Handshake deal: Cleary, Luai get Panthers past valiant Broncos

Nathan Cleary delivered the killer punch as the Panthers survived a massive scare against a spirited Brisbane outfit to keep their undefeated NRL season going with a gritty 20-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.

In an arm wrestle that defied anyone’s pre-game expectations, the Broncos made the Panthers work for everything in perhaps the most promising sign of a Red Hill revival under new coach Kevin Walters.

Cleary eventually shattered Broncos hearts when broke the 12-all deadlock with a a 44-metre field goal in the 74th minute to deliver his side a hard-fought victory that extended their perfect start to 2021 to six straight wins.

Broncos fullback Jamayne Isaako had missed his own long-range field goal attempt just seconds earlier as Brisbane felt short of an epic upset.

Cleary then iced the victory with a try running off Jarome Luai in the 78th minute, much to the disappointment of the 21,224 fans who for almost the entire game were dreaming of a miracle boilover.

It had been a big week for the Broncos after Walters axed the club’s highest paid player Anthony Milford to the Intrust Super Cup in a bid to reinvigorate his marquee man but also send a message to his underperforming team that no reputation is too big to be dropped.

It had the desired effect as the Broncos produced arguably their most impressive performance in two seasons, pushing the NRL’s top team to the very end.

Brisbane looked headed towards the biggest upset of the season when they led 12-10 at half-time.

Clutch Cleary with the two-point field goal

Penrith scored two pretty easy tries in the first half but never really hit their groove in the manner most had expected.

Cleary put back-rower Kurt Capewell over for the opener with a short ball in the 11th minute and the halfback then combined with his halves partner Luai as Brisbane’s staggered defence was exposed to put Matt Burton across in the 26th minute.

The ease of the Panthers’ second try had alarm bells ringing that Brisbane’s notorious defensive siesta was about to begin, but in a sign of change the Broncos dug deep and fought back.

The Broncos started the game as $13 outsiders but by the time they returned to the sheds there was suddenly a new-found belief in Brisbane as the diehard fans who’d sat through a wooden spoon 2020 season were suddenly on their feet delivering a standing ovation from a first half of promise.

Nobody epitomised the turnaround more in the Broncos than Payne Haas and Matt Lodge, who ran for a combined 328 metres, while Tevita Pangai jr and Brodie Croft were also outstanding.

Pangai jnr scored Brisbane’s first try swooping around behind Croft’s cross-field bomb to get the tap back from Richie Kennar to score in the corner with a theatrical front flip.

Handshakes all round as Burton strolls over

But it was defensively where he also stood out, racing out of the line to put pressure on the Panthers’ ball-runners and then producing a brilliant trysaver on Brian To’o in the 32nd minute.

Oates came up with two trysavers in a matter of seconds in a play that may go down as a defining moment of the game.

Playing his first NRL game of the season after a failed mission to convert into a back-rower left him languishing in the Intrust Super Cup, Oates dragged down Burton after a line break from deep within Penrith’s own half then followed it up on the next play to stop Charlie Staines as he appeared certain to score.

Oates produced another epic trysaver in the second half, stopping Staines near the line and dragging him into touch with a play that inspired his team.

Kennar taps it back for Pangai

Croft’s bomb led to Pangai’s try but it was his smart play around the ruck for an inside ball to Ethan Bullemor that was most impressive, the bench forward running 40 metres to score and hand Brisbane a 12-10 lead going into the break.

Brisbane had their chances in the second half, but just lacked the killer final blow that a half of Cleary’s ilk was able to provide when it was needed.

The Broncos will head to Darwin in round seven to face the Eels with a renewed confidence while the Panthers will look to make it seven straight when they host Newcastle next Thursday.