Tonight will see a Round 10 clash at McDonald Jones Stadium as the 10th-placed Newcastle Knights play host to the third-placed Penrith Panthers.
With both sides coming off disappointing Round 9 losses, this match-up shapes as an important game for both sides. Newcastle will be vying for the win to stay in contact with the top eight while a Panthers side ravaged by injury will be hoping to solidify a top-four position and continue their strong start to 2018.
The hosts will be looking for a big improvement on their last start loss to the Rabbitohs in Round 9, which saw them concede two tries inside the opening five minutes. They will be hoping to bounce back from a slow start against Penrith who, under the game management of stand-in halfback James Maloney, have proven comfortable frontrunners this season.
Newcastle have made a few changes to the side for the clash with Brock Lamb starting at halfback for Jack Cogger, while the forward pack has had a reshuffle seeing Josh King and Luke Yates making the 17 for the first time this season.
With captain and marquee signing Mitchell Pearce out injured for what looks to be the majority of 2018, coach Nathan Brown will be hoping that Lamb can form a strong halves partnership with Connor Watson and show that they can lead the side.
Penrith will also be looking to get back into the winners column after falling to their third defeat of the season at the hands of the Cowboys. Also guilty of a slow start in Round 9, Penrith leaked early points in Bathurst before mounting an 11th-hour come back that fell short by a converted try.
The Panthers have also been forced into a number of changes due to an incredible injury toll, which sees ten of their 25-man roster on the sidelines. Notably, halfback Nathan Cleary, fullback Dylan Edwards and Australian international winger Josh Mansour are all unavailable.
Last week, instrumental forward Trent Merrin was ruled out late, suffering a gruesome finger dislocation during the warm-up. Merrin has been named the start against the Knights, but will undergo a game-day evaluation on the wound left by the injury. The reserves bench also includes a third debutant in as many games, with boom youngster Jerome Luai in jersey 17.
If recent performances are anything to go by, this match-up could see a close contest with both teams being involved in plenty of tight games to kick off the season.
The two sides have been involved in five games that have been decided by six or fewer points, which shows that both are capable of staying in the game until the final whistle.
No doubt the Knights will be looking for young star Kalyn Ponga to continue his stellar start to the season. In a side struggling for consistency, Ponga has been a constant threat in attack and scintillating with ball in hand.
(Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
While he’s only crossed for one four-pointer in the opening nine rounds, it’s been his playmaking and vision that has been his standout trait, the youngster laying on nine try assists so far. Ponga’s running game and elite footwork is no secret, but perhaps worryingly for the Panthers, and the rest of the competition, his ball playing ability is far more of a threat than first expected when he made the move to Newcastle from Townsville.
Ponga’s combination with hard-running back rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon has been a revelation for the Knights, and has yielded plenty of points so far. The smart line running of Fitzgibbon paired with the silky ball playing and timing from Ponga has seen the fringe forward cross for five tries.
For Penrith, two-time premiership winning half James Maloney holds the key to the side’s success. In the absence of young gun Cleary, Maloney has assumed the duty of leading his side around the park and has done a tremendous job thus far.
The Panthers marquee signing is in elite company when it comes to game management, and that has been on show in recent weeks. Since Cleary went down injured in a Round 3 clash against the Bulldogs, Maloney has stepped up and played a crucial role in getting Penrith to third place with a 6-3 record.
His outstanding kicking game and direct attacking style have provided much-needed stability to a Panthers side who in recent seasons have exhibited a much more frantic and unorganised attack.
Penrith fans will also be praising the form of their enthusiastic, young forward pack. Players like James Fisher-Harris, Villiame Kikau, Moses Leota and Reagan Campbell-Gillard (who wouldn’t look out of place in a Blues jumper) have really stepped up and dominated opposition packs.
If they can take their form into tonight’s game against Newcastle, it will give the Panthers a good platform to play from.
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