Round 23: Eels v Panthers preview
Friday night football in the heart of Sydney's west - where else would you rather be?
The Penrith Panthers will arrive in 2025 at their temporary home of Commbank Stadium as they look to take down a Parramatta Eels side that always seem to get up for their rivals at the foot of the mountain. When the sides met in round two, Parramatta had the lead at half time before two tries to Sunia Turuva and Izack Tago put the Eels hopes to bed.
This is also an Eels side that is still missing Mitchell Moses, having now also lost co-captain Junior Paulo for the rest of the season to injury. That did not stop them last week from going to Auckland and scampering away with the win against the Warriors. A class performance from Daejarn Asi and Dylan Brown saw the Eels win for the first time in two months across the ditch, revitalizing hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon once again.
While the scoreline reflects a ten point win, it flatters the Warriors who were outplayed in nearly every facet of the game last week by Parramatta. That won't happen this week, with Penrith looking to regain their grip on the minor premiership after a 22-14 win in Newcastle.
The best teams don't always play well, but they always find a way to win. Penrith did that, despite the best efforts of a fired up Knights team. The shock loss that the Melbourne Storm suffered last week saw the Panthers get within two points of the ladder leading Storm, making it a very tasty clash between the two sides next week at Penrith Stadium. That said, the Panthers need to find a way past a Parramatta side that always seems to trouble the premiers.
Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary will look to lead the side once again to victory off the back of their dominant forward pack. Luai was arguably the best of the pairing last week, consistently troubling the Knights left edge while Cleary did everything that was required in his near perfect performance.
Parramatta will stick with the same 17 that went across the ditch and shocked the Warriors finals hopes. Kelma Tuilagi makes an appearance in the reserves as he tries to break back into first grade after suspension.
Penrith welcomes back Daine Laurie after missing last week with a head knock in the only change to the team from last week. The impressive Isaiah Iongi heads back to the reserves despite a great debut, with Dylan Edwards expected to be back next week for the reigning Premiers.
Last meeting: Round 2 2024 - Panthers 26 Eels 18
Who to watch: While it is hard to identify someone who could break open this game for the Eels, Dylan Brown showed last week that he can step up in the absence of Mitch Moses. It was the performance from Brown that Eels fans had been crying out for, with two try assists and a couple of line breaks to break Warriors hearts. His running game will be crucial down the Panthers left edge, targeting Liam Martin no doubt part of the game plan this week for the Eels.
Nathan Cleary once again showed why he is the best halfback in the NRL, with another standout performance last week. While he wasn't setting up all the tries against the Knights, he stood up when needed to score the match-winning try whilst kicking 5/5 on his way to 14 individual points. Parramatta tend to finds a way in these game to shut Cleary down, but it may be a task too hard with the form this man has been in post-injury.
FAVOURITE: Ladder positions make this obvious - Penrith are heavy favourites.
MY TIP: It is tough being a Parramatta fan when Penrith come around in the draw, because you know the Eels will show up… but it is Penrith. Despite the faith that has so faintly flickered in Eels circles after last week's win in Auckland, you would be hard pressed to find a neutral fan who won't pick Penrith. The Eels will try hard, but Penrith will be too strong where it matters. Panthers by 12.
