WHEN the under 18 Bathurst Panthers went to the sheds with a half-time lead in their match with Cowra on Sunday things were looking good for the hosts, but what played out when they returned to the Carrington Park turf was one of their low-points of the 2015 Group 10 season.

A combination of lax Panthers tackling and some slippy Magpies backs saw the visitors run in five tries in the last 12 minutes to record a 40-18 win.

Panthers were in particular exposed on the wings as an opportunity to take what would have been a big confidence boosting win slipped away.

It was a poor end to a contest which had started so brightly.

Panthers had led 12-10 half-time after matching last year’s grand finalists for enthusiasm in attack and strength in defence.

Team manager Stuart Ward was left frustrated as he watched his side capitulate.

“That was absolutely terrible. We were well in the game up until then. To let them run through us like that was pretty poor,” he said.

“It comes back to attitude and belief that we can compete with these top three to four sides. We just didn’t man up in that last quarter of the game.

“I don’t write down the missed tackles and I’m glad I don’t.”

Cowra were first on the board in Sunday’s match and it came on the back of a Panthers’ mistake.

Penalised for a shepherd just metres shy of the Cowra try line, the Magpies immediately took the ball down the other end to open their account with a Rick Nobes try.

However, the response from Panthers was swift as fullback Josh Rivett scored from close range, then converted his own try for a 6-4 lead.

Though Eli Richardson sliced through the home side’s defence to swing things back in Cowra’s favour, the Panthers continued to rally. 

Five minutes out from the break an enthusiastic Bathurst team celebrated a Ricky Daymond try. 

The following conversion gave them a two-point lead.

But any momentum or confidence the Panthers gained from that try was soon gone as Cowra centre Zac Browne unleashed.

The first try in his second half hat-trick took less than three minutes to come as Panthers failed to shut down a scrappy fifth tackle play.

Though Talon Hodge crossed for Panthers’ third try with 20 minutes to play, it was a rare highlight.

From there Cowra ran in try after try.

Browne was unstoppable on the right side of the field as he scored two more tries to have his treble with more than six minutes still to play.

Cowra ran in two more tries before the final whistle, turning what was a close contest into a bad day for the hosts.

COWRA MAGPIES 40 (Zac Browne 3, Rick Nobes 2, Harry Waters, Regan Hughes, Eli Richardson tries; Rick Nobes 4 conversions) defeated BATHURST PANTHERS 18 (Josh Rivett, Ricky Daymond, Talon Hodge tries; Josh Rivett 3 conversions)