There was a huge sigh of relief at Winters Park at half past four on Saturday afternoon as Penrith secured their first league win at the third attempt. They have been beset with injury and availability problems and probably faced two of the best sides in the league before this Saturday but this win will lift the spirits in the squad and they can now start their season for real.
It was also the official opening of the new artificial grass pitch and the good news was the free running Penrith backs took to it like a duck to water scoring seven tries on their first run out on it. The home performance was far from mistake free and the availability problems are still there as Head Coach David Preston started the game and played the full 80 minutes following a late injury cry off.
Penrith had the game under control from the start scoring four tries in the first half hour, they then rather lost their way either side of half time before then killing the game off reasonably easily.
They scored as early as the second minute, Ross Jackson making the half break enabling Josh Dowson to get in behind the Manchester defence and getting pulled up just short of the line, the ball was spun right from the breakdown where Ian McDowell tidied the ball up for Jay Rossi to be put in cleanly around the outside to score wide out. Matt Allinson hit an excellent conversion. Allinson made inroads to lay the foundations for the second score bulldozing up the middle, the ball was then shifted right, Dowson looked to have got man and ball but shrugged off the tackler and released the winger Brad Taylor. He threw a convincing dummy before cutting back inside to score.
Preston gave his squad an object lesson in securing possession at the restart and set the ball up for George Graham to hoist the kick, Penrith chased well and regained possession and when the ball came to Rossi he jinked his way to the line to score from almost half way.
Manchester weren't the most mobile side but they were big and strong and dangerous from close quarters, they kicked a penalty deep into the home 22 and rumbled from the lineout and although Penrith held out they were penalised and then caught half asleep as the visitors scored too easily from a quick tap penalty.
This just looked to be a minor set back as Allinson further increased the lead with a penalty and on the half hour they scored the bonus point try with a sweeping move in the backs from a 5m scrum, a miss pass and the full back coming into the line saw Taylor on the overlap on the outside and a try in the corner.
The visitors then had the better of the remaining 10 minutes of the half and Penrith had Taylor to thank with a try saving tackle in the corner for keeping the score at 29-7 at the break. Manchester then started the second half on the front foot, the home side put themselves under pressure running and knocking the ball on in their own 22 and the visitors put together enough good play to score a deserved try.
For a period Penrith struggled to keep hold of the ball and were giving unnecessary penalties away that were keeping the opposition in the game, they then scored a fifth try to settle the nerves. Craig Price took a quick tap penalty and caught Manchester on the back foot, the ball was then spun along the line and play was taken up to the try line where the ruck was formed. The ball was recycled and Graham spotted his opportunity and picked his way to the line.
They scored another as they put the pressure on close to the visitors' line, Graham moved the ball away from the breakdown and McDowell and then fullback Jamie McNaughton moved it rapidly left to replacement winger Olly May who sped in at the corner. The Cumbrians then gifted the visitors another try when they again dropped the ball in their own 22, this time it was snapped up by the opposition who gratefully ran in under the posts unopposed.
Penrith added their final try as the game see sawed, turned the ball over in their own half and moved it sweetly in a sweeping run for Taylor to claim his hat trick try. That left the visitors to score the final try, their fourth and bonus point try with a second from a quickly taken penalty from short range, a bonus point they probably merited.
Preston will know from his 80 minutes on the pitch exactly where work is required in training to tidy up his side's game, there is plenty to put right but the win will make it so much easier for him.