Penrith Panthers vs New Zealand Warriors 2014 NRL Round 26 preview, tips and teams

Last week the Panthers came within a minute of being only the second team this year to register a win at Brookvale.

The Panthers who had won three of their four previous games heading into their clash against Manly, all when starting as outsiders in betting, looked set to again upset punters when they established a 16 – 6 lead at the break.

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They hold until the very last play of the game when Manly’s Tom Symonds, who crossed for his second try of the game, sealed a Manly win and deprived the Panthers of a much deserved victory.

Despite a tough run with injuries and the draw, the Panthers have faced four top eight teams in the past five weeks, the Penrith side continue to produce fantastic performance and defy the punter’s assessment of their chances.

The Panthers need a win here to secure their current position of fourth on the ladder.

Boosting their chances of doing so are the fact that they’ll be playing this game at home where they hold a strong 8 – 2 record this year, their losses coming against South Sydney and Melbourne, along with the return of hooker James Segeyaro

Segeyaro, who has been in sensational form this season, returns from a two week injury and he will give the Panthers plenty of momentum around the ruck.

It’s all on the line for the Warriors heading into this match. A win should see them sneak into the finals in eighth spot. Helping the cause immensely is a strong for and against, one that was given a significant boost last week with their 42 – 0 victory over the Sharks.

It was only the Warriors third win from their past seven outings – all of which have been over teams dwelling at the bottom of the table (Canberra, Cronulla and Titans).

The last victory over a top eight side came coincidentally against the Panthers back in round 16, 30 – 20 at Mt. Smart Stadium.

The Warriors venture away from Mt. Smart for only the second time in the past five weeks and their away record of 4 – 7 this season, doesn’t read well however, their record when visiting Penrith surprisingly does.

The Warriors have won three and drawn one form their last five visits to Sportingbet Stadium.

HEAD TO HEAD

The round 16 loss was one that got away from the Panthers who led 16 – 12 at half-time and didn’t produce their best in the second stanza.

It was their first loss to the Warriors in four matches and continued a recent tradition of these two sides producing high scoring matches.

Each of the past three matches have reached at least a total of 50 points forcing the line for this match of 42 to be closely examined. Neither will die wondering.

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Penrith Panthers:This is a logo for Penrith Panthers.png
Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour, Dean Whare, Jamal Idris, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, William Smith, Jamie Soward, Nigel Plum, James Segeyaro, Sam McKendry, Lewis Brown, Matt Robinson, Sika Manu. Interchange: Kierran Moseley, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Sam Anderson, Tim Grant
Ins: James Segeyaro
Outs: Adam Docker (suspension, finals week one)
Other unavailables:Brent Kite (pectoral, finals week one), Elijah Taylor (ACL, season), Bryce Cartwright (ankle, season), Peter Wallace (ACL, season), Tyrone Peachey (pectoral, season), George Jennings (dislocated elbow, season), Isaac John (Achilles, season), David Simmons (shoulder, indefinite), Isaah Yeo (ankle, finals week three), Shaun Spence (concussion, season), Kevin Kingston (knee, season), Jeremy Latimore (suspension, finals week one)

 

New Zealand Warriors: New Zealand Warriors logo.svg
Sam Tomkins, Ngani Laumape, Konrad Hurrell, Dominique Peyroux, Manu Vatuvei, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Jacob Lillyman, Nathan Friend, Ben Matulino, Ben Henry, Simon Mannering, Sione Lousi. Interchange: Sam Rapira, Suaia Matagi, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Jayson Bukuya, Feleti Mateo
Ins: Feleti Mateo
Outs: None
Other unavailables: David Fusitua (dislocated shoulder, season), Tuimoala Lolohea (hamstring, indefinite), Glen Fisiiahi (shoulder, season)

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