Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos
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4 hours ago | Robert Crosby
Panthers v Broncos preview
The Penrith Panthers will look to climb off the bottom of the ladder as they face the Brisbane Broncos in a rematch of the 2023 grand final.
The Panthers, who are the home team for this Sunday's game despite it being at Suncorp Stadium, looked to be building something after a 40-12 win over the Roosters but crashed back down to earth last week with a 26-10 loss to Manly.
While still early enough in the season, time is running out for the Panthers, especially with the Origin period fast approaching and while their form means the likes of Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards may well miss out on selection, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo are still locks and the two most important players in this team.
With that in mind, Penrith can ill-afford to be dropping so many winnable games but at the moment this Panthers team looks far too inconsistent to be a genuine premiership threat.
In team news, Brian To'o (hamstring) is still unavailable but regardless, coach Ivan Cleary has seen enough to drop Casey McLean while Luke Garner (concussion) returning to the backline with Tom Jenkins shifting to the wing.
Scott Sorensen, meanwhile, failed in his bid to have his charge downgraded and will likely be replaced by Isaiah Papali'i with Luron Patea to join the bench.
As for the Broncos, they bounced back from a brief form slump in emphatic fashion by handing the previously undefeated Bulldogs their first loss of the year.
They did take the foot off the pedal in the second half though, so coach Kevin Walters will be stressing the need for a more complete performance on Sunday.
While Adam Reynolds (shoulder) looked to be at risk of missing an extended period, he has been named to play in Magic Round while Jordan Riki is ready to go in a welcome boost for Brisbane.
That sends Brendan Piakura to the bench with Tyson Smoothy dropping out.
Last meeting: Round 18 2024 - Broncos 6 Panthers 14
Who to watch: The Panthers desperately need to match the Broncos up front and that will require a big game from Moses Leota. Leota has been underwhelming at times this season, which has been particularly disappointing given the departure of James Fisher-Harris. The 29-year-old hasn't produced the same explosive runs he had every now and then during Penrith's premiership runs, while errors and ill-discipline has also been an issue. Unless Leota can turn his individual form around, it is hard to see this developing Penrith pack matching it with Brisbane's.
Speaking of which, this could be a game where Payne Haas absolutely dominates - not that he hasn't already done that multiple times already this season. Penrith was gashed through the middle last week against Manly and while there are definitely deficiencies in the Panthers' edge defence, it all starts by gaining ascendancy up front and someone like Haas with his motor and ability to offload late, should wreak havoc.
Favourite: The Broncos are expected to add to Penrith's woes.
My tip: This Panthers side looks a shadow of the one that has won four-straight titles. Even if you still take into account the 40-12 win over the Roosters, the fact they weren't able to back that up and instead fell victim to their own ill-discipline and poor ball handling is a concern, especially ahead of a game against a Broncos side that packs power up front and strike out wide. This could be a very long day for the defending premiers.
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Luke Garner 5. Thomas Jenkins 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Luke Sommerton 10. Liam Henry 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Trent Toelau 15. Isaiah Papali'i 16. Lindsay Smith 17. Mavrik Geyer 18. Daine Laurie 19. Luron Patea 20. Casey McLean 21. Billy Scott 22. Jack Cole
1. Selwyn Cobbo 2. Deine Mariner 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Xavier Willison 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jensen 16. Brendan Piakura 17. Jaiyden Hunt 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Martin Taupau 20. Josiah Karapani 21. Jock Madden 22. Benjamin Te Kura
Referees: Ashley Klein; Sideline Officials: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, David Munro; Video Referees: Kasey Badger;