RUGBY LEAGUE
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Illawarra finished their season with yet another agonisingly close 34-28 loss to Penrith at Pepper Stadium on Saturday.
The Cutters bowed out of the finals race with a penultimate round loss to the Bulldogs but were hoping to finish their season on a good note.
They led 24-12 at half-time and 28-22 with 15 minutes remaining but were overrun by the Panthers who posted two tries in the final seven minutes to snatch a six-point win.
It was a loss that told the story of the Cutters season in which they have been the wrong end of several cliff-hangers with six of their 14 losses coming by a margin of six points or less.
The Panthers led 12-0 after just eight minutes on the back of a double to Ray Leosa.
The Cutters hit back with tries to Peni Botiki and Blake Wallace to level the scores at 12-all after 17 minutes.
The visitors kept the momentum with tries to young gun Adam Clune and another to Botiki 10 minutes before the interval to take a 24-12 lead into the sheds.
Matt Eisenhuth scored for the Panthers five minutes after the resumption and drew within two at 24-22 when Leosa finished off his hat-trick in the 48th minute.
Eto Nabuli gave the Cutters a six-point buffer in the 65th minute before Leosa's fourth try and Eisenhuth's second three minutes from time sealed the victory for the Panthers.