Expert
It was a thoroughly enjoyable game at Pepper stadium, which has seen the Roosters get home by two points.
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Final score
Penrith Pathers 12
Sydney Roosters 14
It’s a high-quality matchup in Penrith this Saturday night as the Penrith Panthers go up against the Sydney Roosters. Join The Roar from 7pm (AEDT) for live coverage.
Penrith were abysmal, then electrifying in their two games in season 2017 and they’ll face a very stern challenge against a Roosters team that sits 2-0 and looks pretty sharp.
The one area of concern for the Roosters though is their lapses in second halves this year. They’ve been on fire early, before switching off and giving opponents a sniff.
The Panthers are a dangerous team to do this against – they can hurt teams from anywhere on the field and they do love to score piles of points quickly.
In team news, Bryce Cartwright is out after injuring his ankle/leg against the Tigers last week while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns to the wing after having a knee cleanout to repair meniscus damage.
For the visitors there’s a big out, with Blake Ferguson succumbing to a rib injury. He’s replaced in the centres by 20-year-old Joseph Manu.
Prediction
This will be a humdinger that can go either way, with the presumptive premiership challengers pitted against a side that’s done it all before.
Both teams are great to watch and can get a scoring run going – tonight’s game will be won by the side that can get their defence organised quickly enough to get those runs under control. For me, that’s the Roosters.
Roosters by 2.
Join The Roar from 7pm (AEDT) for live coverage.