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After some diabolical handling performances, the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Penrith Panthers will be desperate to not lose grip on the rest of the competition as both teams square off at ANZ Stadium in Homebush. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:10pm (AEST).
Last year’s grand finalists, Canterbury have had a stuttering premiership campaign so far and have shown only glimpses of the form that saw them make it all the way to the last day. Penrith have also been cursed with injuries and have struggled to find any consistency and cohesion with key players missing for large chunks of the season.
Bulldogs coach, Des Hasler, has taken the most unusual decision to rest his star Origin players for this match. It is a gamble that may not pay off as any team without the likes of Brett and Josh Morris, Josh Jackson, David Klemmer and Trent Hodkinson is likely to struggle. Add to that the extended loss of prop and captain, James Graham, and it is easy to see the Dogs struggling.
Penrith are without their current (or future, take your pick) superstar in Matt Moylan whose absence was keenly felt in the Panthers’ embarrassing loss last week to Melbourne. Josh Mansour, whose surname means ‘the victorious’ is also missing and with two of Penrith’s top strike weapons out, points, which have been hard to come by for the Panthers, may still be on a premium.
Canterbury’s saving grace – of which there are a few – is their monster, ball-playing forward pack. Coupled with the spark, energy and creativity of halves combination Reynolds and Mbye, NRL top tryscorer Curtis Rona is sure get some ball.
Penrith will finally welcome back their much lauded halves combination of Soward and Wallace. Soward’s kicking game and his general leadership on the field will be sorely needed if the Panthers are to get their season back on track. With both halves fit and firing, and a roving Segeyaro exploiting the Bulldogs’ tiring big men, Penrith have every right to feel confident of an upset victory.
The last time these two teams clashed, Penrith were on the verge of annihilating Canterbury before everyone’s favourite Origin five-eighth, Josh Reynolds, sparked his team to an almost victory. The match prior was the 2014 preliminary final and both teams put up a classic that the Bulldogs narrowly won.
Prediction
Recent history between the two clubs suggests a tight and exciting game. Recent form, however, leaves your guess as being as good as mine. If the Bulldogs respect the ball, they will win. Similarly, if Penrith respect the ball, they too will win. Since there can only be one winner, I’ll tip the Bulldogs because the combination of Reynolds and Mbye excites me more than the combination of Soward and Wallace.
Canterbury by 14
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