Penrith's representative round contingent have shrugged off fitness concerns, returning to club level in the NRL to defeat a spirited Sydney Roosters 26-18.
The minor premiership now appears a formality for the Panthers, who are the most successful team after 16 rounds this century, and could be four wins clear at the top of the ladder by the end of the round.
Earlier the Knights comprehensively defeated the Gold Coast Titans in front of a home crowd in Newcastle.
All but one member of the Panthers' best 13 played representative football last weekend while the NRL went on hiatus but coach Ivan Cleary opted to name an unchanged starting side for his clash at Penrith Stadium.
It proved the right call — but only just.
With seven of their own players backing up, the Roosters gave the defending champions their most significant challenge since their round nine loss to Parramatta.
The versatile Joey Manu started in the halves in the absence of Luke Keary (concussion) and had a hand in both the Roosters' first try and that which gave his side the lead early in the second half.
In wet conditions, the Panthers appeared reluctant to play as expansively in attack as usual but consequently found it harder to breach their opponents' defence.
Perhaps due to the weather, the Panthers' own defensive line was uncharacteristically brittle; the Roosters' first two second-half tries came from close range and sent the Penrith crowd quiet.
But when they were struggling for momentum, the Panthers' Origin stars stood up; first Nathan Cleary sent a perfect pass to Izack Tago that helped the Panthers re-gain the lead, and then Api Koroisau burrowed over from dummy half to seal the result.
NSW coach Brad Fittler would have been watching nervously when Panthers and Blues centre Stephen Crichton appeared to tweak his hamstring in the first half.
But Crichton managed to remain on the field and the Panthers confirmed the injury was not a concern to medical staff at half-time.
Playing his first game since mid-May, influential lock forward Victor Radley left the field early for a head injury assessment.
The Roosters will hope not to lose him for any more games; they won only one of five when he was sidelined with an ankle injury.
Five-star outing from Lee as Knights rout Titans
Winger Edrick Lee has become Newcastle's highest try-scorer in an NRL game when he contributed five in the Knights' 38-12 win over Gold Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium.
That gave the former Origin back nine tries so far in 2022 and, finally, the loyal Knights fans had something to smile about, even if it was only the second win at home in seven matches.
Lee's haul ensured he leapfrogged six Newcastle players who have scoffed four tries in a game — the last being James McManus in 2013.
Lee's teammate, Dominic Young, claimed a hat-trick to make the two wingers the only Knights players to score.
But there was other drama afoot alongside the Knights' record books being re-written.
In the second half, Titans prop Jarrod Wallace was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Knights utility Simi Sasagi close to the Gold Coast line.
The advantage was not immediate as David Klemmer was put in the sin-bin for retaliating.
Then the Knights had to fight for the victory.
After skipping out to 22-0, the Titans scored two tries within five minutes early in the second half to make the score 22-12.
But a 10-point margin was as close as the visitors got, with the avalanche of late points consigning the Titans to a sixth straight loss.
These two sides made the NRL finals last year but they languish among the also-rans this year with nine rounds left.
Still nothing could bring relief to coach Adam O'Brien better than five tries in the opening half and three in the second.
The tally of eight was the most scored by the Knights in a game this season.
It was a different story for Titans fans, with their losing streak now trailing back to Round 10 during the Magic Round.
In the first half, winger Lee benefited twice from sublime passes from his halves and then from a pinpoint kick.
Lee's hat-trick combined with a brace to Young in the 10th and 27th minutes.
Those efforts from the men patrolling the flanks gave the Knights a handy 22-0 lead at the break.
It would have been healthier if kicker Tex Hoy's radar had been a little more direct.
He missed four conversions in the opening 40 minutes.
In the second half, after Tanah Boyd was denied early by a Titans knock-on in the lead-up, fullback AJ Brimson made a 48-metre dash through the defence in the first play off a scrum.
Greg Marzhew crossed with Jamayne Isaako nailing two sideline conversions, to breathe some life into the game.
But with Lee scoring another two tries and Young getting his third, the curtain came down on the Titans once more.
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