Panthers rookie ends Raiders’ season

Penrith have all but ended Canberra’s late bid for an NRL finals spot after surviving a second-half comeback to secure a 26-22 win at GIO Stadium.

The Raiders erased a 10-point half-time deficit to lead with eight minutes to go on Sunday before unlikely Panthers rookie Tyrone May dived over from short range to steal a thrilling win.

The defeat ended the Raiders’ four-game winning streak but, more importantly, leaves Ricky Stuart’s side four points out of the top eight with two games to go.

For the visitors, their seventh straight victory all but cements their finals spot and also keeps their top-four hopes alive for another week.

Not since their 2003 premiership triumph have the Panthers recorded seven wins on the trot.

The Raiders were down 20-10 at halftime, but drew first blood in the second half when Jack Wighton dummied over for a try in the 45th minute.

The fullback was also the catalyst for the go-ahead points, producing a 50-metre kick return that led to Joe Tapine crashing through from close range in the next set.

An Aiden Sezer 40-20 moments later gave the Raiders the ascendancy, however they were unable to convert their second-half dominance in territory into more points.

Instead the Panthers strung together three consecutive sets on the Raiders line and got the breakthrough courtesy of 21-year-old May who surged over from dummy-half.

It was a near-flawless opening half from the Panthers, who put the early pressure on with a Waqa Blake try and Cleary penalty goal for an 8-0 lead.

Canberra responded through rookie-of-the-year candidate Nick Cotric, although Penrith restored the lead when Blake tore into the backfield for Cleary to finish off a 70-metre movement.

He converted his own try to become the youngest player to reach 200 points.

The Raiders again hit back thanks to Dave Taylor’s miracle offload for Josh Papalii, but went 10 points down after allowing a soft try to Josh Mansour just before the break.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!