Panthers v Bulldogs preview

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Penrith Panthers v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Thursday 7:50pm at CommBank Stadium, Parramatta / Burramattagal

Are the four-time defending premiers really back?

Well, we may get our answer on Thursday night.

While it may be tempting to declare the Penrith Panthers a genuine premiership threat again after last week's impressive 28-18 win over the Warriors, a blockbuster Round 17 clash with the table-topping Bulldogs should be the biggest challenge yet for Ivan Cleary's men.

Of course, this is not to downplay what unfolded across the ditch last Saturday as Penrith, without its Origin stars, put in its most complete performance of the year against a high-flying Warriors team. 

Now, the Warriors did lose Marata Niukore early in the contest and then Dallin Watene-Zelezniak soon after, and were also without Mitch Barnett and Kurt Capewell.

Again, not to take away from Penrith's performance but to provide full context.

Nonetheless, considering the effort the Panthers put in earlier in the year against Newcastle without their Origin contingent, this was a noticeable improvement and could be the kind of result to springboard the rest of their season.

That, of course, hinges on Penrith backing it up this Thursday. All their Origin stars have been named, although Nathan Cleary (groin) is under an injury cloud.

Scott Sorensen, meanwhile, has been suspended for two games.

But otherwise, there are no excuses for the Panthers as they look to build towards September.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are well rested after the bye and also have all their Origin players back on deck after Stephen Crichton, Max King, Kurt Mann and Matt Burton missed their Round 15 win over South Sydney. 

Canterbury has been far from convincing in the past month or so. The Rabbitohs threatened to run them down in their last start, while the Bulldogs finished on the top of the Eels after an early struggle.

Then there was the beatdown at the hands of the Dolphins, along with another tight win over the Roosters and comeback against the Raiders.

All of which is to say that like Penrith, a statement win here could really set the tone for the back-end of the season for the Bulldogs.

Last meeting: Round 10 2024 - Panthers 16 Bulldogs 10

Who to watch: Casey McLean has been much-improved in recent weeks, both as a passer and a defender. But this week could be one which shows just how raw he still is. That isn't to say he needs time in NSW Cup. He is an immense talent that is worth persisting with. But the match-up against Stephen Crichton quite comfortably favours the former Panther. Add in Jacob Kiraz on the wing and this could be a long night for Penrith's left edge defence, especially with Sorensen out suspended. 

Speaking of Kiraz, he was added to the Blues squad as a potential replacement for Brian To'o as the Panthers winger battled a hamstring injury. That obviously ended up being a nothing burger as To'o put on a man of the match performance. But Kiraz, like To'o, is an absolute machine when it comes to kick return metres and limiting his effectiveness in those carries will be key for Penrith. Unfortunately for the Panthers, that is only one strength of his game. Kiraz is also an aerial threat, although the fact he comes up against a pretty good leaper in the revitalized Tom Jenkins should help Penrith given To'o can be a liability in that respect.

Favourite:Canterbury are favourites for this one.

My tip: This feels like it is building towards the game where the Panthers prove they are still a premiership force but as unconvincing as the Bulldogs have been at times recently, what about Penrith? Before that Warriors game were back-to-back tight wins against the Tigers and Eels. It was good to see the Panthers icing those games, especially with the improvement in defence, but this is a much bigger step up in competition. If the Panthers play with the same defensive tenacity and line speed as last week they can do it, but the Bulldogs have been a defensive juggernaut all season and it just makes them easier to trust in a big game like this. Bulldogs by 6.

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Izack Tago 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To'o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Isaiah Papali'i 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Brad Schneider 15. Liam Henry 16. Luron Patea 17. Luke Garner 18. Paul Alamoti 19. Matt Eisenhuth 20. Daine Laurie 21. Trent Toelau 22. Luke Sommerton

1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Bailey Hayward 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Josh Curran 17. Lachlan Galvin 19. Kurtis Morrin 20. Mitchell Woods 21. Samuel Hughes 22. Jethro Rinakama 23. Blake Taaffe

Referees: Grant Atkins; Sideline Officials: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Matt Noyen; Video Referees: Ashley Klein;