Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs
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Panthers v Rabbitohs preview
Continue the streak or break the slump
Winning and losing have become habits for the Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs in recent times.
On Friday evening, the 2021 Grand Final combatants will meet for the first time at Commbank Stadium with a common goal in mind: two premiership points.
Rising from the bottom of the premiership ladder to a place in the top eight off the back of five consecutive wins, the Penrith Panthers will be looking to continue their mid-season resurgence with several stars back on deck and others rested.
Welcoming back Dylan Edwards and Brian To'o after the NSW duo sat out last week's 32-10 victory over the Eels, coach Ivan Cleary has elected to rest co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, while centre Izack Tago will miss the game after accepting a one-match ban for dangerous contact.
Resurrecting their season with five straight wins during the middle-third of the year, the Panthers have enjoyed tremendous winnings streaks during their premiership years, including runs of 8 (2022, 23), 9 (2022), 12 (2021) and 17 (2020) straight victories.
The Panthers hold a dominant record over the Rabbitohs with 12 wins from 16 meetings since Cleary returned for his second stint at the club in 2019.
Languishing in 16th position off the back of one of their worst losing runs since being reinstated, the South Sydney Rabbitohs will be hoping returning cavalry can reverse their fortunes.
Coming off a bye following State of Origin III last week, the Rabbitohs will welcome back Latrell Mitchell, Euan Aitken and Peter Mamouzelos, while English import Lewis Dodd has been included on the bench.
The Rabbitohs last win came prior to State of Origin in Round 11; a loss to the Panthers would see the side equal the seven straight losses recorded at the end of last season and beginning of 2008. The side's longest slump since being acquired by Russell Crowe nearly two decades ago occurred in 2016 with a run of nine straight losses.
A loss on Friday evening would be only the fourth time in Wayne Bennett's career that the esteemed coach has lost seven consecutive matches; the seven-time premiership winner endured seven match losing runs with Newcastle (2014) and Brisbane (2005) while his longest run of losses stands at eight matches with Brisbane (2003).
The Rabbitohs have won 10 out of 15 matches played at Commbank Stadium, including their past three appearances at the Western Sydney venue.
Last meeting: Round 4 2025 - Rabbitohs 28 Panthers 18
Who to watch: Mitch Kenny may have missed out on a spot in the grand final team that defeated South Sydney four years ago, but ever since that moment he‘s been a fixture of Penrith's continued success. Providing dependable service out of hooker with tireless application to defence, the 27-year-old has averaged over 46 tackles each week to rank among the hardest-working players in the league. Scoring only four tries over the course of 120 appearances in first grade to date, look for Kenny to have a strong influence on the fulltime score even if his name doesn't appear among the try-scorers.
With their finals hopes hanging on by a thread, South Sydney will never need a big game performance from a big game player more than now: enter Latrell Mitchell. Adding to his extensive highlights reel with several awe-inspiring moments already this season, the Rabbitohs will need their superstar fullback to deliver once again if they are to record their first win in two months and stave off the prospect of an ignominious wooden spoon. Scoring seven tries in 13 clashes against the Panthers throughout his career, Mitchell has proven he has the ability to single-handedly win matches - for Souths' sake, they will be hoping he can do it again on Friday evening.
Favourite: The Panthers are expected to continue their winning streak and extend the Rabbitohs losing slump at the same time.
My tip: Having been given no hope of defending their title after a horror opening to 2025, the Panthers have the form and draw to make the top eight. If they can get to September, they've proven they know how to win. Penrith by 16.
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Paul Alamoti 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To'o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Luke Garner 13. Isaiah Papali'i 15. Liam Henry 16. Luron Patea 17. Matt Eisenhuth 18. Jack Cole 20. Mavrik Geyer 19. Luke Sommerton
1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Tallis Duncan 5. Tyrone Munro 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Siliva Havili 10. Keaon Koloamatangi 11. Euan Aitken 12. Jacob Host 13. Jai Arrow 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Lachlan Hubner 16. Sean Keppie 17. Lewis Dodd 18. Liam Le Blanc 19. Thomas Fletcher
Referees: Gerard Sutton; Sideline Officials: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Kasey Badger; Video Referees: Chris Butler;