All aboard Penrith revival after gripping win over Dogs
Penrith's NRL revival is well and truly on after securing an 8-6 defeat of Canterbury for a fourth straight win.
In one of the best games of the season so far, Nathan Cleary produced the defining moment when he charged down a Matt Burton kick and scored in the second half.
It was Penrith's only try after they trailed 6-2 at halftime, but proved enough to overcome a Bulldogs side that had only been beaten twice previously this year.
CHARGE DOWN! 😤 #NRLPanthersBulldogs pic.twitter.com/gOFjDTZOoZ
— NRL (@NRL) June 26, 2025
Cleary did not kick goals, due to a groin issue, but got through the game unscathed, although there was a fresh concern for NSW winger BrianTo'o.
Already battling his own hamstring issues this year, To'o required his left knee to be strapped in the first half at CommBank Stadium.
That was about the only issue for the four-time defending premiers, who were last on the ladder a month ago but could now finish this weekend as high as sixth.
And while last week's win over the Warriors was impressive without their five State of Origin stars, Thursday night showed Penrith can still match it with the best.
In an absorbing first half the Panthers got on the board via a penalty goal for a Viliame Kikau high shot, before Jacob Preston bagged Canterbury's only try.
But that did little to sum up 40 minutes that went from end-to-end, only for both sides' defence to hold on.
After Cleary's match-defining charge-down with 26 minutes left, the Bulldogs still had late chances to win it.
Matt Burton spilt a ball from 30 metres out with two minutes to go in the set after a To'o high tackle, before a Stephen Crichton pass went into touch on the siren.
The result means Canterbury will be knocked off the top of the ladder for the first time since March if Canberra beat Newcastle on Friday night.
But the Dogs lost no admirers, playing 80 minutes with 16 men after Daniel Suluka-Fifita was concussed in the first tackle of the game.
Canterbury's best win of the season was a come-from-behind effort against the Raiders, but that remains their only match against a top-four side.
The Bulldogs blunted almost everything Penrith threw at them.
Crichton denied Casey McLean one try when he got to a ball and batted it out, and later hit Blaize Talagi hard to end a late first-half attacking raid.
Connor Tracey also pulled off one of the try-savers of the season, denying McLean midway through the openting stanza.
Canterbury's defence rushed Cleary at every opportunity, and it was telling that Penrith's only try did not come from structured play.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
90-millimetre detail that could force Swans to abandon 'unsafe' home ground
AFL bosses are reportedly weighing up taking the Swans and Dockers game away from the SCG on Sunday, and the Sydney weather forecast might force their hand. The playing surface at the iconic ground copped widespread condemnation on Friday night during the Swans and Western Bulldogs game. The turf at the Paddington end was noticeably patchy, and players were frequently slipping over. The SCG hosted an Andrea Bocelli concert in April, and the turf has been below its best for weeks. Speaking on Sunday night, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir added his voice to the criticism. The Dockers' finals hopes last year were torpedoed by a series of injuries to key players late in the season, and Longmuir fears his team will be at risk if they have to play at the SCG on Sunday. "I watched the game on Friday night, and we'll be led by the AFL, but the moment my brain goes to, 'That's unsafe for players', I have a concern," Longmuir said. "And I went there on Friday night. I thought it was a bit unsafe, especially down the left hand side." Longmuir pointed out an incident in which Bulldogs player Bailey Williams got his foot caught in the turf. "I think the Bailey Williams one - we just can't put players out there and risk their safety if the ground's not right," he said. SCG staff are hoping to have the ground right for Sunday, but the weather forecast won't help their cause. Between 35mm and 90mm of rain is forecast on Tuesday - and more of the same on Wednesday - in what will further hamper the hopes of having the SCG turf up to scratch. "If the AFL deem it safe to play, we'll play, and I won't speak another moment of it," Longmuir said. "The AFL approached us and they're going to look at it, like they should, and they've got the experts and will be guided by them. But I thought it was unsafe the other night." Speaking on SEN radio on Monday morning, David King and Kane Cornes both slammed the SCG surface and questioned how it got the tick of approval for the Swans-Bulldogs game. 'You can't have two different surfaces on the same venue," King said. 'You've got to wear certain boots in one area of the ground and certain boots in another area of the ground. What a disgrace. They're going to have to do something and get that sorted this week. I mean, you have to do a safety check, don't you?' Cornes added: 'I'm as hard as anyone on players wearing the wrong boots, but this wasn't a boot discussion, this was shifting turf underneath feet. Now, some players handled it a little bit better, (Lachie) Bramble was just skating on it, he didn't care, he could stand up, whereas everyone else was falling over. How does that happen?' RELATED: West Coast coach calls for AFL explanation over Collingwood call Ken Hinkley spotted in eye-opening move in Port coach's box Jonathan Brown said in commentary for Fox Footy during the game it was the worst he'd ever seen the SCG. 'Are you allowed to play on this surface?" he asked. 'I remember playing early on the Colonial Stadium surface - and that was a sandpit - but this is shocking. 'This is disgraceful mismanagement by the ground, how they've allowed it to get to this. It's a real shame. It's been a really good spectacle, the ball movement, when both teams get going.'
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
Potgieter wins Rocket Classic on 5th playoff hole, outlasting Greyserman and Kirk
Aldrich Potgieter ended the protracted Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to outlast Max Greyserman for his first PGA Tour title on Sunday. "I finally got one to the hole," Potgieter said after missed opportunities on the green by three players led to the longest playoff of the season on the tour. He celebrated by embracing his caddie and shaking hands with Greyserman and his caddie before giving his father, Heinrich, a hug. The 20-year-old Potgieter is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter, averaging 326-plus yards off the tee. He became the ninth player to win for the first time this season. Potgieter was born in South Africa, moved to Australia when he was 8, and returned to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. "We had to give up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back," he said. "Emigrating is definitely not the easiest thing. Coming alone at the start of my career to the States and giving it a grind, and having my dad here has helped so much." Potgieter won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. Chris Kirk was eliminated after missing a 4-foot putt on the second playoff hole, after pushing a 9-foot putt past the cup on the first extra hole with a chance to win. Greyserman and Potgieter each had opportunities to win and end it on the 72nd hole at Detroit Golf Club, but couldn't convert on birdie opportunities to break a tie at 22 under with Kirk. "This one's going to sting for a little bit," Greyserman said. Potgieter, two strokes ahead entering the round, closed with a 3-under 69, and Greyserman and Kirk each shot 67. Greyserman missed a 12-foot putt, and Potgieter came up short on an uphill, 42-foot putt. That set up Kirk with an opportunity to win it, but he couldn't take advantage. After Greyserman two-putted from 39 feet for par and Potgieter did the same from 20 feet, Kirk had a chance to win it with a 9-foot putt, only to push it to the right of the cup to extend the playoff. The trio then went to the par-3, 158-yard 15th, and Greyserman was the only one who was accurate off the tee and didn't take advantage. The trend continued on the par-4 16th, where both Greyserman and Potgieter missed 16-foot putts with a chance to win. At the par-5 14th, Greyserman hit his drive 361 yards — his longest of the week — and was just 2 yards behind Potgieter's blast. Potgieter hit his approach from 195 yards to 19 feet, and he pulled his putt. Greyserman two-putted from 29 feet for birdie. Back at No. 15 for a second time in the playoff, Greyserman two-putted from 34 feet, and then Potgieter finally ended it. "Just wasn't my time," said Greyserman, who finished second for the fourth time after coming up short for his first PGA Tour victory. Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Collin Morikawa, meanwhile, is still waiting to end his drought. He shot a 68 to finish 19 under and in an eighth-place tie. The two-time major winner, who was the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5 in the world, has not won the PGA Tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who rose to No. 7 in the world after winning the Travelers Championship last week, closed with 67 to tie for 41st at 12 under.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WNBA Legend Shares Regret About Caitlin Clark
WNBA Legend Shares Regret About Caitlin Clark originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is quickly becoming the face of the WNBA, making a leaguewide impact on and off the court. She is averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game this season, as her Fever squad sits at 7-7, third in the Eastern Conference. Advertisement Seattle Storm legend Lauren Jackson enjoyed an illustrious 12-year WNBA career, winning championships in 2004 and 2010, collecting three MVP awards and earning seven All-Star selections. From 2001 to 2012, she averaged 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 317 games. Internationally, she represented Australia in multiple Olympic Games, earning four medals, including one gold. On Wednesday, Olgun Uluc of ESPN Australia hosted Jackson for an interview ahead of the WNBA Rising Stars Invitational, where she'll coach among a staff of basketball greats. Lauren Jackson plays for the Australian women's national team.© Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images Aside from her upcoming coaching opportunity, Jackson also discussed whom she most enjoys watching in today's WNBA, describing her favorite aspects of that player's game. Advertisement "Who is everyone enjoying watching? Caitlin Clark," she said. More than just a fan, Jackson expressed a sense of regret over not getting to share the court with the rising star. "All I know is I'm just a huge fan. Man, I would have loved to have played with her," she said. "You know, as a point guard with that much vision and awareness, like, I've just never seen anything like it." Uluc followed up by asking what parts Jackson specifically likes about Clark's game, to which Jackson didn't hesitate to answer. "I love her intensity," Jackson said. "I love that, obviously, she's a young player and still has so much, you know, development ahead of her. But I think her smarts, the way she reads the game, the way she passes the ball, the way she shoots the ball; she can get to the basket, you know, change her pace." Related: Caitlin Clark Announcement After Aces Loss is Catching Attention This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
