2019 Match Highlights: Canterbury Cup Round 5
Western Suburbs Magpies have bounced back from a heavy defeat last week with an 32-12 victory over the Penrith Panthers today in their Round 5 Canterbury Cup clash at Leichhardt Oval.
After conceding 50 points in last week's loss to Mounties, Coach Brett Hodgson would no doubt have been pleased most with the defensive prowess his side showed throughout the game, running away with the game late to seal the win.
Boosted by the late inclusions of David Nofoaluma, Paul Momirovski and Elijah Taylor, Western Suburbs found themselves behind early after a Jed Cartwright offload found Caleb Aekins, but it didn't take long for the home side to hit back.
Sam McIntyre got the hosts on the board with a try in the 14th minute, before Kane Bradley finished off some sharp hands to the left to dive over in the corner.
Tyson Gamble extended the Magpies' lead when he darted through the line to score — making it three tries in the space of 12 minutes for Hodgson's men — but the lead was cut just before the break when Brian Too got on the end of a Jarome Luai kick.
Leading by only six points at the break despite their dominance, Western Suburbs soon restored their two-try lead when Kauri Aupouri grabbed the first of his two tries — stepping back inside the defence to plant the ball over next to the uprights.
While he didn't make it on to the scoresheet, Nofoaluma still had an impact on the result when he put Gamble through the line, with the five-eighth drawing the fullback to put Dylan Smith over next to the posts to seal the win for the Magpies.
Aupouri would add his second off a Gamble kick to add the icing on the cake with 10 minutes to go, with Ratu Tuisese diving over late for a consolation four-pointer.
Western Suburbs will look to make it back-to-back wins when they take on the Wentworthville Magpies at Bankwest Stadium on Easter Monday.
Western Suburbs Magpies 32 (Aupouri 2, McIntyre, Bradley, Gamble, Smith tries; Momirovski 4/6 goals) def. Penrith Panthers 12 (Too, Aekins, Tuisese tries)
