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Full of confidence after surging to the top of the NRL ladder, the Penrith Panthers host the St George Illawarra Dragons at the foot of the mountains. Join The Roar for live blog coverage from 5.30pm AEST.
A stunning 22-point victory over the Gold Coast Titans last weekend puts the Penrith Panthers at the top of the NRL ladder at the season’s halfway point.
Their next battle is with the St George Illawarra Dragons, who are coming off their own confidence-boosting win over derby rivals Cronulla.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has been forced to make three changes to the squad that got the points over the Titans.
Winger David Simmons drops out after suffering a knee injury against the Titans and will be replaced by exciting youngster Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Backrower Adam Docker also sustained a knock against the Titans with his place in the starting lineup to be taken by Tyrone Peachey. Bryce Cartwright returns to the interchange bench after being omitted for the trip to the Gold Coast.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor has named an extended 18-man squad in his third game in charge of the side. Trent Merrin and Josh Dugan are both unavailable from the team that thrashed the Sharks 30-nil.
Charly Runciman comes into the team at centre in place of Dugan, while Bronson Harrison has been named on the bench as a replacement for Merrin.
The Dragons also welcome back hooker Mitch Rein, who missed their last match due to suspension.
All eyes will be focused on Panthers five-eighth Jamie Soward as he faces his former club for the first time since departing in tense circumstances in 2013. Soward has made a career of ignoring the doubters, and will be primed for a big performance against the side he guided to a premiership in 2010.
The battle of the hookers will go a long way to determining the result of this match.
James Segeyaro was unstoppable against the Titans scoring a try, making countless metres, and racking up the tackles. While his direct opposite Rein has been one of the Dragons’ best in season 2014.
Benji Marshall enjoyed a return to form against the Sharks, and he will be looking to build on that with another solid performance against the Panthers.
The Dragons currently sit 13th on the ladder, and if they are going to make an impression this season they are going to need to string some wins together.
The Panthers are shooting for their fifth consecutive win – an impressive feat for a side that many had written off before the season began.
It’s likely to be a tough forward battle at Sportingbet Stadium, but both sides have enough quality to suggest there are plenty of points in this match.
The Panthers though are in ominous form and are likely to be too strong for a Dragons side missing their representative players.
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