Roar Guru
The New Zealand Warriors will look to show the form that saw them win seven of eight earlier on this season, as they play host to the struggling Penrith Panthers at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Join us for live scores and updates from 2:00pm AEST.
It was just three months ago when the Warriors were dealt a cruel 62-6 loss at the hands of Penrith at Centrebet Stadium.
The result kick started New Zealand’s season, as they went on a streak of wins that saw them knock off Manly, the Roosters and Melbourne in less than two months.
However, the Warriors have struggled over the last couple of weeks, losing three of their last five and are in real trouble of missing the playoffs.
A sizable win and results going their way could see New Zealand jump up into the top half of the table by the end of the round, while a loss could see them slip out of contention all together.
Much like the Warriors, the road of late for Penrith has been a tough one, losing their last four games by an average of just over 28 points.
The very promising start to the season by the Panthers is nothing but a faded memory for their supporters, with Penrith currently sitting four points back of the top eight with a very undesirable for and against.
Prediction
While New Zealand have lost their last two, Penrith have been woeful on both sides of the ball and will struggle in front of a hostile Mt Smart Stadium crowd desperate for a win.
The matchup of the two little number 1s will be surely be one to watch, with Kevin Locke going up against Matt Moylan, who has been one of the only shining lights for the Panthers in 2013.
I am predicting a high scoring encounter with New Zealand walking all over the visitors.
New Zealand by sixteen .