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Panthers
2
54
Storm
20
| 54 |  | C. Smith | ||
| 52 |  | J. Addo-Carr | ||
| 45 | | C. Smith | ||
| 43 | | B. Croft | ||
| 35 |  | C. Smith | ||
| 10 | | C. Smith | ||
| 9 | | C. Munster | ||
| J. Maloney | | 5 |
| 0 | Tries | 3 | ||
| 0 | Conversions | 3 | ||
| 1 | Penalty Goals | 1 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
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Two teams coming off a win in the previous round face off in Round 3, with the western warriors the Penrith Panthers playing host to the charging Melbourne Storm, at Carrington Park, Bathurst. Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and blog of the game.
Penrith looked good for their win up in Newcastle last weekend.
Hitting the line hard in attack, holding the line and rushing up in defence, the Panthers played like a team with that enthusiasm and drive that you need to win NRL games.
Of course, and no disrespect to the mighty Knights of Newcastle, but a team fighting for finals relevance is a whole other story when compared to the behemoth that is Melbourne.
And, if not for one video ref intervention and another James Maloney try-saver, it is possible the Panthers are coming into this match up winless.
So for the Panthers to repeat their success, they must remain true to what worked so well for them last week: control and intensity.
The Panthers are a team that historically know how to cause pressure when defending.
It is a rare ability to almost be able to gain metres when you are without the ball, and yet the Panthers are a team that can achieve that, and in this instance, it is something they will want to very much do against the Storm.
The Storm are just purring along, aren’t they?
Solid and occasionally spectacular in the opener, solid and professional against the Raiders, the Storm are that age-old performer that you know and love, because you know what to expect.
Cameron Smith, that ageless warhorse in the middle of the park, has not for one moment lost his vigour, and the absence of Cooper Cronk, short of not winning a grand final, has been seamlessly filled with new personnel.
Oh, and replacing Billy Slater was no issue as well.
So well is Jerome Hughes going, it is actually easy to under-estimate his value, given that he was replacing the greatest fullback to play the game, and the Storm do not appear to have missed a beat.
It is an interesting match up for the Panthers to take rural, given they are playing a title contender. You have to wonder if they would have preferred the confines of home, for that extra advantage.
History, equally, is on the side of the visitors, having won four of the last five encounters.
Of course, Penrith can take some comfort going into the match: they won the last game between these two sides.
Prediction
Melbourne for me here. Penrith will shake up the Storm, but a 2-point win over Newcastle is just not as convincing as a near flawless win over the Raiders, in terms of form.
Storm by 8.
Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and update of the game, and don’t forget to leave a comment in the comments section below.
When: Saturday, 30 March 2019, at 7:30 PM (AEDT)
Where: Carrington Park, Bathurst
TV: Fox Sports 502, live streaming NRL app
Betting: Panthers $2.54, Storm $1.55, Draw $23.00
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Dean Whare, 4. Waqa Blake, 5. Dallin Watane-Zelezniak, 6. James Maloney, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. James Tamou, 9. Sione Katoa, 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11. Jamess Fisher-Harris, 12. Frank Tinterstein, 13. Hame Sele, 14. Wayde Egan, 15. Tyrell Fuimaono, 16. Moses Leota, 17. Jack Hetherington.
Reserves: 18. Jarome Luai, 19. Tim Grant
Melbourne Storm
1. Jerome Hughes, 2. Suliasi Vunivalu, 3. Will Chambers, 4. Curtis Scott, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Brodie Croft, 8. Jesse Bromwich, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 11. Felise Kaufusi, 12. Keenneath Bromwich, 13. Dale Finucane, 14. Brandon Smith, 15. Christian Welch, 16. Tui KamiKamica, 17. Marion Seve.
Reserves: Ryan Papenhuyzen, 19. Patrick Kaufusi.
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