Panthers 42 Raiders 18
It has been impossible to approach this game without referencing what has come before. The “Miracle in Mudgee” – you’d have to be living under a rugby league rock not to have seen footage this week of that goalpost-hitting, length-of-the-field stunner that allowed Canberra to pinch it from Penrith last year – loomed large over the rematch at the same venue.
But after being on the wrong end of a lopsided 42-18 scoreboard at Glen Willow Oval on Saturday night – and falling two wins outside the top eight as a result – it will take more than a miracle for the Raiders to sneak into the post-season.
This was the “Massacre in Mudgee”. After an underwhelming month of football, Penrith are back. They slayed a team that had won its past four games and travelled to the NSW central west desperate to keep their season alive.