2024 NRL: Round 17 Preview, Panthers Vs Cowboys
Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 17 clash between the Penrith Panthers and North Queensland Cowboys.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Penrith Panthers Vs North Queensland Cowboys
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Sydney
Date: Sunday June 30, 4:05pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards, 2. Sunia Turuva, 3. Izack Tago, 4. Paul Alamoti, 5. Brian To’o, 6. Jack Cole, 7. Jarome Luai, 8. Moses Leota, 9. Mitch Kenny, 10. James Fisher-Harris, 11. Scott Sorensen, 12. Liam Martin, 13. Isaah Yeo, 14. Daine Laurie, 15. Lindsay Smith, 16. Liam Henry, 17. Matt Eisenhuth, 18. Brad Schneider, 19. Mavrik Geyer, 20. Luron Patea, 21. Casey McLean, 22. Luke Sommerton, 23. Trent Toelau, 24. Tyrone Peachey
Players cut from final squad:
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Jaxon Purdue, 4. Viliami Vailea, 5. Braidon Burns, 6. Jake Clifford, 7. Chad Townsend, 8. Jordan McLean, 9. Harrison Edwards, 10. Jason Taumalolo, 11. Heilum Luki, 12. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 13. Sam McIntyre, 14. Tomas Chester, 15. Jake Granville, 16. Thomas Mikaele, 17. Griffin Neame, 18. Thomas Duffy, 19. Jamal Shibasaki, 20. Valentine Holmes, 21. Murray Taulagi, 22. Tom Dearden, 23. Reece Robson, 24. Reuben Cotter
Players cut from final squad:
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Bunker: Kasey Badger
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Cowboys’ Origin stars were all named on the extended bench, but coach Todd Payten has made the decision to rest Reece Robson, Val Holmes, Murray Taulagi, Tom Dearden, Reuben Cotter, and Jeremiah Nanai for this clash.
All of the Panthers representatives have been named to back up, but don’t be surprised if Ivan Cleary is cautious with his stars. There are three other changes for Penrith, with Mitch Kenny and Jack Cole both returning to the side. Luke Sommerton and Brad Schneider drop back to the reserves, while Matt Eisenhuth replaces Trent Toelau on the bench.
The Panthers’ depth has once again been on show this season. Despite heavy Origin representation and Nathan Cleary missing more than half the year with injury, the defending premiers still sit in second position.
The Cowboys will have plenty of confidence to come away with a win in this one, however, after their impressive victory over the Roosters in round 13 while missing multiple key players.
It won’t be easy against a Panthers side who boasts an impressive record at home, winning 14 of their past 16 games at BlueBet Stadium, while the Cowboys have not won at the venue since 2016.
North Queensland sits just outside the top eight, so a win here would go a long way to securing their spot inside the top eight. Defence will be key, as only the Rabbitohs and Eels have conceded more points than the Cowboys this season, while the Panthers are only conceding 15.6 points per game, the best in the competition.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Panthers by 16 points.
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