- Wigan fans give the Panthers stars a wake-up call with fireworks
- In the early hours, loud fireworks were set off outside the team hotel
- Penrith were defeated by Wigan in the World Club Challenge
Penrith Panthers stars were given a rude awakening by Wigan supporters ahead of their World Club Challenge match with fireworks outside their hotel in the early hours.
Wigan defeated Penrith with a thrilling and controversial 16-12 victory over the three-time NRL premiers on Sunday morning.
However, some players may have been sleep deprived after images emerged on social media of a person outside the Panther’s hotel setting off fireworks in the early hours (local time) on Saturday.
The clip was captioned ‘Early wake up call for the Penrith Panthers’ and outraged some football fans online.
“I want Penrith to win more,” one X user replied.
Wigan defeated Penrith with a thrilling 16-12 victory over the three-time NRL premiers
“Frankly, pathetic behavior!” said another.
“Only way Wigan can beat them,” said a third.
A controversial second-half try for Warriors center Jake Wardle and a rough defensive display saw the hosts clinch a record-equalling fifth title in a 16-12 win, while once again preventing the Panthers from completing their trophy cabinet .
The Super League champions win five world titles together with the Sydney Roosters.
It was the second year in a row that Penrith failed to add the world title to their NRL premiership after losing a 13-12 heartbreaker at home to St Helens in 2023.
The Panthers will be asking plenty of questions about Wardle’s match-winning try at the sold-out DW Stadium, which was awarded despite the England international appearing to ground the ball well short of the line.
A video review failed to overturn the on-field decision of a try, with replays of the apparent grounding overshadowed by the bodies of Penrith duo Brian To’o and Dylan Edwards as they made desperate tackles.
To make matters worse for Penrith, center Taylan May landed for what would have been a dramatic equalizer with an effort on the final play of the match – but insufficient evidence meant the on-field decision not to attempt stood.
The Super League champions win five world titles together with the Sydney Roosters
Penrith have now failed to win the World Club Challenge after four attempts
It was far from the Panthers’ best performance as they committed six errors in the 25 minutes after falling behind as their attack struggled to click.
The NRL champions took time to find their rhythm and struggled early on to find the right option in the final tackles, held in four sets without a kick in the opening 20 minutes, as they failed to get their to capitalize on territorial domination.
Instead it was former Parramatta talent and Wigan five-eighth Bevan French who was the killer with some delightful passes.
He created the first points of the match with a double cut ball for winger Abbas Miski, while another pass helped former Gold Coast striker Kruise Leeming cross to give the hosts a 10-6 lead.
Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary got his side on the board and scored after his own kick failed to be cleared by Miski, while number 1 Dylan Edwards put them ahead at half-time with a quick run from close range that opened a gap for the Wigan. defense.
Along with his final effort, May had the best chance to steal the win late on with a blistering line break, only for a brilliant cover tackle from Wigan number 1 Jai Field to put him into touch.
Penrith finished without winger Sunia Turuva, who landed awkwardly on his knee after jumping in an attempt to save a kick from a fatal kick.