Player ratings for the Penrith Panthers in their preliminary final clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
1. Dylan Edwards: Had the ball stripped by Corey Allan in the lead-up to South Sydney's opening try but didn't put a foot wrong after that. Energetic, rock-solid under kicks and backed up to claim the match-sealing try. 8/10
2. Josh Mansour: Had some forgettable early moments, including bombing a try with a forward pass and burning a challenge after a knock-on, but ran the pill strongly for a match-high 229 metres - many of those coming out of trouble. 7
14. Tyrone May: Surprising call to elevate him to the starting side, but it was justified with two huge first-half plays. Competed for a bomb to help force an error that led to a try before snaffling a kick to score himself. But the longer the game wore on, the more success the Rabbitohs had down his edge. 6
4. Stephen Crichton: Threatened to bust the game open, but wasn't quite at his best. Fumbled a try-scoring chance from a kick and later knocked on in the play-the-ball after being pulled down just short of the try-line. 5
5. Brian To'o: Couldn't do much to stop the opening try on his flank after running in-field to desperately cut down Cody Walker. Almost immediately redeemed himself by grabbing a four-pointer. A handful to bring down, recording 176 metres. 7
6. Jarome Luai: Threatened from the get-go, but quieter in the second half. Made a break and created a couple of others with select passes. Defensively solid - made 25 tackles and missed only two. Got under the skin of the opposition. 7
7. Nathan Cleary: Outstanding with the boot, setting up two tries. Produced a monster punt into open space that changed momentum when Penrith were under pressure in the second half. Bombed one try with a miscued pass. Not at his most dominant, but influential nonetheless. 7.5
8. James Tamou: Routinely dented the line in his opening stint to help get the side on the front foot. Made 110 metres. 7.5
9. Apisai Koroisau: Simply outstanding. Picked his moments to dart from dummy-half perfectly and constantly caught the Rabbitohs on the hop before being forced off with a shoulder injury after 59 minutes. Returned at the death to complete 46 tackles. 9
10. James Fisher-Harris: You know what you're going to get from the hard-working prop every time. Immense in the opening exchanges, running for 73 metres in 20 minutes. A nervous wait after he was placed on report for a high shot on Junior Tatola. 7
11. Kurt Capewell: Stepped into the enormous shoes of Viliame Kikau and had some impressive moments, but a few handling errors blighted his performance. Created a line-break with an offload, burst into the back-field himself and should have scored if not for Mansour's forward pass. 6.5
12. Liam Martin: Limited impact from the breakout star. Took a dummy that allowed Cameron Murray to break clear in the second half and then couldn't stop Dane Gagai from scoring on the next play. Worked hard in making 44 tackles. 5.5
13. Isaah Yeo: Proved the match-winner. Broke the line to send Edwards over to score when it counted. His footwork, strength and ball-playing ability through the middle are invaluable traits. Added 41 tackles with just one miss. Banging down the door for NSW State of Origin selection. 9
Interchange
3. Brent Naden: Wasn't used. N/A
18. Mitch Kenny: Kept things together when Koroisau was off the field and held his own. 5
16. Moses Leota: Made an impression when he was injected with 42 metres in 26 minutes. 5.5
17. Zane Tetevano: Caught the eye with a few bruising tackles when he came on midway through the first half and pumped out 89 metres. 6.5
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.
