Bathurst, May 24th, 2025 — Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary delivered a scathing assessment of his team’s “unacceptable” opening minutes in a demoralizing 25-6 defeat to the Newcastle Knights, a loss that cements the once-dominant NRL premiers’ place at the foot of the ladder after 12 rounds.
In a match that laid bare Penrith’s deepening crisis, the Knights capitalized on a shambolic Panthers defense, racing to a 24-0 lead within 23 minutes at Bathurst’s Carrington Park.
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Newcastle fullback Fletcher Sharpe sliced through the line for an early try, while Dylan Lucas stole the spotlight with a blistering 14-minute hat-trick, bulldozing defenders to rack up 12 points. Though Penrith stemmed the flow of tries thereafter, their second-half efforts proved too little, too late.
“The start killed us. We were overrun, down on troops, down on confidence—down on everything,” fumed Cleary, whose side now sits 17th with just two wins this season. “When you’re missing key players, you can’t afford to gift opponents a 24-point head start. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
The Panthers, already depleted by State of Origin absentees Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Liam Martin, and Isaah Yeo, were further hamstrung by injuries to Luke Garner, Mav Geyer, and Isaiah Papali’i. Their makeshift lineup, featuring six players with fewer than 10 NRL games, wilted under Newcastle’s early onslaught.
Stand-in captain Mitch Kenny admitted the team’s defensive frailties proved fatal.
“We lacked resilience. Once momentum swung, we couldn’t stop the bleeding,” he said. “Our defense was ordinary, and against any NRL side, that’ll cost you.”
While Cleary praised his squad’s grit in holding Newcastle scoreless after the 23rd minute, he refused to sugarcoat their plight.
“Potential means nothing if you don’t execute. We’re miles off the pace right now,” he said,
stressing the urgency to “learn fast” amid a season spiraling into crisis.
For the Knights, the victory offers a glimmer of hope in their own battle to climb the ladder. But for Penrith—a dynasty reduced to dire straits—questions mount over whether their star-studded roster can reignite their campaign once Origin stars return, or if 2025 will go down as a year of unrelenting despair.
