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Penrith Panthers 20
Parramatta Eels 26
In an intense match the Parramatta Eels came out on top of the Penrith Panthers 26-20 to win the battle of the west.
It was a game divided into four quarters with the Parramatta dominating early with two tries in four minutes through Ryan Morgan and Reece Robinson. The Eels’ strong start came off a brilliant combination of Corey Norman and Chris Sandow.
The Eels continued to dominate possession for the remainder of the first half, with the Panthers struggling for possession. Matt Moylan came off the field with an ankle injury expected to sideline him for up to six weeks.
Penrith were down 14-0 at halftime and came back firing early in the second half. Penrith’s first try came from an outstanding effort from James Segeyaro to send Isaah Yeo over the line.
The tries kept coming as David Simmons flew down the left side thanks to an incredible Bryce Cartwright offload. Cartwright went over the line himself just five minutes later to level the scores.
Semi Radradra took back the Eels’ lead after 60 minutes and struck back again, scoring his second try three minutes later.
In a late attempt Dallin Watene-Zelezniak found his way over the line with just over 10 minutes to go but in the end, despite several attempts to level the scores, the Panthers couldn’t get past the Eels.
Man of the match: Chris Sandow
The battle of the west will return to Pepper Stadium as the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels continue their rivalry. Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEST) for live coverage.
There is talk of a rift at Penrith, with rumours Jamal Idris and assistant coach Trent Barrett are on the outer, but the Panthers will be out to prove the club is truly united and working together toward their first premiership since defeating the Roosters in 2003.
The Panthers have no players backing up from State of Origin and are coming off a bye week. Penrith’s young pack will be required to step up their games when they go up against Parramatta’s more experienced side.
The Eels have a couple of questions to answer at the moment. Can they put the recent salary cap scandal behind them? Can Chris Sandow return to form? Will William Hopoate back up from Origin? The answer is simple: yes, yes and yes.
Although they didn’t play the best last week against South Sydney, last year’s breaches appeared to have no profound impact on their performance. Sandow can return to form provided that he gels with the rest of the team. Hopoate has been named to play for the Eels and back-up from Origin, and his experience in the Blues camp may help Parramatta get the two points.
Josh Mansour returns on the wing for Penrith, while Peter Wallace is back at halfback, pushing Jamie Soward to five-eighth. In the only other change made by Ivan Cleary, Apisai Koroisau joins a five-man bench.
Sandow replaces Luke Kelly at halfback for the Eels, with Reece Robinson returning to fullback, shifting Ryan Morgan to the wing. Danny Wicks will start in place of Junior Paulo, who has been pushed to the bench. Richie Fa’aoso and Peni Terepo are replaced on the interchange by Joseph Paulo and Daniel Alvaro, who is to make his NRL debut.
The Eels are coming off a four-game losing streak, with the Panthers on a high after having won two games in succession. Last time these two met, the Panthers defeated the Eels 38-12 at Pepper Stadium in Round 12, 2014.
The Eels are currently at the bottom of the table and have struggled to find form. Sandow and the Parramatta forwards must step up if Brad Arthur’s men want to win the battle of the west.
The young Penrith backs will no doubt fire, however the forwards will need to bring the intensity and stop Parramatta’s big back-row.
Eels by 8.
Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEST) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
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