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An early season blockbuster comes to Newcastle on Saturday Afternoon, as the second place Knights take on the third place Panthers at Hunter Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 3:00pm (AEDT).
The Knights have gotten off to the best possible start in 2015, winning three straight, including two in Queensland. A return home is welcome for the Novocastrians, who have won six on the trot in Newcastle. They would love to continue their unbeaten start to 2015, and they should view this game as extremely winnable.
The Panthers suffered their first loss of the season last weekend, going down to a solid Roosters outfit 20-12. Although the loss will hurt, the Panthers are still a bona fide premiership threat this season, and they would love to get their season back-on-track with a win over the Knights.
With a home clash against the Cowboys coming up in Round 5, the Panthers could lay the foundation for a very successful season with a win on Saturday.
The Knights have been forced into one change, with Korbin Sims out suspended. David Fa’alogo moves into the starting 13, while Paterika Vaivai has been named on the bench for his second game of NRL. Sione Mata’utia is once again in the Number 18 jersey for the Newcastle club.
The Panthers have chosen to go with the same 17 that lost to the Roosters last weekend. Isaac John remains in the five-eighth jersey, with Jamie Soward expected to miss another 3-4 weeks after back surgery.
The Knights have dominated this matchup, winning 17 of the last 26 matches between the two clubs. The Panthers did win both matches in 2014 however, getting up by 22 at both Penrith and Newcastle. The Knights are currently riding a five game winning streak (dating back to last season), while the Panthers have won three of their last five clashes over all.
Prediction
The Panthers will start as slight favourites in this game, but this has go to be one of the toughest games to pick this weekend. I’m going to go with the upset, as I think the Knights will do enough to get the win at home.
Knights by 2
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