Penrith Panthers v Newtown Jets
Henson Park
Kick-off: 3pm Saturday
Locked in an incredible race for the minor premiership, the Penrith Panthers NSW Cup side are out for revenge against Newtown Jets at Henson Park on Saturday.
Penrith currently sit level on points with Mounties, Wyong and Warriors at the top of the table and are desperate for a convincing win to boost their title chances.
Coach Garth Brennan has made a few changes to the side that fought back from 16-nil down to defeat Mounties last Saturday.
Daniel Foster has been selected at five-eighth, with Adrian Davis dropping out of the squad, while Ben Murdoch-Masila returns after travelling with the NRL side to Darwin last weekend.
It has been a while since the Penrith Panthers lost 24-8 in their last meeting with the Newtown Jets in round three. The defending premiers now get the opportunity to extract revenge by ending the Jets’ faint finals hopes.
Panthers coach Garth Brennan said he was expecting a particularly tough challenge for his side on Saturday.
"We lost against them (earlier in the season) and we had more strike power then.
"They have plenty of experience – it’ll be a tough assignment for the young guys in the side but we’ll have to compete.
"I was really proud of the effort last week, especially with a depleted line up, but we’ll need to repeat it this week."
Although the Panthers possess the third-worst attack in the competition, it’s not an alarming statistic according to Brennan.
"As I’ve said all year, it’s about continuity in the spine and halves," he said.
"We’ve had so many different combinations that it makes it really hard but that’s part of the VB NSW Cup."
The Jets' finals chances took a severe hit after conceding a late try in a 22-all draw with Wests Tigers last weekend. There’s no doubt the Jets will be desperate to score a much-needed win in front of the Newtown faithful at Henson Park.
PENRITH PANTHERS | Kieran Moss, Eddie Aiono, Brent Naden, Chris Smith, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Daniel Foster, Sam Scarlett, Sam Anderson, Sione Katoa, Matt Eisenhuth, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Corey Harawira-Naera, Adam Docker.
INTERCHANGE: Maliko Filino, Rodney Coates, Oliver Clark, Andy Saunders.
