Panthers v Titans preview

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Penrith shoot for three straight against an always troubling Titans outfit.

The Panthers finally claimed what would be considered a big win on Saturday night by their standards when they ran away with a 12 point victory over the Warriors. And with that, the Panthers took their well-deserved spot in the Top 8 and with a victory this week, will go into the bye round with a whole lot of momentum and confidence. The key for Penrith's attack this season has been their offloads, which were instrumental in their win last week. Despite having taken their past two home games away from their spiritual home at Pepper Stadium, the Panthers have put together their first back-to-back wins of the year and Jamie Soward was pivotal in last week's effort. Soward was bringing back shades of his 2010 premiership winning season with a strong running and kicking game paving the way for Tyrone Peachey and Matt Moylan to weave their magic and solidify a strong victory in Christchurch. Peachey will again feature in the centres on Sunday afternoon and looms as an attacking threat for the home side when partnered by edge backrower Bryce Cartwright. Speaking of Moylan, the Penrith skipper has also had an impressive start to the 2016 season, despite being hampered by injury. In his 6 games played this year, he leads Penrith for try assists with 5 and line break assists with 4. With attacking potency from all sides of the field, the Panthers look set to crack the twenty point mark again on Sunday afternoon. 

For the Titans, they broke a 5 game losing streak with a comfortable 26-6 victory over the Roosters last Monday night. In what continues to be a trend for the Gold Coast's season in 2016, it appears you can rarely count them out of apparent ‘mismatches'. The Titans have passed the mark in terms of their performances at home, claiming 3 wins from their 6 battles in Robina. However, they have typically struggled away from home, securing just 1 victory from 4 in 2016. For both sides, missed tackles have also been an issue, with Penrith the worst offenders with an average of 37 a game. The Titans aren't fairing much better with 32 a game. In fact, when you compare both sides starts to the 2016 season, the only massive difference is their ladder position. Penrith have only crossed for one more try and conceded 20 points less. Penrith, however, dominate the competition for offloads, which will be a key component the Titans will look to shut down on Sunday. The Gold Coast themselves don't do too badly when it comes to second phase play, ranking 5th in the competition with 122 and this proved trouble for the Roosters on Monday night, as well as the speed and agility of Gold Coast's forwards. Penrith themselves possess skillful forwards in the likes of Cartwright and Leilani Latu among others.

Last meeting: Round 7 2015 - Titans 32 Panthers 6

Who to watch: For the home side, I can't go past the Peach. Peachey has starred in the centres in the two rounds in his new position, compiling 4 tries and 4 line breaks as a constant threat on the edges. Many Penrith fans wondered whether Peachey was just too ineffective not playing 80 minutes in a congested back row but Peachey has been a revelation in the centres, easing the pain of Dean Whare's absence. 

For the Titans, all the talk is about Nathan Peats, but fellow bench player Agnatius Paasi will prove a lot to handle. Paasi has crossed for 4 tries in 2016 and at the same time made 4 line breaks, ran for an average of 118 metres and proven a tackle busting threat for the Titans. An improving player, Paasi will look to stop the dominant Penrith bench from having an impact in this one, with the likes of James Fisher Harris terrorising in past weeks for the home side.

The favourite: Despite a big win, the Titans go into this one heavy outsiders, with the Panthers looking for three straight and to cement their spot in the Top 8.

My tip: This shapes as a danger game for Penrith. The Titans are typically a tough team to overcome, discounting their 38-0 hiding by Melbourne, and will be full of confidence following a 20 point win over the Roosters. However, this should ensure Penrith go into this one with no false sense of security or complacency. Aiming for three straight heading into the bye, and with the home ground advantage, in a tight tussle the Panthers should prove a tad too strong for the Titans on Sunday afternoon. Panthers by 6.

1. Matt Moylan 2. Josh Mansour 3. Tyrone Peachey 4. Peta Hiku 5. Dallin Watene Zelezniak 6. Jamie Soward 7. Peter Wallace 8. Sam McKendry 17. James Fisher-Harris 10. Regan Campbell-Gillard 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Isaah Yeo 13. Trent Merrin
Interchange: 14. Suaia Matagi 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Leilani Latu 9. James Segeyaro

1. William Zillman 2. Anthony Don 3. Josh Hoffman 4. Nathan Davis 5. Nene Macdonald 6. Tyrone Roberts 7. Ashley Taylor 14. Luke Douglas 9. Nathan Friend 10. Ryan James 11. Zeb Taia 12. Chris McQueen 13. Greg Bird
Interchange: 15. Leivaha Pulu 16. Agnatius Paasi 17. Nathan Peats 18. Eddy Pettybourne

Referees: Henry Perenara, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Jason Walsh, Dave Ryan; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Bryan Norrie, Jason Robinson