Roar Guru
Final Score
Penrith Panthers 30-12 Newcastle Knights
Penrith Panthers have forced their way off the bottom of the ladder with a dominant second half performance against the unfortunate Newcastle Knights.
The Panthers started the match well, and led by 8 halfway through the first half, before Clint Newton and Jake Mamo put the Knights in front.
>>MATCH REPORT: Knights claim the spoon after loss to Penrith
Mamo was the standout for the Knights, but his strong display couldn’t stop Penrith from running riot in the second half, with tries to Dean Whare and Josh Mansour, as well as a double to Tyrone Peachey. Man of the Match will be between Will Smith and Tyrone Peachey – both of whom were instrumental in the Panthers strong result tonight.
The Newcastle Knights take on the Penrith Panthers in a battle to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon. Join The Roar from 3:00pm (AEST) for live scores and full match coverage.
This year’s wooden spooners are destined to have won 10 of their 26 matches – a decent run for finishing last, which shows just how close the 2015 NRL season has been.
However such a statistic won’t comfort the side who loses this afternoon.
The Penrith Panthers could be without the instrumental Jamie Soward, despite the fact he has been named to play, after he was concussed last week. Bryce Cartwright is injured, though has also been named to play.
Otherwise the Panthers are unchanged from their loss to the Raiders last week.
The Panthers have lost seven of their last eight matches, and haven’t scored more than 24 points since Round 16. While they have a side capable of playing good footy, they haven’t got the results throughout this season.
For the Knights, Adam Clydsdale returns from injury at hooker to replace Danny Levi, with Tyler Randell dropping back to the bench.
The Knights come into this game off the back of a decent run against the Bulldogs last week, but once again fell short, despite Kurt Gidley’s best efforts to lift his struggling side in the dying moments.
Prediction
Without Soward, the Panthers could really struggle in the middle. Will Smith is likely to step up in his departure, but even so it is difficult to back the Panthers after the season they’ve had.
The Knights are favourites with the bookies, and it’s hard to disagree. The Panthers will struggle without Soward, and even if he does play, the five-eighth’s kicking game is useless without in-form backs.
Newcastle to win comfortably.
Join The Roar for live coverage of this clash from 3pm (AEST) and don’t forget to comment if you’re following along.