The Penrith Panthers have opened their 2026 Jersey Flegg Cup campaign with a 22–12 victory over the Kaiviti Silktails at St Marys Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In a competitive Round 1 contest, the Silktails showed strong signs early before the Panthers’ depth and discipline proved the difference in the second half.
The visitors made the perfect start when Joeli Railala crossed in the 9th minute to give the Silktails first points of the afternoon. Iowani Mainalovo added the conversion to hand the Fijian side a 6–0 lead.
Penrith responded soon after through Tuomalievaivatoelau Patea, who finished off a sharp attacking movement in the 13th minute to put the Panthers on the scoreboard.
The momentum continued to swing the home side’s way midway through the half when Cameron Kanaan crossed in the 21st minute, giving Penrith a 10–6 lead heading into halftime.
The Panthers extended their advantage early in the second half when Hokafonu Lemoto powered over in the 43rd minute, with Kye Raven converting to push the lead to 16–6.
The Silktails refused to go away and responded shortly after when Fia Colati scored in the 48th minute. Mainalovo’s conversion reduced the margin to just four points and kept the visitors firmly in the contest.
However, Penrith sealed the result in the closing stages when Haami Loza crossed in the 71st minute, before Patea added the extras to confirm a 22–12 win for the Panthers.
Despite the defeat, the Silktails produced a spirited performance against one of the strongest development systems in the game.
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Duve: Silktails closing the gap
Silktails Head Coach Timoce Duve said the team continues to make progress but must improve their execution in key moments.
“Although we are closing the gap on our performances from years gone by we need to take the next step and win these close matches.
We had too many unforced errors and failed to complete after tries which is a cardinal sin at this level against the strongest club in the world in the Panthers.
The challenge for us is to get back to Fiji after three weeks in Australia, review our performance, fix our errors and fly back to take on the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval next Sunday.”
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Match Highlights
- Panthers begin their 2026 Jersey Flegg Cup season with a Round 1 victory
- Four different try scorers for Penrith underline their attacking depth
- Silktails led early through Joeli Railala’s opening try
- Second-half control from Penrith proved decisive
- Late try from Haami Loza sealed the result
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Key Moments
9’ – Silktails strike first
Joeli Railala crossed and Iowani Mainalovo converted.
13’ – Panthers respond
Tuomalievaivatoelau Patea scored to bring Penrith back into the match.
21’ – Panthers take the lead
Cameron Kanaan crossed to put Penrith ahead 10–6.
43’ – Panthers extend the margin
Hokafonu Lemoto scored early in the second half before Kye Raven converted.
48’ – Silktails close the gap
Fia Colati crossed and Mainalovo converted to make it 16–12.
71’ – Panthers seal the win
Haami Loza scored before Patea converted to close out the match.
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Match Summary
Penrith Panthers 22
def. Kaiviti Silktails 12
📍 St Marys Stadium, St Marys
🗓 Saturday, March 7 – 12:00pm AEDT
🏆 Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 1
Panthers Tries:
Cameron Kanaan
Hokafonu Lemoto
Haami Loza
Tuomalievaivatoelau Patea
Panthers Goals:
Kye Raven (1)
Tuomalievaivatoelau Patea (1)
Silktails Tries:
Joeli Railala
Fia Colati
Silktails Goals:
Iowani Mainalovo (2)
