Penrith coach Royce Simmons claimed the Panthers were back on track for the finals after a hard-fought 20-12 victory over South Sydney in yesterday's Australian Rugby League premiership round 10.
The Panthers were labelled the bad boys of rugby league after a spiteful loss to Western Suburbs in the previous round, which resulted in four players being suspended for a total of 12 weeks.
But after a fortnight of soul-searching, the Panthers got their act together, winning the game and finishing in the good books with referee Matt Hewitt.
'I thought our team discipline today was a big improvement,' a relieved Simmons said. 'I'd been driving the players nuts for the past fortnight about the importance of getting it right and we took a big step in the right direction today.' In a tight match, the scores were locked at eight-all midway through the second half when Souths lost a certain try.
Full-back David Penna looked sure to score 10 metres from the Panthers' line but he gave a pass to halfback Jason Bell, who spilled it.
Three minutes later, winger Robbie Beckett crossed in the corner and the Panthers were on their way to victory.