Round 20: Dolphins v Panthers preview
The Penrith Panthers could be bolstered by the return of superstar halfback Nathan Cleary as they prepare to face Wayne Bennett's Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
Having already named all of its Origin contingent to back up from Wednesday's final game of the series, Penrith also included Cleary in its extended squad for the trip up north.
Cleary has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in Round 14 against the Dragons, although the Panthers went on the job without him on that night - taking a 26-18 win.
Jack Cogger was a fortunate late inclusion on the bench for that clash and has since stepped up in Cleary's absence as Penrith won three of its next four games without the Blues halfback.
The only loss was a heartbreaking 27-23 one to North Queensland in golden point, so it has been a successful Origin period for the Panthers all things considered as they still sit on top of the ladder.
Coach Ivan Cleary told reporters on Wednesday that son Nathan is a "pretty good chance" of playing and "tracking really well" to make his return alongside axed Blues five-eighth Jarome Luai.
Should that happen, look for Cleary to be a straight swap for Cogger with no other changes to the line-up named on Tuesday.
The Panthers are well-rested off the bye, having flexed their premiership muscles the week prior with a dominant 34-16 win over the Storm away from home.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, scraped home in a 23-21 thriller against the Titans to remain in the hunt for a top eight spot.
Now though the NRL's newest franchise faces its biggest test against the league's back-to-back defending premiers and if its performance against Parramatta last month is anything to go by.
The Dolphins crumbled to a 42-4 halftime deficit on that afternoon and will need a much-improved defensive effort to stand any chance against Penrith.
In team news, Felise Kaufusi (concussion) returns in the second row seeing Kenny Bromwich shift to prop and Mark Nicholls drops back to the bench, with Josh Kerr 18th Man.
Elsewhere, a notable change sees Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow named to back up from Origin in the centres with Kodi Nikorima given the nod at fullback and the popular Valynce Te Whare out of the team.
Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King, meanwhile, (shoulder) remains unavailable which means Harrison Graham gets the nod again.
Who to watch: For the Dolphins, they will need eventually little bit of individual brilliance they can get to crack the competition's best defensive unit. That means it will only be even more important than usual that Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow backs up from Origin with plenty of energy still left in the tank. The Dolphins could be onto something shifting the Queensland speedster to the centres, provided they get Tabuai-Fidow clean, early ball to breaks the line like he did in Origin I. It is one way the Dolphins could stretch Penrith's usually resolute defence, with Tabuai-Fidow boasting sevem linebreaks and 47 tackle busts this season.
Elsewhere, while all eyes will be on Cleary if he returns it will also be particularly interesting to see how halves partner Jarome Luai responds to his Origin omission. Luai actually played pretty well in the first two games of the series but it also makes sense for NSW to see what they have elsewhere, especially with Cleary unavailable. For Luai though being out of the Origin spotlight may be the best thing for the Panthers playmaker, who was under immense pressure and subject to - at times - unfair criticism. Luai has been guilty of drifting in and out of games this year, struggling to really elevate his game to a consistent enough level to get Penrith's attack firing on the left edge. With Cleary injured though Luai has really stepped up and lifted his involvement and if his teammate returns this week the Samoan international can't just revert to old habits.
Favourite: The Panthers are well-backed to get the job done.
My tip: Cleary's likely return is a welcome boost for the Panthers but they can't fall into the trap of thinking everything will fall into place against a Dolphins team that has sprung an upset or two this year. Look for Penrith to take the two points but it may not necessarily be one-way traffic like many expect. Panthers by 13.
