Penrith Panthers beat New Zealand Warriors 62-6 Penrith's Adam Docker tries to evade a Shaun Johnson tackle. ISAAC John spent three years thinking his career had died here at Penrith. He was convinced all good fortune left him in 2010, when his ACL was damaged in a tackle by Petero Civoniceva. "It was the real low point of my career," John recalled. I came back the next year and, three minutes into the first game, sprained my ankle and missed another six weeks. While I was out Shaun Johnson come in and killed it. So you know ... that was me gone from the NRL. This is what made last night so special. A story that went beyond the Panthers, wooden spoon favourites a fortnight back, turning the NRL on its head after coming within five points of the club's biggest win. The Warriors' Ben Matulino runs into the Panthers defence. Greater, too, than Warriors coach Matthew Elliott returning to his old stomping ground, only to hook Johnson some 50 minutes into what would become the Warriors worst loss. Dumped by the Auckland-based club in 2011, then failing to find success in England, John scored three tries and played a hand in who knows how many more as the Panthers racked up 62 points. "I think going to England with such high expectations, and then failing, it's really made me a lot tougher," he said. At Wakefield, I didn't play as hard, train as well as I should have. I lived a different lifestyle, but I've grown up a lot since then. For the Warriors, this was a hiding that topped even the 54-blot result against St George Illawarra 13 years ago. Only a week after upsetting Melbourne, the Panthers scored 10 tries, including a double to another former Warrior in Lewis Brown. Adding to the annihilation, halfback Luke Walsh booted all 10 conversion attempts and a penalty goal. For Warriors coach Elliott, the game represented his first back at Centrebet Stadium as a head coach since being dumped by the Panthers in 2011. With 9386 fans giggling on from the sidelines, the Warriors played the sort of 80 minutes that usually comes packaged with that soundtrack from Benny Hill re-runs. Not content to let in two tries from dummy-half, the visitors also failed to find touch from a penalty and were called offside from a kick-off. No one was safe, with even touch judge Brenden Wood copping a Steeden to the face after it breezed through the hands of Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei. Fittingly, it was John who opened the scoring after just 15 minutes when, starting with a big left-foot step, the playmaker beat three defenders including a poor attempt from Warriors prop Russell Packer. It was the start of a night that no one saw coming. Referees: Gerard Sutton, Henry Perenara.