NRL
Panthers v Sea Eagles
Saturday, April 11
Pepper Stadium, Penrith
Kickoff: 7:30pm
The Panthers are eager to put last week’s disappointing loss to the Cowboys behind them when they host the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Pepper Stadium on Saturday.
Ivan Cleary has named a similar squad to the one that took the field on Monday night. The only changes this week are Sika Manu’s inclusion in the starting line-up and Jamal Idris’ return to the Centres after his lung bursting effort last week in the second row. Dean Whare will miss this week’s game with a hamstring strain.
Over the last few weeks our boys have been given a harsh reality check on the park, and there is no club that personifies toughness more than the Sea Eagles – despite their recent off-field dramas. We all know how deadly the Foran-Cherry-Evans halves combination can be and Penrith will have to be on the ball to shut down their game.
Cleary will be reminding the boys that defence wins premierships. The battle of the forwards in the middle of the park is the key matchup this week. Sam Mckendry and Sika Manu will have Willie Mason in their ear all night. But our big men won’t be shy in reminding Mason and the Manly forwards that Pepper Stadium is a hard place to take points from.
PENRITH PANTHERS | Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour, Waqa Blake, Jamal Idris, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Api Koroisau, Peter Wallace, Sam Mckendry, James Segeyaro, Jeremy Latimore, Sika Manu, Elijah Taylor, Isaah Yeo, Tyrone Peachey, Nigel Plum, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Bryce Cartwright.
NSW Cup
Panthers v Sea Eagles
Saturday, Apil 11
Pepper Stadium, Penrith
Kickoff: 5:15pm
Our NSW Cup boys return to the field on Saturday after grinding their way back to the winners circle last week. Their mission to stay there doesn’t get any easier when they face the Sea Eagles this weekend.
After a tidy display against the Tigers which only saw a few handling and disciplinary errors from the Penrith boys, coach Garth Brennan will be looking for the same again this week. He has named a similar team; the only changes see Rodney Coates come into the starting squad and Brendan Attwood returns from injury in the number 13 jersey.
Manly are coming off the back of a narrow loss to Mounties, and after an inconsistent start to their season, the Sea Eagles will be looking to test the resilience Penrith showed against the Tigers.
This is a game that will be dominated by the backs. The key danger men for either side are the fullbacks. Will Smith has enjoyed a solid 2015 where he has broken the line on several occasions and has played a part in many of the Panthers attacking moves. Manly fullback David Williams has proven his worth at NRL level and the Wolfman is always a headache for opposition defences with his prolific try scoring talents.
PENRITH PANTHERS | Will Smith, George Jennings, Nu’u Akeripa, Robert Jennings, David Simmons, Isaac John, Sam Scarlett, Sam Anderson, Sione Katoa, Rodney Coates, Tupou Sopoaga, James Fisher-Harris, Brendan Attwood, Andy Saunders, Leilani Latu, Matt Eisenhuth, Chris Smith.
NYC
Panthers v Sea Eagles
Saturday, April 11
Pepper Stadium, Penrith
Kickoff: 3:15pm
The under 20’s take on an undefeated Sea Eagles team on Saturday at Pepper Stadium after their heroic comeback last week against the Cowboys.
A bit of re-shuffling has occurred this week with Josh Grant’s promotion to the starting line-up at hooker and Maliko Filino’s switch to the Centres. An extended bench of 6 players has also been announced by Cameron Ciraldo which will be cut to 4 on game day.
After a shaky start against the Cowboys, the Panthers had a difficult assignment on their hands to stay in the contest. Handling errors and poor discipline was the boys Achilles heel. Ciraldo kept faith in his decision to shake up the starting 13 and his brave reshape of the team paid off by the end of the game with Penrith dominating in the second half.
The team spirit shown against the Cowboys is going to be needed against a Sea Eagles team who are going from strength to strength this season. Dylan Edwards and Soni Luke are starting to show Ciraldo the consistency he expects from his halves. The pair showed a lot of maturity in the decision making at crucial times against the Cowboys.
Our boys defence will need to be on song when they face the Sea Eagles. The Manly team is not afraid to chance their hand in attack and that attitude has paid off in the first 5 rounds. Coach Ciraldo has given his forwards another chance to show that they belong in the starting line-up and this week will be an accurate assessment of how far they have come in recent weeks.
PENRITH PANTHERS | Brent Naden, Braidon Burns, Christian Crichton, Maliki Filino, Josh Jay, Dylan Edwards, Soni Luke, Stanton Albert, Josh Grant, Moses Leota, Kaide Ellis, Corey Harawira-Naera, Tyrone May, Paea Pua, Soni Hala, Oliver Clark, Jack Nelson, Thompson Tuigamala, Shane Kiel.
