The Roosters had an unhappy night in the Holden Cup on Monday, going down to the ladder leading Penrith Panthers 22-40 at Pepper Stadium.
The Panthers would be the first to score in the opening five minutes through Braidon Burns on the right edge, after forcing a repeat set with their dangerous early atack.
They looked certain to go back-to-back in the following set after winger Christian Crichton made a break, but he was taken into touch just shy of the line in a classic try-saver from Kiah Cooper.
It wouldn’t be long until the Panthers were in again though, after hooker Wayde Egan bursted through the line directly between the uprights.
The Roosters were determined to not let the score get out of hand, and it was Jackson Hastings to deliver the ball to Ben Thomas that put him over the line to open the scoring.
It was becoming clear that the momentum had shifted the Roosters way, after they clawed to within two points after the returning Jesse Marschke delivered a golden ball to Kiah Cooper on the left edge.
The Panthers don’t lead the comp for nothing though, showing plenty of class to make it an eight-point lead through centre Caleb Aekins just shy of the break.
After finishing the second half with a try, they would start the second in the same fashion when fullback Daniel Brown finished off the break from hooker Wayde Egan.
Jarome Luai joined in on the scoring for the Panthers just minutes later to make it a twenty-point game early in the second half.
The Roosters showed they were not ready to give up yet though, after Jesse Marschke found Bernard Lewis with some space on the wing and delivered a perfect long ball to put him over the line.
It wouldn’t carry on though as the Panthers were next to score through winger Christian Crichton on the back of a grubber kick from Jerome Luai.
Jarred Anderson scored a nice try near the death to make it a fourteen-point game, but the Panthers would have the final say through centre Caleb Aekins.
