Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 5 clash between the Penrith Panthers and the North Queensland Cowboys.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Penrith Panthers Vs North Queensland Cowboys
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Parramatta
Date: Friday April 4, 6:00pm (AEDT)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Panthers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Thomas Jenkins 5. Casey McLean 6. Jack Cole 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. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner 18. Blaize Talagi 19. Mavrik Geyer 20. Luron Patea 21. Luke Sommerton 22. Jesse McLean
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. John Bateman 12. Kai O’Donnell 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Jeremiah Nanai 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Harrison Edwards 19. Zac Laybutt 20. Thomas Duffy 21. Karl Lawton 22. Thomas Mikaele
Referee: Peter Gough
Bunker: Gerard Sutton
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
It may be 13th versus 14th on the NRL ladder, but Friday evening’s clash between Penrith and North Queensland is anything but a battle of two bottom-five teams.
Having lost three consecutive matches for the first time since 2019, four-time premiers Penrith will be keen to turn their form around and record their first victory as the home team at CommBank Stadium.
After a nightmare start to the season, North Queensland registered their first victory of the season against Canberra in round 4 and will be looking to continue that form.
There are several changes for the Panthers following their loss to South Sydney in round 4, headlined by the return of Nathan Cleary at halfback. His return somewhat offsets the losses of winger Brian To’o (hamstring) and Scott Sorensen (concussion). Casey McLean returns to the side on the wing, while Isaiah Papali’i moves to the second row, with Lindsay Smith in the front row (having started last week on the bench). Matt Eisenhuth joins the bench.
For the Cowboys, coach Todd Payten has the luxury of naming the exact same 17 that beat the Raiders in Townsville last Saturday night.
There are a lot of “un-Penrith-like” aspects of the Panthers’ start to season 2025, but the most notable is their defence. They have conceded at least 22 points in all four of their matches for a total of 118 (fourth worst in the NRL) and trailed 28-0 at half time against the Rabbitohs, conceding some uncharacteristically soft tries along the way. Scoring points hasn’t been an issue for the Panthers, being one of only four teams to have already scored 100 points so far this season.
Things are even worse for the Cowboys in both of those statistics, conceding 124 (third worst) and scoring only 70 (equal-fifth worst). After a pair of poor performances in heavy losses in their opening two games, the Cowboys put in an improved effort in round 3 against the Broncos before finally breaking through with a dominant win against the Raiders.
Historical results between the two teams have been mostly even, with the Panthers holding a slim majority (26 wins to 22) in the 48 games they’ve played against each other. Since 2020, the Panthers have won six of nine matches between the two teams. Of the Cowboys’ three wins in that time, all came against severely weakened Penrith sides (two by Origin and one by late-season restings).
CommBank Stadium has been a surprisingly unhappy hunting ground for the Panthers in recent years, losing three of their past four at the venue and only just getting the win in the other. It’s even worse for the Cowboys, who have lost all three matches they’ve played there. They’ve also lost their past three matches away from Townsville.
Regardless of the result, Friday evening’s match will be a historic one for Penrith as co-captain Isaah Yeo becomes the first Panther to play 250 first grade games for the club. It could be a double celebration, as Nathan Cleary is just 14 points away from breaking the Panthers’ all-time points-scoring record. With so much to play for, the return of the halfback and a need to win, the Panthers should be too strong for the Cowboys.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Panthers by 12 points.
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
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