Jem Nash previews this Good Friday battle between the Panthers and Broncos at BlueBet Stadium.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Penrith Panthers Vs Brisbane Broncos
Venue: BlueBet Stadium
Date: Friday April 15, 7:55pm AEST
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesPanthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Charlie Staines 3. Izack Tago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Taylan May 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Matthew Eisenhuth 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Jaeman Salmon 18. Robert Jennings 19. Chris Smith 20. J’maine Hopgood 21. Lindsay Smith 22. Soni Luke 23. Christian Crichton 24. Sean O’Sullivan
The Panthers have named the same 17 that enjoyed a 20-point win over the Bulldogs last week.
Embed from Getty ImagesBroncos: 1. Tesi Niu 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Billy Walters 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Keenan Palasia 9. Jake Turpin 10. Corey Jensen 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Ryan James 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Teui Robati 17. Corey Paix 18. Tyson Gamble 19. Delouise Hoeter 20 Jordan Pereira 21. Ezra Mam 22. Te Maire Martin 23. Ethan Quai-Ward 24. Logan Bayliss
Payne Haas is out suspended with Corey Jensen taking his place in the front row and Rhys Kennedy joining the bench.
Referee: Adam Gee
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Broncos suffered their third straight loss last week after a promising 2-0 start, but were valiant in defeat against a strong Roosters side. It was a back and forth affair, with Brisbane taking a 10-0 lead into half time before the Roosters fought back. A late try in the dying minutes made it a grandstand finish but ultimately the Roosters held on for a 24-20 win. Now Brisbane faces the red hot Panthers after a week of turmoil with both Payne Haas and Albert Kelly both copping suspensions.
It was business as usual for the Panthers last week as they made it five in a row to start the season, cruising to a 32-12 win over the Bulldogs last week. Dylan Edwards continued his strong start to the year with a best on ground performance, cracking 200 metres once again while also nabbing a try of his own. His kick defusal continues to be one of the best in the competition and he got his side out of trouble time after time.
This game offers up a mouth watering match-up between two of the premier halves in the competition as Nathan Cleary and Adam Reynolds go head to head for the first time since last year’s grand final. Adam Reynolds is yet to quite find his feet at his new home while Cleary is still warming into the season after recovering from off season shoulder surgery, but both players are two of the best game managers in the NRL.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
The Panthers won both matches played between the two sides last year, but the Broncos gave them two of the more competitive battles the premiers faced in 2021 with 20-12 and 18-12 losses on the year.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Panthers by 12.
Follow Nothing But Rugby League on Facebook
