Panthers
26
Match Complete
Sharks
20
| 74 |  | S. Feki | ||
| 65 |  | S. Johnson | ||
| 64 | | J. Morris | ||
| 61 | | S. Johnson | ||
| 60 | | J. Williams | ||
| N. Cleary | | 45 | ||
| D. Edwards | | 43 | ||
| N. Cleary | | 39 | ||
| N. Cleary | | 39 | ||
| 31 | | W. Graham | ||
| N. Cleary | | 26 | ||
| D. Edwards | | 24 | ||
| N. Cleary | | 16 | ||
| B. Naden | | 14 | ||
| N. Cleary |  | 8 |
| 4 | Tries | 4 | ||
| 4 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 1 | Penalty Goals | 0 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
The Penrith Panthers will be looking to return to the top eight with a win over the Cronulla Sharks this Friday night at Panthers Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 7:55pm AEST.
The Panthers will be fielding a depleted team after Wayde Egan and Jarome Luai were ruled out with injuries and James Maloney was suspended for a trip last weekend, which was upheld at the judiciary on Tuesday.
The welcome appearance of Viliame Kikau will boost their go forward, as he returns from a two week suspension, but the two other inclusions, the underperforming Sione Katoa and rookie Spencer Leniu, will have Panthers fans worried.
Conversely the Sharks only have one change this week, with Matt Moylan out through concussion. Josh Dugan easily slots into the fullback role and Sosia Feki returns to the wing, pushing Josh Morris into the centres.
It remains to be seen if Andrew Fifita will be given more minutes in the first half this week, as his role last week was noticeably diminished after only coming onto the park 26 minutes in and playing a very short 41-minute stint.
Fifita is known to be able to play long minutes, sometimes even the full game, which indicates that this move is in response to his temper tantrums in the last few weeks.
Many commentators have pointed to him as emblematic of the Sharks problems, namely that they simply do not work well as a team and seem to be out of the coach’s control.
This is where the key matchup of the game will occur; right smack bang in the middle of the park. If the Panthers forwards (James Tamou, James Fisher-Harris and Viliame Kikau in particular) can get under the Sharks skin and affect Andrew Fifita and Aaron Woods’ concentration then it will give their new halves pairing easy field position to work with.
However look for the Sharks big men to send a message to the rest of the competition this week and put in a huge performance against one of their closest rivals on the ladder.
Prediction
The Panthers still struggle to score points and the Sharks have a point to prove in defence. Man of the match performance by Andrew Fifita to carry his team to victory.
Sharks by 4
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 7:55pm AEST.
Kick-off: 7:55pm (AEST)
Venue: Panthers Stadium, Penrith
TV: Live, Channel 9, Fox League 501
Online: Live, Kayo Sports, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now, 9Now, NRL Digital Pass
Betting: Panthers: $2.50 Sharks: $1.52
Overall record: Played 36, Panthers 13, Sharks 22, 1 Draw
Last meeting: Round 6 2019, Cronulla Sharks 24 defeated Penrith Panthers 20 at Pointsbet Stadium, Woolooware
Record at venue: Panthers 6/15, Sharks 9/15
Referees: Grant Atkins, Phil Henderson
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards
2. Josh Mansour
3. Dean Whare
4. Brent Naden
5. Brian To’o
6. James Maloney
7. Nathan Cleary
8. James Tamou (c)
9. Mitch Kenny
10. James Fisher-Harris
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Liam Martin
13. Isaah Yeo
14. Sione Katoa
15. Spencer Leniu
16. Moses Leota
17. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
Cronulla Sharks
1. Josh Dugan
2. Sosaia Feki
3. Bronson Xerri
4. Josh Morris
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Shaun Johnson
7. Chad Townsend
8. Aaron Woods
9. Jayden Brailey
10. Matt Prior
11. Briton Nikora
12. Wade Graham
13. Paul Gallen
14. Kurt Capewell
15. Jack Williams
16. Andrew Fifita
17. Braden Hamlin-Uele
74
65
64
61
60
45
43
39
39
31
26
24
16
14
8
Peter Piper
Guest
Whilst either of these teams can cause an upset for any team in the comp, neither of them are good enough to win the premiership.
John Collison
Roar Pro
The Penrith Panthers have beaten the Cronulla Sharks 26 points to 20 in a nail biter out west. On a windy night the Panthers got out to a comfortable lead before a depleted Sharks outfit tried to get out of jail late. A flurry of late possession to the Sharks gives the impression that the away team was well in the game but for the bulk of the contest Penrith were far and away the better side. Once again the Sharks have gotten into an early hole and left it too late for themselves to dig their way out. Good performances from Johnson and Graham should be underlined, while injuries to Prior and Fifita (who seemed to be carrying an injury at the start of the game) will cause headaches in the front row selection next week. A very mature performance from Penrith rookie Matt Burton was a more subdued highlight as the Panthers flexed their muscle with tries to Naden, Cleary and a double to Edwards. This is only the second time this year they have managed to cross 24 points in a game and they will feel good that it was against a well balanced defensive unit in the Sharks, although they have been admittedly on kilter for a while now. The wind was an unexpected factor as it played havoc with kickoffs and dropouts, which alternated between very short and extremely deep. Some conversion attempts looked simple but required a deft touch, a feat that Cleary excelled at but one that Johnson struggled with. Going forward the Panthers will be happy with the result as they managed to do all the hard work early and then counter effectively. The Sharks will feel hard done by, especially with the injuries they sustained, but need to figure out a way to stop the rot early in games if they are to truly compete for the premiership.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Yeah I hate to say it because Fifita is such a good player.... but he has to rest his knee and actually recover properly, then be fully fit before he returns.
JVGO
Guest
At 14-4 Sharks even after playing stupid, had that game, then utter lunacy as usual. Really dumb game from the Sharks, especially the coach and Chad. Chad I love ya but you're an idiot. Should have won that by at least 20. The curse of Scomo is back. Need a miracle now.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Thanks mate. We can share a commiseration drink tonight I think.