Penrith's mid-season spinal surgery appears to be paying off in the NRL after Matt Moylan and Dylan Edwards engineered a stunning comeback win over Canberra.
Moylan scored a try and played a hand in three more, including two clutch try assists in the final three minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Bathurst on Saturday.
Edwards was also instrumental in the victory, carrying the ball for a game-high 231 metres to go with his nine tackle breaks, two line breaks and one try assist.
It was the second win in a row for the Panthers' new spine, which was reshaped following injuries to makeshift pivot Bryce Cartwright and regular hooker Peter Wallace.
The season's starting five-eighth, Te Maire Martin, is also on the outer.
Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said a renewed focus on simplifying their attack has been the catalyst in the team's recent run of form that has lifted them back into the top eight.
But after Moylan was forced to save his team at the death, Griffin admitted his team were lucky to escape with a win on Saturday night.
"We haven't changed much. We're just more tried to simplify it over the last few weeks which I think we got right until tonight," he said.
"We've been playing off 85 per cent completion rates the last three weeks. Tonight we were at 60 and we nearly killed ourselves.
"But with Matt, we've got a simple structure and with (halfback Nathan Cleary) now, he runs it pretty well. We probably just got a big pass-happy instead of run at times tonight.
"I thought if we run a bit more and been a little bit more direct, we could've made better use of our ball, but (Moylan is) doing a good job there."
It is the second year in a row coach Anthony Griffin has toyed with his playmaking combination in the middle of the season, with Jamie Soward and James Segeyaro axed mid-year in 2016.
Edwards in particular has been impressive since being installed as the new fullback.
"He's there because he's got a lot of talent. He did a good job at the back there under pressure. It was obviously a step up from last week. He had a pretty easy night last week," Griffin said.
"But tonight was a real grinding game against a quality opposition. And he did a real great job."
The Panthers enjoy the bye next week before going on a tough road trip against North Queensland the following week, when Wallace is likely to return from injury.
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