Penrith Panthers 8–6 Parramatta Eels — Semi-Final, 2021 NRL Finals Series
18 Sep 2021 · BB Print Stadium, Mackay, QLD · Attendance: 6,011
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-Final, 2021 NRL finals series: Penrith Panthers 8–6 Parramatta Eels, at BB Print Stadium, Mackay, QLD on 18 Sep 2021.
Sourcing caveat: Try/goal minutes are sourced from match-report narrative rather than a structured play-by-play, so figures should be treated as approximate. No official player-of-the-match award was found for this fixture.
Scoring timeline
| 11′ | Parramatta Eels — try, Blake |
| 18′ | Penrith Panthers — try, Capewell |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here; goal tallies we can't attribute to one specific try are shown as descriptive text in Scorers rather than guessed into this timeline.
Scorers
| Penrith Panthers | Tries: Capewell 18' Goals: Cleary (1/1 conversions) 18'; Cleary — penalty goal 40' |
| Parramatta Eels | Tries: Blake 11' Goals: Moses (1/1 conversions) 11' |
Team sheets
| Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Edwards | Fullback | Clinton Gutherson | 1 |
| 2 | Stephen Crichton | Wing | Haze Dunster | 2 |
| 3 | Paul Momirovski | Centre | Will Penisini | 3 |
| 4 | Matt Burton | Centre | Waqa Blake | 4 |
| 5 | Brent Naden | Wing | Blake Ferguson | 5 |
| 6 | Jarome Luai | Five-eighth | Dylan Brown | 6 |
| 7 | Nathan Cleary | Halfback | Mitchell Moses | 7 |
| 8 | Moses Leota | Prop | Reagan Campbell-Gillard | 8 |
| 9 | Apisai Koroisau | Hooker | Ray Stone | 9 |
| 10 | James Fisher-Harris | Prop | Junior Paulo | 10 |
| 11 | Viliame Kikau | Second Row | Shaun Lane | 11 |
| 12 | Kurt Capewell | Second Row | Marata Niukore | 12 |
| 13 | Isaah Yeo | Lock | Nathan Brown | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Mitch Kenny | Will Smith | 14 | |
| 15 | Scott Sorensen | Isaiah Papali'i | 15 | |
| 16 | Tevita Pangai Junior | Bryce Cartwright | 16 | |
| 17 | Liam Martin | Ryan Matterson | 17 | |
| Ivan Cleary | Coach | Brad Arthur | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Ashley Klein |
Match report
Played at BB Print Stadium in Mackay, Queensland, this Semi-Final between Penrith and Parramatta was the lowest-scoring game of Parramatta's 2021 season. Penrith led 8-6 at halftime and neither side scored again, producing a tense arm-wrestle decided by a single two-point margin. Parramatta struck first through Waqa Blake in the 11th minute, finishing off a swirling bomb that troubled Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards. Penrith hit back seven minutes later when Nathan Cleary's grubber kick set up Kurt Capewell, and Cleary's successful conversion plus a 40th-minute penalty goal proved decisive. The contest was marked by controversy, with three Penrith tries disallowed by the Bunker. The win sent Penrith through to a preliminary final against Melbourne, while the loss ended Parramatta's finals campaign.