Panthers v Rabbitohs preview - 2017 Round 6

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The Rabbitohs look to take advantage of a weakened Penrith outfit as both attempt to consolidate a spot in the Top Eight.

It has been an eventful week for the Panthers, with their 22-point loss to the Storm compounded by the news that Tyrone Peachey is set to miss 4-6 weeks due to a rib injury and the demotion of captain and star fullback Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake to NSW Cup for breaching club protocol. Add onto this the fact that starting backrowers Bryce Cartwright and James Fisher-Harris are confirmed absences yet again and the Panthers come into Friday night's clash with over half of their first grade squad missing, with Josh Mansour and Sam McKendry of course also still out. However, in saying this, in a testament to Penrith's incredible depth, their depleted back line is still on par with that of South Sydney's (who are also without Greg Inglis and Aaron Gray). Dylan Edwards fills in at fullback whilst journeyman Michael Oldfield partners Dean Whare on the wing. In a week of disappointment, one shining light will be the special moment on Friday night when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak's brother Malakai makes his well-deserved first grade debut. If Penrith are to emerge victorious, however, they will need halves Nathan Cleary and Te Maire Martin to step up. In Moylan's absence, it will be interesting to see how they handle the extra responsibility in attack seeing Edwards is largely a running fullback. Despite camping themselves on Melbourne's line for the majority of last week's game, Cleary and Martin failed to crack the Storm defence, only managing one try and will be determined to improve this weekend against an obviously weaker defensive outfit. Penrith as a whole, however, will have to clean up their discipline if they are to prevail, leading the competition with 62 errors and conceding the second most penalties.

On the other hand, the Rabbitohs have conceded the least penalties in the competition and therefore, if they are able to deny Penrith cheap field possession, will like their chances of claiming their third win of the season. The past fortnight, however, has been a challenge. The Rabbitohs have lost both games to the Roosters and Cowboys by fourteen points, only managing one try. In those games, South Sydney have averaged twelve errors, which, despite the absences of Moylan and co. would prove costly seeing the strike which Penrith still possess throughout their side. The Rabbitohs however, have a much more settled outfit with no changes to the side that fell to the Cowboys last week with Robbie Farah the only player currently under an injury cloud. Former Panthers Robert Jennings and Braidon Burns have a chance for redemption on Friday night against their former sides.

Last meeting: Round 16 2016 - Panthers 28 Rabbitohs 26

The scoreline in this one from last season flatters the Bunnies - Penrith dominated the contest before the Rabbitohs came flying home late.

Who to watch: If Penrith are to win Friday night's victory they need Nathan Cleary to star. In the absence of Moylan, who, with Te Maire Martin, leads the club with three try assists, Cleary will need to not only steer around his side with his long kicking game but also provide creativity inside the opposition's twenty, which was somewhat lacking last weekend against an albeit very impressive Storm defence. His partnership with Martin is only getting stronger and the two linked for a particularly nice try last weekend and pose a serious threat to the Rabbitohs this weekend.

For the Rabbitohs, Cody Walker continues to impress and has arguably been their best this season. With seven try assists, six line breaks, a try and just two errors to his name, Walker has been one of the form halves to begin the season and his speed could cause problems for Penrith on Friday night if the likes of Sam Burgess can pop out a sneaky offload or two.

The favourite: The Panthers opened overwhelming favourites. Yet, the example made of Moylan, Hiku and Blake has seen Souths firm considerably.

My tip: This one is hard to call. The numerous absences for Penrith really even it up. But at home and with a still potent backline, look for the combination between Cleary and Martin to improve even further and lead Penrith to a crucial victory. Penrith by 2.

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Michael Oldfield 3. Dean Whare 4. Dallin Watene Zelezniak 5. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Peter Wallace 10. Regan Campbell-Gillard 11. Corey Harawira 12. Isaah Yeo 13. Trent Merrin 14. Moses Leota 15. Leilani Latu 17. Sitaleki Akauola 18. Sione Katoa

1. Alex Johnston 2. Braidon Burns 3. Siosifa Talakai 4. Robert Jennings 5. Bryson Goodwin 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Damien Cook 10. Kyle Turner 11. John Sutton 12. Angus Crichton 13. Sam Burgess 14. Robbie Farah 15. Jason Clark 16. Zane Musgrove 18. George Burgess

Referees: Ben Cummins, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Jon Stone, Nick Beashel; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea;