Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 4 clash between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Penrith Panthers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
South Sydney Rabbitohs Vs Penrith Panthers
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Thursday 27 March, 8:00pm (ADST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Alex Johnston 3. Jack Wighton 4. Isaiah Tass 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Cody Walker 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Sean Keppie 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Davvy Moale 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Tallis Duncan 14. Jayden Sullivan 15. Siliva Havili 16. Liam Le Blanc 17. Tevita Tatola 18. Fletcher Myers 19. Lewis Dodd 20. Talanoa Penitani 21. Thomas Fletcher 22. Salesi Ataata.
Panthers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Thomas Jenkins 5. Brian To’o 6. Jack Cole 7. Trent Toelau 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Blaize Talagi 15. Isaiah Papali’i 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner 18. Casey McLean 19. Matt Eisenhuth 20. Luron Patea 21. Luke Sommerton 22. Brad Schneider
Referee: Ashley Klein
Bunker: Chris Butler
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Round 4 of the season kicks off on Thursday night as the Rabbitohs host the Panthers at Accor Stadium. The Rabbitohs were disappointing last week in their 27-12 loss to the Sharks, while the Panthers suffered their second loss of the season as they went down 30-24 to the Storm in Melbourne.
For the Rabbitohs, the club’s leading try-scorer Alex Johnston returns from a long injury lay-off and takes his place on the left wing. Campbell Graham is out, with Isaiah Tass moving to centre, and Mikaele Ravalawa named to start on the right wing.
All eyes will be on Johnston as he makes his return from an Achilles injury that cut his 2024 season short. He requires just 17 more tries to equal the great Ken Irvine for the most tries scored in Australian rugby league history with 212 tries. The Rabbitohs will be hoping he can provide some much-needed flair to their attack after they struggled to score points last week against the Sharks. The loss of Campbell Graham creates a change in the backline that the Panthers will look to exploit. Graham is an underrated workhorse out of the backfield and will be sorely missed in both attack and defence. While the Panthers have started the season slow, history says it would be a big upset for the Rabbitohs to win. They’ve lost 12 of their last 14 games against the Panthers.
For the Panthers, Daine Laurie is named to start at fullback after being ruled out of last week’s game with a quad injury. This causes a backline reshuffle, with Thomas Jenkins moving to centre, Paul Alamoti moving to the wing, and Casey McLean dropping to the reserves. Nathan Cleary is out after suffering a concussion last week, with Trent Toelau named to start at halfback. Blaize Talagi wins the utility role and will start in jersey 14 off the bench.
There’s no denying the loss of Nathan Cleary will be a big blow for the Panthers’ chances in this game. That being said, the way they lifted and pushed a quality Storm side down to the wire without him will give Ivan Cleary plenty of confidence his team can get the job done against the Rabbitohs. Jenkins was one of the stand-outs last week and has been rewarded with a starting centre spot. Jack Cole also played a pivotal role and his combination with new halves partner Toelau will be key to getting the Panthers a win. With their forward pack unchanged, expect a bounce back performance from the defending premiers after two disappointing losses in a row.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Panthers by 10 points.
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
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