthers slip from Warriors' grasp

Warriors players can't hide the disappointment of another loss. Photo / Greg Bowker

Panthers 18
Warriors 16

If the meltdown against Manly in Perth three weeks ago was the straw that broke the Warriors' back this season, yesterday's loss to Penrith may well have been the dagger to coach Brian McClennan's heart.

McClennan praised the bravery of his players after a late Travis Robinson try condemned his side to a sixth straight defeat, but that healthy supply of pluck never looked likely to stave off the late fade-out that has become the trademark of this side.

Hooker Nathan Friend dislocated a shoulder, Sione Lousi and Shaun Johnson suffered nasty head knocks and Micheal Luck was briefly incapacitated by a late hit to the back.

That high attrition rate left an already severely weakened Warriors side initially scrambling to defend an early 10-point lead, and later attempting to cling to a 16-12 advantage as the clock ticked down.

However, just as in earlier defeats by Manly, Cronulla and Newcastle, the Warriors were unable to defend their line when it mattered most.

"I know on the cold face of it, yes, we got run down [again]," McClennan said. "But I am pretty proud of what happened out there. I know the result wasn't the result that we all wanted. We tried really hard.

"In terms of effort I was really happy with the players. I thought the boys really worked hard for each other.

"Execution obviously was down a bit but, look, the guys gave a real dig for each other out there. I said to them in the sheds I am proud of them."

While it was no repeat of the meek capitulations to the Sharks and Cowboys, Penrith's ineptitude was a key reason the Warriors avoided another heavy defeat.

The Panthers were for the most part terrible, botching a host of scoring opportunities while handing the Warriors the opening two tries via a defensive bungle and an intercept pass thrown directly into Shaun Johnson's grateful mitts.

"It wasn't the world's best game was it," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary conceded. "It's just good to win. We haven't done it too often. It doesn't matter how you win. It looked like two teams who haven't won much this year, that's what that second half looked like."

The Warriors' failings were all too familiar. They coughed up 15 errors, missed 30 tackles and conceded tries at the end of each half.

If there were any positives, they came in the form of back-up hooker Pita Godinet's twinkling feet. That the diminutive playmaker hasn't been used more this season than a lone hit out against the Storm in Melbourne is a mystery. With Friend's season surely over, Godinet should at least get a chance to state his case over the final two games of the season.

Those matches - against the Dragons in Wollongong on Saturday night and the Raiders at Mt Smart eight days later - now take on unwanted significance for the Warriors. Parramatta's defeat by the Titans yesterday should see the Warriors avoid the wooden spoon, but they could yet be overhauled by the Panthers and Roosters and finish second-last.

That would be quite a comedown for a club that last year reached the grand final and went into this season optimistic it could go one better.