Penrith travelled back from Warrington extremely disappointed with both the result and their performance, it was yet another one that got away. It was a very poor, very scrappy game in which they played their full part. They lost the first half badly and did enough to win in the second half had they not made as many basic errors.
The tone of the game was set from the kick off, Penrith were to receive the kick, two players went for the ball, spilt it and conceded a scrum on their 22 and spent the first ten minutes camped on their own line defending for all they were worth. Credit to them, they did not concede but this was as much down to the oppositions inability to hang on to the ball, a problem that blighted them later in the game!
Warrington had missed a reasonably easy shot at goal and when Penrith finally got out of their own half they missed a chance as well. The home side hit the drop out long, Penrith gave them the ball back with a poor kick ahead and then conceded the simplest of tries. The home side's hooker showed a little bit of pace, beat his opposite number on the outside, stepped the fullback and scored under the posts, too simple.
Penrith then brought the deficit back to the odd point with two Mike Fearon penalties, the first was given after Fearon made a break him self and the tackler did not release him. The second came from some inventive play from Jamie McNaughton, messy ball came in his direction on the blindside wing from the back of a scrum, he snapped it up, beat the first tackler and his arcing run saw him avoid the forwards and find himself man on man with the fullback. He looked as if he was going to beat him on the outside but was just caught, he managed to feed the ball back inside to the support and Warrington were penalised at the breakdown.
Penrith then had a period where they finally put a few phases together but they failed to take advantage and the game was effectively won and lost in a couple of minutes just before half time when they conceded two converted tries. The first was a catalogue of errors, they were turned over at the breakdown and the kick ahead found the fullback scurrying to make up his ground, he was caught and the penalty given away 10m out which was quickly tapped. Penrith actually got their hands on the ball as they scrambled in defence but the attempted clearance kick fell into the hands of a second row forward close to the line who crashed over in the corner.
The second came from the restart, the home side hoisted the ball into the Cumbrian's half, it was dropped and it then bounced invitingly for the chaser who ran on to it and put in the man outside him. Penrith turned around 21-6 down to play up the slope and the second half was to prove a different affair.
The visitors were to dominate the second period, Warrington never looked like scoring but they couldn't do enough to turn round the game. They nearly scored in the first five minutes, an attacking 5m lineout was over thrown but Tama Toomata took the ball at the tail and almost made the line. A try was to come shortly after, the home side were penalised at their own scrum in their 22, Ed Swale tapped and went and a couple of phases later James Hogg muscled his way over.
Penrith then went on to frustrate their coaching staff and followers for the remainder of the game, Fearon did kick another penalty to pull them back to within a score and earn a bonus point but it was all what might have been. They had good field position on numerous occasions but could never keep the pressure on and turn the screw as time after time a pass was knocked forward, or the ball was lost in contact and they had to start all over again. Ball players who never dropped passes, or normally even looked like dropping passes were spilling the ball, it seemed to become infectious.
Penrith now have a week off and then have a very difficult home game against a Kirkby Lonsdale side who are going really well, it will be a matter of putting this behind them and starting afresh.