Nathan Cleary delivered in extra time to secure Penrith a 22-23 golden point victory over the Dolphins in Darwin, but the result was overshadowed by a serious hip-drop tackle that left Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny with a broken leg and facing possible surgery.
The Dolphins staged a remarkable comeback from 18-0 down at halftime to briefly take the lead, with standout efforts from Herbie Farnworth, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Jake Averillo, before Tom Jenkins’ late try forced extra time.
Cleary ultimately iced the match after a mixed second half, while both sides now await potential sanctions with Kodi Nikorima sin-binned and placed on report for the incident on Kenny, and Tom Gilbert also cited late in the game.
Played in punishing heat and humidity, the match tested both teams physically, with Penrith holding on for their sixth win in seven games.
