The mighty Penrith Panthers have anchored themselves to the bottom of the NRL ladder following a 26-10 defeat to the Manly Sea Eagles at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.

The four-time defending premiers will now sit outright last for the end of round eight, recording only two wins in the 2025 the season.

It marks a dramatic fall from grace as the most dominant force in rugby league now become contenders for the wooden-spoon in a matter of months.

It’s the likes of which have not been seen since the Brisbane Broncos’ horrible season start in 1999 following their back-to-back premiership victories of 1997 and 1998.

“The ladder doesn’t really matter until July or August,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said post-match.

“But when you only win two games, you’re going to be down there somewhere.”

Manly ended a three-game losing streak with the victory, moving into the top eight.

The win was also their first away from Brookvale Oval this season.

The Sea Eagles controlled the opening half, leading 14-0 at the break with tries to Blaize Talagi and Gordon Chan Kum Tong.

Penrith struggled with ill-discipline and execution, with multiple errors and penalties stalling any early momentum.

Nathan Cleary sparked a likely Panthers comeback early in the second half, producing a remarkable 40-20 kick that led to two tries within five minutes from the boys in black.

Cleary’s successful sideline conversion narrowed the scoreline to 14-10.

However, Manly responded through a penalty goal and two late tries.

Daly Cherry-Evans was taken out off the ball, resulting in a professional foul and two points for Manly, before back-rower Haumole Olakau’atu out-jumped the probable New South Wales fullback Dylan Edwards to score off well-placed Cherry-Evans bomb.

Tolutau Koula iced the match when he broke through untouched on the right edge with eight minutes to play

Manly coach Anthony Seibold praised his side’s composure after what he described a “challenging month.

The match marked the successful return of Tom Trbojevic from injury.

Manly’s superstar fullback showed positive signs for New South Wales fans ahead of the State of Origin series, contributing in keys areas in attack and defence.

“The body is feeling good,” Trbojevic told Fox League post-match.

“I wouldn’t be playing footy otherwise,” he said.

Despite several momentum swings, Manly maintained battled hard to win the arm wrestle, while Penrith’s errors proved costly.

Crucially, the Panthers had a try to Luke Sommerton overturned by the bunker and then lost forward Paul Alamoti to the sin bin during tense period in the game.

“We’ve got to start the game better than we did tonight,” Ivan Cleary said.

“When we had momentum, we gave it up. That’s not going to win you too many games.”

Representative nightmares

Penrith’s downfall might not get easier coming into the Origin period next month and having already been stripped in terms of talent depth.

Maroons star Cameron Munster said the Panthers could struggle further when players like Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin are called up to play for their state.

But “if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s Ivan and that four-time premiership winning team,” Munster said.

“I wouldn’t count them out just yet.”

Calm and collected

Panthers record points scorer Nathan Cleary admitted post-match that the team is in a difficult situation but didn’t show any signs of panic.

“It’s a terrible feeling, obviously,” he said.

“It’s not one we want, but it is what it is — we got ourselves in this position, so we have to drag ourselves out.

“I still have full faith in this group and what we’re doing at training.

“It’s just about getting that little bit of faith in the game, trusting how we play, and building on that.

“We’re not looking at the ladder at the moment — it’s about putting back-to-back performances together and seeing how we go.”

Penrith will now take on the red-hot Brisbane Broncos at Magic Round next week as they try and claw their way from the bottom.

‘Unbelievable’

Fox League commentator Andrew Voss summed up the gravity of the situation late in the broadcast, calling it “unbelievable.”

“The four-time champions are going to be last at round eight. That is incredible,” said Voss.

“Could you imagine Liverpool or Arsenal being at the bottom of the ladder one-third of the way through the season.”

“Yes, others have had the benefit of the bye – but, just reading that… unbelievable,” he said