Penrith have produced their second remarkable NRL comeback in as many weeks to outscore Canberra 40-31 in a Panthers Stadium try-fest.
The Panthers were 14 points down at halftime, 12 down midway through the second half and seven behind, when Sam Williams nailed a field goal for the Raiders in the 67th minute.
But tries to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Josh Mansour in the space of three minutes saved the Panthers from an insipid defensive display on Sunday.
Panthers captain James Maloney sealed the win with a 78th-minute try to go with his three linebreak assists and two try assists.
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The win means the Panthers remain in fifth spot, but keep their top-four ambitions alive by moving to 28 points, alongside fourth-placed St George Illawarra.
"It was a weird old game," Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said. "Every time we'd kick or throw a pass, there was an intercept or they got their points.
"But second half was 28-5. I just thought our performance was better than last week."
The Raiders will rue yet another one that got away.
And while coach Ricky Stuart bit his lip over what appeared to be a Maloney forward pass leading to their go-ahead try, he also turned the torch on his team's game management.
"That's why we're not in the eight," Stuart said. "We've got to so many leads this year and should've won games.
"So many people ask me the question, 'Why aren't you in the eight?' There's your reason."
Defence was left in the dressing sheds, as both sides treated a healthy crowd of 12,915 to a 12-try attacking spectacle.
Panthers fullback Tyrone Peachey had two, while Raiders pair Jordan Rapana and Joseph Leilua combined for four tries, as they tore the Panthers' left edge to shreds.
But it wasn't enough, as the home side ran in its highest score of the season.
Penrith started brightly enough, when James Tamou barged over in the second minute.
And while Peachey also found his way over the line inside the opening quarter of the match, the Panthers' defence showed little resistance when the Raiders had the ball.
Maloney, in particular, had a horror outing without the ball, missing six tackles in the first half alone, as the visitors crossed for four tries in the opening stanza.
The Raiders right flank of Leilua and Rapana dined out on the Panthers' flimsy left edge, with a combined three tries in the opening 40 minutes.
Rapana's second was easily the highlight of the lot, intercepting an attempted Viliame Kikau offload to beat four defenders in a 100m dash to the line.
AAP
