Titans v Panthers preview

Gold Coast Titans v Penrith Panthers
Cbus Super Stadium - Saturday 3:00pm

It's a vastly different Titans side that will take on the Panthers this weekend. Last time the two met, only 5 weeks ago, the Titans were without suspended stars Greg Bird, Dave Taylor and Beau Falloon. Falloon will return to the hooker role this week, with Kierran Mosely relegated to the bench. Eddy Pettybourne will be missing for this clash, as he serves a one match suspension.

Conversely to the Titans returning players, this time round the Panthers side will line up minus several of their stars, including Lewis Brown, Bryce Cartwright, Peter Wallace, Jamie Soward and Jamal Idris, who was this week ruled out for the season with a knee injury. The Panthers have however welcomed back Josh Mansour, who was absent in their 40-0 win over the Titans at Carrington Park in Round 2.

The halves pairing for the Panthers will again be Api Koroisau and Isaac John, with James Segeyaro and Matt Moylan helping provide some creativity off the ruck.

The Gold Coast side come into this game on the back of vastly different fortunes to those they took into the match in Bathurst. The Titans have won two from their last three, including a big win last week against the Parramatta Eels. James Roberts is in great form, and last weekend was William Zillman's best game in a long tme. On top of that, Greg Bird and Dave Taylor both made big numbers, although they need the rest of their forward pack to emulate these performances.

The Panthers are also last start winners, after defeating Manly last weekend, however the win was costly, thanks to the loss of Jamal Idris. How much of their win was due to the Sea Eagles ineptitude is up for debate, however the Panthers so far are clinging to a top eight spot despite their injury woes.

Last meeting: Round 2 2015 - Penrith Panthers 40 Gold Coast Titans 0

Who to watch: In the absence of both the Panthers halves, James Segeyaro and Matt Moylan have really stepped up so far this season, and are in great form. Moylan leads the competition in several key stats for a fullback, and is especially valuable for his ability to set up tries for other players, as well as obviously the ability to score his own.

For the Titans, the performance of their hooker rotation should be intersting. Beau Falloon has had a rollercoaster start to 2015, with suspensions especially. Kierran Moseley has been strong for the Titans, but is pushed back to the interchange bench with the return of Falloon to the starting side. How this impacts the structure of the Titans attack should be good to watch.

There will also be a few eyes on the sideline with those wearing lime - female official Kasey Badger will be debuting at NRL level as a touch judge.

The favourite: The Titans will start as slight favourites in this match, which will surprise many. I predict a high scoring game, so any bet on high points would be a wise one.

My tip: The Panthers injury problems are starting to hurt them , and I can't see them getting over the top of a determined and enthusiastic Titans side. Titans by 4.

1. Josh Hoffman 2. Anthony Don 3. James Roberts 4. William Zillman 5. David Mead 6. Aidan Sezer 7. Kane Elgey 8. Luke Douglas 9. Beau Falloon 10. Nate Myles 11. Ryan James 12. Dave Taylor 13. Greg Bird
Interchange: 14. Matt White 15. Lachlan Burr 16. Ryan Simpkins 17. Kierran Moseley 18. Agnatius Paasi

1. Matt Moylan 2. Josh Mansour 3. Waqa Blake 4. Robert Jennings 5. Dallin Watene Zelezniak 6. Apisai Koroisau 7. Isaac John 8. Jeremy Latimore 9. James Segeyaro 10. Brent Kite 11. Sika Manu 12. Elijah Taylor 13. Nigel Plum
Interchange: 14. Tyrone Peachey 15. Sam McKendry 16. Regan Campbell-Gillard 17. Isaah Yeo

Referees: Jared Maxwell, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Adam Reid, Kasey Badger; Video Referees: Steve Clark, Luke Patten;

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