A major mismatch looms when first plays last in the NRL this weekend

A major NRL mismatch looms when the undefeated, top-of-the-ladder Penrith Panthers welcome the last-placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs to the foot of the mountains this Saturday afternoon.

After the heartbreak of losing last year’s grand final to the Melbourne Storm, the Panthers have set the NRL world on fire this season, winning their first ten matches and boasting a massive points differential of +280.

Last week the mountain men made a mockery of what was supposed to be a tough clash against pre-season title favourites, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, running riot with a 56-12 thrashing in Dubbo.

Again it was halfback and co-captain Nathan Cleary who directed proceedings, scoring a try and booting ten goals from eleven attempts for a personal haul of 24 points while Matt Burton, who filled in for Cleary in the early part of last year, scored a hat-trick of tries.

Not only did the Panthers tighten their grip on top spot, they also further dented the Bunnies’ title hopes, Wayne Bennett’s side having coughed up a half-century for a second time in three weeks following their 50-0 loss to the Melbourne Storm in Round 9.

Given that Dubbo is geographically closer to Penrith than it is to Redfern, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a Panthers home game, when it was actually Souths’.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Meantime, down at the foot of the standings, the Bulldogs continue to struggle, with Trent Barrett’s side having won just the one game for the year; despite this, they have shown promising signs in recent weeks even if their results suggest otherwise.

Their only win came against the Sharks in Round 7, in which they led 18-0 at halftime before surviving a furious Sharks comeback to win by just 18-12.

The Dogs had been right, front and centre of scathing criticism following their 32-12 loss to St George Illawarra in Round 9, after which prized halfback Kyle Flanagan was dropped from the side.

In Magic Round they threatened a major upset against a 12-man Canberra Raiders side before falling short by 20-18, with poor decision making under pressure in the final minutes resulting in their defeat.

Trent Barrett’s side also threatened to run down the Gold Coast Titans last week, at one stage trailing by just 24-20, before conceding a late try to crash to their tenth defeat of the year.

Speculation has emerged in recent days that Flanagan could return to the Sharks, where he would fill the void left by premiership halfback Chad Townsend, who is off to North Queensland next year.

In the meantime, the new halves pairing of Jake Averillo and Brandon Wakeham have shown glimpses of promise, but they will be up for the task facing up to their Panthers counterparts led by Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary.

It will be the second time the Panthers and Bulldogs have met this season, following a 28-0 win by the mountain men at Bankwest Stadium back in Round 2.

The previous meeting before that, in Round 20 last year, saw Ivan Cleary’s side register a landslide 42-0 win at Stadium Australia, at which point they had already wrapped up the minor premiership.

Jack Hetherington of the Bulldogs. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Given not just their recent poor form but also what has happened the last two times their side has faced Penrith, Bulldogs fans are already fearing the prospect of another humiliating defeat as their side continues to struggle at the bottom of the ladder.

Conversely, Panthers fans are in heaven right now with their side currently on an eleven-match winning streak, and with the struggling Wests Tigers and Sharks to follow in the coming weeks it will be difficult to see when their side’s first defeat of the season will come.

It is possible that Ivan Cleary’s side could go unbeaten through the State of Origin period, with many of their star players including Nathan Cleary expected to be unavailable as the Blues attempt to wrest back the shield from the Maroons.

On the other side of that, they’ll face the Storm in Melbourne, in what will be their first trip to the Victorian capital since they pulled off an upset 22-16 win in the final round of the 2018 season.

But first thing’s first – the Panthers will start the hottest of favourites against the Bulldogs this weekend, with this to be the final chance for Cleary and a host of others to impress before the State of Origin sides for Game 1 in Melbourne are announced next week.