Round 6: Panthers v Storm preview
Panthers on the prowl for big scalp as Storm roll into town.
A quality Friday night encounter awaits viewers in round 6 with the third placed Melbourne Storm rolling into town to do battle with the fifth placed Penrith Panthers at Campbelltown Stadium.
The Panthers have looked in nice touch since the competition reboot with a draw against the Knights and a commanding victory over the Warriors followed up last weekend with a strong showing against the top of the table Eels. Ivan Cleary's men looked well on top in the opening hour against their Western Sydney rivals last Friday night before letting in three tries down their left edge in a six minute window to cost themselves the competition points.
In a worrying sign for Cleary, that marked the second time in three weeks the mountain men have given up strong leads after giving up a 14 point lead to an injury hit Knights two weeks prior.
It's mixed news for the Panthers on the injury front this week.
Back-rower Kurt Capewell has been ruled out for ten weeks with a knee injury he picked up in the opening minutes against the Eels. The former Shark will be replaced on the right edge by promising youngster Liam Martin who enjoyed a breakout rookie season last year with Billy Burns coming onto the bench. The good news is first choice fullback Dylan Edwards returns from a hamstring injury in what will be his first appearance of the 2020 season.
Craig Bellamy's Storm outfit roll into town following back to back 14 point victories over the Rabbitohs and Knights in the last fortnight and will be shooting for three straight against a team they have dominated in recent years, winning 7 of their last 8 clashes.
Bellamy has made no changes to the team that accounted for the Knights last week. Christian Welch has been named in the front-row with Brandon Smith on the bench in the official teams named on Tuesday, but expect the two to switch places on the team sheet an hour before kick-off as has been the case the last two weeks.
Injured half Jahrome Hughes has been named in the reserves after breaking his hand two weeks ago but he's expected to be at least another week away with Ryley Jacks to feed the scrum again this week.
Last meeting: Round 3 2019 - Panthers 2 Storm 32
Who to watch: Returning to some of his best form since representing New South Wales four years ago, winger Josh Mansour has been a major reason the Panthers lead the league in both total metres gained and post contact metres. Averaging 204 metres per game, Mansour is a pro at taking valuable metres coming out of trouble early in sets. His strength often sees him hit the ground on his belly with an ensuing quick play the ball getting his team on an early roll. Scoring in his past two encounters, ‘the Sauce' will be looking to add to his personal tally against the Storm having crossed for three tries in their past four games.
After being dominated through the middle against the Raiders three weeks ago, Coach Bellamy reacted swiftly in giving regular super-sub Brandon Smith an opportunity to start. The move was made in order to help gain some early ascendancy around the ruck amidst the new six again rule which many believed would halt the Storm's dominance. The move seems to have worked a treat with the Storm again looking strong through the middle third and the kiwi international's bullocking runs and quick play the balls a key factor.
The favourite: Melbourne are considered strong favourites to make it three wins on the trot.
My tip: This looks an intriguing Friday night contest and one which will shed further light on the Panthers premiership credentials. They will need to prove they can play out the 80 minutes, but if they can remain switched on for the duration they look a big chance of causing a boil over here. Look for the likes of Fisher-Harris and Kikau to bend the Melbourne defensive line, with Koroisau and Cleary playing nice and direct on the back of their big men. Panthers by 4.
