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Penrith Panthers
13
Match Complete
Parramatta Eels
12
| M. Burton |  | 78 | ||
| 56 |  | M. Moses | ||
| S. Crichton |  | 52 | ||
| A. Koroisau |  | 50 | ||
| 42 | | M. Moses | ||
| 41 | | I. Papali'i | ||
| S. Crichton | | 35 | ||
| T. May | | 34 | ||
| 22 | | M. Sivo |
| 2 | Tries | 2 | ||
| 2 | Conversions | 1 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 1 | ||
| 1 | Field Goals | 0 |
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Round 16 continues tonight when the Penrith Panthers host the Parramatta Eels in a blockbuster at BlueBet Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and rolling coverage from 7:55pm (AEST).
COVID-19 lockdowns have a lot to answer for. We could have had a full house out at Penrith for the western derby. Instead, we get empty seats and maybe some fake crowd noise. However, there is still plenty to play for both these top-four sides.
After Penrith’s depth was tested, and ultimately fell short, against the Tigers and Sharks, a close to full strength team bounced back a couple of weeks ago.
The 38-12 win over the Roosters reinforced the view if the Panthers are at or near full strength, this team wins. The Roosters have been hit with injuries harder than most, but they were outclassed by Penrith across the park.
However, last year’s runner-up will be without Nathan Cleary for several weeks, after he suffered a shoulder injury in Origin II. Jarome Luai will play halfback with Matt Burton moving into 6, while Tyrone May will start in the centres. Charlie Staines will play fullback in place of the injured Dylan Edwards, with Brent Naden getting his first game of the year on the wing.
Viliame Kikau returns from a hamstring strain, so Liam Martin falls back to the interchange and Spencer Leniu misses out on the 17. The other State of Origin players are all back.
Parramatta have had a lighter load through Origin and took full advantage, registering three easy wins since the state series began.
Last up, they were far too good for the Bulldogs, registering a 36-10 victory. Mitchell Moses had a field day, with a personal haul of 16 points. However, given their last three wins were over the Bulldogs, Tigers and an injury-hit Knights, we haven’t seen for a while what this team can do against a premiership heavyweight.
Maika Sivo returns from suspension, with Sean Russell making way. Oregon Kaufusi and Bryce Cartwright come onto the bench for the injured Nathaniel Roache and Keegan Hipgrave.
Prediction:
The loss of Nathan Cleary is big for the Panthers, but they have shown that they can win without him, outlasting the Storm earlier in the season.
While the Eels have done well without the injured Reed Mahoney recently, I think they will miss him this weekend.
Much of the Eels attack starts with Mahoney, and against a watertight Panthers defence, Parramatta won’t have enough points in them.
Panthers by 6
Kick-off: 7:55pm (AEST)
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
TV: Nine, Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo, Foxtel, NRL Live Pass
Odds: Panthers: $1.52, Eels: $2.52 (odds via PlayUp)
Panthers
1. Charlie Staines, 2. Brent Naden, 3. Stephen Crichton, 4. Tyrone May, 5. Brian To’o, 6. Matt Burton, 7. Jarome Luai, 8. Moses Leota, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. James Fisher-Harris, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Isaah Yeo (c)
Bench/Reserves: 14. Mitch Kenny, 15. Scott Sorensen, 16. Spencer Leniu, 17. Liam Martin | 18. Izack Tago, 19. Jaeman Salmon, 20. Matt Eisenhuth, 21. Taylan May
Eels
1. Clint Gutherson (c), 2. Maika Sivo, 3. Tom Opacic, 4. Waqa Blake, 5. Haze Dunster, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Joey Lussick, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Ryan Matterson, 13. Nathan Brown
Bench/Reserves: 14. Marata Niukore, 15. Shaun Lane, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Bryce Cartwright | 18. Will Penisini, 19. Will Smith, 20. Sean Russell, 21. Jake Arthur
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