Mark Gasnier's much-hyped NRL return failed to inspire St George Illawarra to victory last night, the Dragons falling to Penrith in their top-of-the-table clash.
In a dour arm wrestle played in greasy conditions at WIN Jubilee Oval, the spotlight remained firmly on Gasnier, who had last played in the NRL
661 days before.
The 28-year-old received a rousing reception from the Dragons' flag-waving faithful, who had come up with one banner reading "OrGAZmic" for the occasion.
Wearing the unfamiliar No 20 jersey, the former test player was injected from the bench to play right centre in the 26th minute.
There were flashes of the brilliance - a sidestep here, a flick pass there - that made him a league star and earned him a lucrative contract with French rugby union side Stade Francais.
He also dropped one cold as the Dragons mounted a final attacking raid in an attempt to snatch a last-gasp win with his side looking to the new attacking weapon on their right side.
The Panthers joined St George Illawarra at the top of the ladder with the win, which snapped a six-game losing streak against the red and whites.
Most of the action in the first half hour had centred on Gasnier's elaborate stretching regime on the sideline.
Once into the action, he hovered around the play-the-ball, desperate for a nerve-relieving first touch, and showed some trademark lightning-fast footwork when he took a run two minutes later, only to be smashed by Matthew Bell and Travis Burns.
Both sides were without four State of Origin representatives but it was the Panthers, also without injured halfback Luke Walsh, who handled the absences the better.
Wade Graham caught the St George Illawarra defence napping and slipped over under the posts in the 21st minute, Lachlan Coote converting for 6-0.
The score remained the same until the 65th minute, when Coote knocked over a penalty goal.
The Dragons scored next, sending winger Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa over out wide with a clever short side play.
But Penrith sealed the win when winger David Simmons grabbed a bomb to touch down in the 75th minute, before Loa completed a double in the 79th.
Forward-pass rulings denied the Dragons tries in each half.
In bad news for the Panthers, prop Tim Grant suffered a suspected broken leg.
- AAP
