SNAPSHOT OF THE FIRST NRL QUALIFYING FINAL:
Result: Penrith bt Sydney Roosters 30-10 in front of 21,483 fans at BlueBet Stadium.
Key moment: Roosters winger Daniel Tupou spilled Nathan Cleary’s first kick of the night to trigger a Penrith onslaught. The Panthers crossed for their first through Brian To’o on the back of Tupou’s knock-on and had scored three more tries within 20 minutes to effectively end the contest.
The stat: 10 is the magic number for Penrith – the Panthers have now won their last 10 finals and last 10 clashes against the Roosters, with those streaks respectively stretching back to 2021 and 2019.
Judiciary watch: Connor Watson (crusher tackle), penalised in the first half, falling down lazily on James Fisher-Harris, who played on.
What’s next? The Roosters will host either Manly or Canterbury in a sudden-death semi-final at Allianz Stadium next weekend, while Penrith advance directly to a preliminary final after a week off.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/snapshot-of-the-penrith-sydney-roosters-finals-clash-c-16046484
