The Panthers host the Knights on Saturday night after both sides suffered narrow defeats a week ago.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Penrith Panthers Vs Newcastle Knights
Venue: BlueBet Stadium
Date: Saturday June 24, 5:30pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Jack Cogger 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Soni Luke 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon 18. Zac Hosking 19. Matt Eisenhuth 20. Luke Garner 21. Tyrone Peachey 22. Thomas Jenkins 23. Liam Henry 24. Jack Cole
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Dylan Lucas 13. Adam Elliott 14. Kurt Mann 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mathew Croker 18. Brodie Jones 19. Enari Tuala 20. Lachlan Miller 21. Jack Johns 22. Adam Clune
Referee: Ben Cummins
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has named all five of his Origin representatives to back up from Wednesday night. The team welcomes back Moses Leota at prop after missing last week due to the birth of his child, with Matt Eisenhuth dropping to the reserves. Zac Hosking has been named 18th man with Scott Sorensen and Liam Martin the starting back row.
Daniel Saifiti returns for the Knights after missing last week with injury, while Blues representative Tyson Frizell has been named. Lachlan Fitzgibbon is out after failing a HIA, with Dylan Lucas keeping his spot in the second row. Greg Marzhew also returns on the wing after being dropped due to failing team standards. Brodie Jones drops back to 18th man.
The Panthers took on the Cowboys last week with both sides missing a number of players due to Origin. North Queensland pulled off a stunning victory in golden point thanks to a Scott Drinkwater try. With their Origin contingent set to return this weekend, they’ll be filled with plenty of confidence to get back to their winning ways against a struggling Knights side.
Newcastle produced a late fightback in their match against the Roosters a week ago, but ultimately fell short by two points. Now they are tasked with taking down a Penrith team at home, that rarely loses two games in a row.
The two sides played out a golden point thriller back in round 7, a Nathan Cleary field goal the ultimate difference, but they have gone in opposite directions since then, with the Knights winning just two of their last seven games.
The Panthers boast an obvious advantage in the middle of the field, and the Knights will need to ensure they limit Penrith’s go-forward as much as possible. The back three of Edwards, To’o and Turuva continue to be metre-eaters for the defending premiers, allowing their forward pack to grind their opponents down.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Panthers 8, Knights 1, Drawn 1
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Panthers by 12 points.
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