Panthers v Raiders preview

Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders
Pepper Stadium - Sunday 2:00pm

Two sides outside the top eight look to keep their finals hopes alive.

After showing signs of promise against South Sydney, Penrith plummeting back to earth last week, being thrashed by the Storm in Melbourne. Returning home against their Grand Final foes from 1990/91, the Panthers will be out to remain in touch with the play-offs with a win. David Simmons returns in place of Robert Jennings, while Sika Manu will start in the second row, replacing the impressive Bryce Cartwright who moves to the bench. The Panthers will have extra motivation to post a win on Sunday with Elijah Taylor to play his 100th game in the NRL after debuting for the Warriors in 2011, while Jeremy Latimore will also play his 50th game for Penrith.

Having gone down in controversial circumstances in extra time last week against Cronulla, the Raiders will be desperate for a win on Sunday. After failing to get over the Sharks with Jack Wighton in the halves, Josh McCrone will play only his fourth game of the season, earning a reprieve at halfback. In the only other change, Sisa Waqa will miss the match with a knee complaint resulting in Wighton moving back to his preferred position. The Raiders have struggled against the Panthers in recent seasons, managing just two wins since 2011, while the last time Ricky Stuart coached a side to victory against Penrith was back in 2008 when he was in charge of Cronulla.

Last Meeting: Round 10, 2014 - Canberra Raiders 20 Penrith Panthers 26

Who to watch: Coming in as a replacement for both Matt Moylan and Dallin Watene-Zeezniak is no easy feat, but in a badly beaten side against Melbourne, Will Smith showed plenty of flair given his limited opportunities. Running for over 100 metres and playing a part in many of the Panthers attacking raids last week, Smith showed that if given a chance he belongs in first grade. Having struggled for game time throughout 2015, Smith will be keen to show he is equally adept at fullback as he was in the halves during the finals last year

Having secured a mid-season release from Newcastle, Joey Leilua will need to perform at his best if the Raiders are to come away with a win at the foot of the mountains. At his best Leilua is one of the most devastating centres in the NRL, capable of single-handedly winning a game. While his stats in his first two games for Canberra are hardly impressive, the Samoan international is a proven game-breaker and will be out to show his ability on Sunday.

The favourite: With the Panthers returning to Pepper Stadium, the home ground advantage is predicted to get them over the line.

My tip: If the Raiders are to feature in the finals this season, they have to win this game. Raiders by 8.

1. William Smith 2. Waqa Blake 3. Dean Whare 4. Isaah Yeo 5. David Simmons 6. Jamie Soward 7. Peter Wallace 8. Nigel Plum 9. James Segeyaro 10. Regan Campbell-Gillard 11. Lewis Brown 12. Sika Manu 13. Elijah Taylor
Interchange: 14. Tyrone Peachey 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Sam McKendry 17. Bryce Cartwright 18. Apisai Koroisau 21. Robert Jennings

1. Jack Wighton 2. Edrick Lee 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Josh McCrone 8. Paul Vaughan 9. Josh Hodgson 10. David Shillington 11. Josh Papalii 12. Iosia Soliola 13. Shaun Fensom
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Jarrad Kennedy 16. Frank Paul Nuuausala 17. Shannon Boyd

Referees: Ben Cummins, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Jeff Younis, Dave Ryan; Video Referees: Jared Maxwell, Ben Galea;

Check out all the action live in our Match Centre