Nathan Cleary again starred for the Panthers in their domination, while winger Charlie Staines got a hat-trick and Stephen Crichton was sublime inside him.

Already 9-0 for the first time in the club's history, the Panthers became the first side to chalk up a +200 points differential inside nine rounds since Sydney City in 1996.

The shut-out marked the third time this season they have held a team scoreless, while the 60 points they have conceded is the least of any side after round nine since Parramatta in 1986.

Not that Ivan Cleary is ready to think ahead to a grand final rematch against Melbourne, who also look unstoppable at the moment.

"It's round nine," Cleary said.

"There's a long way to go. A long way to go. No one remembers the first half of the year.

"We still have to go through Origin and all that."

Cronulla, meanwhile, are in turmoil.

They have now lost five straight games, having not picked up a win since coach John Morris was sacked last month.

Halfback Chad Townsend was hooked after 50 minutes for Matt Moylan to come on, while Shaun Johnson's kicking game was particularly poor.

Such was Penrith's dominance however, fullback Will Kennedy ran for just 23 metres as they were rarely given space to return the ball at BlueBet Stadium.

"They're a side that is so good on getting on the front foot, and we helped them there tonight," a dejected Cronulla coach Josh Hannay lamented.

"But once they got a roll on, it was a slow kill."

At one point, with the score 36-0, Cronulla's former Melbourne centre Will Chambers was heard telling Nathan Cleary testily to "worry about winning one of those (premiership rings) bro".

In the form Penrith are in, some premiership jewellery may well await them at the end of the season.

Penrith's party started inside seven minutes when Api Koroisau went short to James Fisher-Harris for the prop's first four-pointer in more than two years.

Staines had his first from a simple sweep play, when Nathan Cleary went right and helped Dylan Edwards put the flyer over.

It was 18-0 inside 20 minutes when Kurt Capewell batted back a Cleary kick and Isaah Yeo got the ball away for Crichton.

At that point the Sharks were completing at 50 per cent and Penrith were yet to make an error.

The Panthers' next try was a pearler.

After a Cleary underarm flick pass found Jarome Luai, the five-eighth jinked and offloaded for his centre Matt Burton to hit a gap and go over.

That made it 24-0 at halftime, and while the Panthers took the foot off after the break Staines was still able to complete his hat-trick off two perfect right-edge movements.

Viliame Kikau and Matt Eisenhuth also both touched down off grubbers, as the Panthers' took their aggregate scoreline in their last three games against Cronulla to 142-36.

Making matters worse for the Sharks, Jesse Ramien needs scans on a suspected fractured eye socket from an accidental Kikau elbow.

Australian Associated Press