MVP Dylan Edwards is the man Penrith's system might not be able to cover
The Panthers' system covers most situations, but how would it cope without iron man Dylan Edwards?
The Sydney Roosters had a dominant win over the Penrith Panthers, shutting them out of the first half and finishing with a 24-4 win on Saturday.
>> MATCH REPORT: Ferguson leads Roosters to Panther pasting
Blake Ferguson, who also dominated for the Roosters when these two sides met earlier in the year, again had an excellent game, aiding two tries and being denied one of his own.
Penrith 4 def. by Sydney 24
The Penrith Panthers face the Sydney Roosters on Saturday afternoon at Pepper Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores from 5:30pm (AEST).
There is just four competition points separating these two sides, but due to the log jams of teams from third to 11th, there is seven spaces on the ladder.
The Sydney Roosters are at the forefront of that logjam, thanks to their league-best for and against record this season.
With five teams looking to equal them on 22 points if they drop this match though, they won’t be keen to be required to fall back on the +/-.
Motivation is also high for the Panthers, who can jump their way into the top eight with a win.
The Panthers enter this match with some strong form in tow, knocking off the Wests Tigers and reigning premiers, South Sydney, in the past fortnight.
If they can secure the win today, the back end of their season is all of a sudden looking far more promising than it was a month ago.
We can’t discount the current form of the Roosters though, who arrive at Pepper Stadium with a string of three wins behind them.
On the team front, their is nothing to report. Both these sides are bringing identical line-ups into this match from their respective last-start wins.
The only question is then, whose form line will continue the positive trend today?
Join The Roar for live scores of the Panthers versus Roosters from 5:30pm (AEST).
If you are following the action live, be sure to share your thoughts on the match in the comments below.