That was a massive night in the NRL world.

Regardless of injuries and off-season losses, the Panthers are 1-3 to start the season. There’s a decent run of games coming up with the Cowboys in Penrith followed by the Dolphins in Brisbane and a shot at revenge against the Roosters, but they need to find their rhythm quickly, because this is a very close competition. Three early losses doesn’t leave much margin for error later in the year.

Souths, meanwhile, are living large. No Latrell Mitchell, no Cameron Murray, no Campbell Graham, and they’re 3-1. It hasn’t always been pretty, but wins are wins especially with an under-strength side.

We’ll be back tomorrow night for the Roosters vs Titans and Dolphins vs Broncos.

Bye!

Wayne Bennett and Cody Walker are a little happier after that effort.

“We’re not getting too carried away with it because our second half wasn’t where it should have been,” coach Bennett says.

Bennett says banking these wins without the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham is hugely important and will help them in the back half of the year.

Mitchell is a chance to return next week and the Rabbitohs have bristled at suggestions of moving him to centre to keep Jye Gray at fullback due to the diminutive custodian’s form.

Bennett says he couldn’t have asked much more of Gray “but whether he plays there or not is another issue”.

“All Latrell’s gotta do is come back and do his job for us. We need him to be in sync with the rest of us. I have no more expectation of him than that.”

Walker, meanwhile, says no-one should be questioning Penrith despite a 1-3 start to the year.

“I wouldn’t be writing Penrith off just yet,” he says.

Captain Isaah Yeo and coach Ivan Cleary are being questioned and seem to be struggling for answers right now.

Cleary says the team has no rhythm and he can’t remember a first half where the team completed so poorly in the first half.

“That’s a good way to lose a game, to start poorly,” he says, adding that he needs to take responsibility.

Cleary says the Moses Leota no try in the 62nd minute was a momentum killer, but they put themselves in the position of needing everything to go their way in the second half.

“I honestly thought it was a try and it would’ve been very handy but that was just the night. At the end of the day we cost ourselves too many points in the first half. It definitely killed our momentum a bit but we’re responsible.

“The first half was just comical at some points.”

The coach says he’s struggling to diagnose the issues because the games have been chaotic and completely different from week to week.

“We’ve had four completely different games so it’s really hard to get a handle on what’s going on.

“You haven’t seen the real us. Once you do, you can start making judgements.”

The Panthers shipped five tries and 28 points in that first half and, despite a spirited second half, it was just too big a hole to dig themselves out of.

Even accounting for missing halfback Nathan Cleary and fullback Dylan Edwards (who watched on in agony as you can see above) the Panthers were a rabble in that first half.

They couldn’t hang onto the ball and, more concerningly according to Liam Martin, were unable to defend those errors.

“Just flush it and try to move on,” Martin tells ABC Sport of that game.

“We need to change something.”

The Rabbitohs have hung on for a 28-18 victory over the Panthers, weathering a storming second half from the four-time premiers.

Penrith showed remarkable fight to win the second half 18-0 after trailing 28-0 at the break, but there was just too much work to do.

“I don’t know if there’s too many positives to take out of that,” Liam Martin tells ABC Sport.

“We were outplayed in the first half. We did well to try and stay in it but we were just too far behind.”

Already without Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards, the Panthers weren’t helped by injuries to Scott Sorensen, Trent Toelau and Brian To’o.

The errors cost them in the first half, but my word were Souths just about perfect in the opening stanza.

Penrith ends the game on a high with Jack Cole storming through the rabble that is the right side of Souths.

Isaiah Papali’i’s charge up the left flank scatters the Rabbitohs and Peter Mamouzelos is penalised for another infringement, sending him to the sin bin for the last minute.

Scott Sorensen, Trent Toelau and now Brian To’o is off injured.

That’s the biggest one of the lot.

He is so important to his team, especially starting their sets right.

ABC Sport sideline reporter Ruan Sims tells us hamstring tightness is the issue according to the Panthers.

The Panthers are applying the pressure and get a fresh set off a kick deflection.

Isaiah Papali’i takes a casual run, the defenders drop off and little Jye Gray just robs him.

The Panthers almost create something down the left through Brian To’o and Jack Cole, but Gray gets across to blindside Cole and force the error.

This kid is phenomenal. I know Latrell Mitchell’s best position is fullback, but Jye Gray is too good to leave out. He NEEDS to be in the regular 17 after Mitchell’s return.

The Rabbitohs, after making all the running in the first half, have been under the pump since a sloppy start to the second and it’s apparent in their ragged defence and utter lack of impact in their ball-running.

They look exhausted feeling the pressure.

Jamie Humphreys tries for a 40/20 to relieve the pressure, but Brian To’o is awake to it and makes another mammoth charge.

It’s a bullocking run from Moses Leota, breaking through Sean Keppie and Tallis Duncan and steamrolling Jye Gray to slam down the ball.

Referee Ashley Klein sends it to the bunker as no try and replays show the ball twisting in his hand, but it looks like he’s slammed it down.

But not enough to convince the bunker. Wow.

“That is a try every day of the week,” Mick Ennis says on Fox.

This Penrith side NEVER counts itself out.

The defence rushes up on the last but the replacement of the replacement half plays eyes-up footy and steps sharply off the right foot to power over next to the posts.

He run in behind two decoy runners, but under the more common sense obstruction interpretation, that’s all clear.

The Panthers are successful with their captain’s challenge as Bud Sullivan is pinged for taking Tom Jenkins early and off the ball.

That side of the Rabbitohs defence is a shambles.

Isaiah Tass has gone to left wing to cover Alex Johnston and Sullivan is playing inside Mikaele Ravalawa in the centres.

Liam henry gives away a very silly penalty for raking at the face of Mikaele Ravalawa, as we watch Trent Toelau going up the race with a leg injury.

Going from bad to worse for the Panthers, even as they lead the half 6-0.

The left-side defence of the Rabbitohs rush up, expecting the ball out the back, but Jack Cole expertly hits Liam Martin with a short ball and he slams it down.

Penrith goes left and the Rabbitohs number up to force the rushed kick on the last. Jye Gray gets to it, but he can’t handle and Penrith will try again from 10 metres out.

Hunting points, the Panthers kick early for Izack Tago, but Jye Gray gets back to force the error.

But now Keaon Koloamatangi knocks on! Already two handling errors from Souths to start this half.

We are truly in the Upside Down now. Isaah Yeo has just thrown a regulation forward pass, holding it up for too long and allowing Lindsay Smith to overrun him.

It came on the back of a gut-busting chargedown from Liam Martin too.