Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers: NRL live scores, blog

An established power takes on an NRL side on the rise when the Melbourne Storm battle the Penrith Panthers at AAMI Park. Join us for live scores and commentary from 5:30pm AEDT.

When these two sides last faced – in Round 9 of 2013 – Melbourne were in peak form, while the Panthers sat at the bottom of the NRL ladder.

Defying all expectations, the Panthers jumped to a 12-0 halftime lead before holding on amidst a barrage of Melbourne offence to post a memorable 12-10 victory.

Fast forward almost a year – and add in a few key signings – and many experts now view the Panthers as a top-8 side, far from the cellar dwellers they were just a couple of years back.

They kicked off their campaign in style last week, posting a victory against a Knights’ side whose spine admittedly unraveled through injury over the course of the contest.

To the Panthers’ credit they disposed of their opponents comprehensively, but anything less would have been unacceptable given the Novocastrians’ injury woes.

It’ll be a different story against a Storm side with the Big Three on deck. Cooper Cronk returns after missing Round 1 through injury, while Billy Slater will be better for last week’s run after struggling with some niggles of his own.

Youngster Ben Hampton – stepping into the No.6 jersey this season – last week proved himself a dynamic and exciting prospect, while Cameron Smith showed why he is arguably the game’s most composed player as he orchestrated his side’s comeback victory over Manly.

On the back of his re-signing with the Storm for a further four years this week – making him likely a one-club player – Smith will also line up for his 263rd game this week, a milestone that sees him overtake Matt Geyer’s club record.

If the Panthers are to stand a chance in this one they’ll need to rely on the kicking games of new halves signings Peter Wallace and Jamie Soward, which were outstanding last week.

The Panthers made more kick metres than any other side last week, which is exactly what the coaching group would have been hoping for in signing a player like Soward to the club.

They also may be boosted by possible returns of club leader Tim Grant and major centre signing Jamal Idris, both of whom missed Round 1 through injury.

The star-studded Storm, however, always start their seasons well, and with the firepower of their rep players I expect them to kick on with another victory this week. Storm by 10.

Will the Storm celebrate Cameron Smith’s re-signing with a win, or can the Panthers spoil the party and announce themselves as legitimate finals contenders in 2014?

Join us this afternoon at 5:30pm AEDT for live score updates and debate on our live blog, and be sure to give us your opinion in the space below if you’re watching.