The Penrith Panthers NSW Cup side heads up to Port Macquarie this weekend to face Wentworthville as part of the NSW Cup Country Round. The side is coming off the back of an improved performance in their last outing and look to continue that form against the Magpies.
Coach Garth Brennan has named an 18-man squad to take the field on Saturday, with a few changes to last week’s side. Kieran Moss has been named at fullback, Adrian Davis switches to halfback, Will Smith starts in the centres, Rodney Coates starts in the front row and Sam Anderson locks the scrum.
These two sides last met in round nine as Penrith put in a decent shift away from home to claim the win. Despite being on the back foot early in the game, the Panthers kept to the task and eventually came away with a tough 16-4 victory.
Penrith climbed to the top of the table with their thrilling win over Manly last week. The hero on the day was Eddie Aiono, who scored four tries in a contest that could have gone either way.
The key to victory on the weekend is going to be the passing game of the halves pairing of Isaac John and Adrian Davis. The array of cut-out passes thrown by Penrith’s playmakers last week would have impressed any rugby league fan. Producing that quality every game for the rest of the season will be the challenge set by Brennan.
If the Panthers forwards can do their part by dominating the middle of the park, it’s going to be an exciting second half of the season for the club.
PENRITH PANTHERS | Kieran Moss, Eddie Aiono, Chris Smith, Will Smith, Tom Eisenhuth, Isaac John, Adrian Davis, Rodney Coates, Brendan Attwood, Leilani Latu, Nathan Smith, Tupou Sopoaga, Sam Anderson, Stanton Albert, Sam Scarlett, Wellington Albert, Matt Eisenhuth, Andy Saunders.
