Sunday second NRL Round 23 match is between New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers with the opening kick to commence at 4:00PM local time. The game is to be played at Mt Smart Stadium with the home team New Zealand Warriors hold favouritism in the match. View our preview and teams for the game between New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers.

Mt Smart Stadium

Sunday, 4pm (2pm AEST)

Featured Bookmakers:

New Zealand Warriors $1.15 vs Penrith Panthers $5.40 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

New Zealand Warriors $1.15 vs Penrith Panthers $5.75 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison by NRL Odds:

New Zealand Warriors	1.15	1.16	1.15	1.16	1.15	1.16
Penrith Panthers	5.40	5.25	5.75	5.25	5.40	5.40

Preview:

Although only one win separates these two teams on the ladder, their current form would be represented by a far greater margin.

New Zealand are in tenth spot, a win behind Raiders and the eighth placed Titans and a win here is a non-negotiable for the Warriors – as it is for their remaining games.

They’ll also appreciate the opportunity to address the 62 – 6 point drumming that the Panthers handed to them earlier this year in round 10.

The Warriors were always on the back foot against Manly last week, their second loss in as a many weeks after losing narrowly to the Sharks in round 21.

This will be the first time in four weeks that they’ve faced a team outside of the top eight and with it all on the line, they’ll be too good for a Penrith outfit currently struggling in most aspects of the game.

The Panthers have conceded an average of 36.5 points in their past four games whilst only being able to register more than ten points in one of those matches.

They seem to be concentrating on the end-of-season trip already and will find it hard, given their last month performances, stopping the bloodshed again this week.

Add to the mix the Warriors strong home ground record this year, and the line of -14.5 looks well within the reach of the Warriors.

Teams:

New Zealand Warriors:
Kevin Locke, Ngani Laumape, Dane Nielsen, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Ben Matulino, Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering, Elijah Taylor. Interchange: Suaia Matagi, Jacob Lillyman, Todd Lowrie, Dominique Peyroux, Jerome Ropati

Penrith Panthers:
Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour, Lewis Brown, Dean Whare, Dave Simmons, Isaac John, Luke Walsh, Sam McKendry, Kevin Kingston, Tim Grant, Clint Newton, Sika Manu, Ryan Simpkins. Interchange: James Segeyaro, Lachlan Coote, Jeremy Latimore, Mose Masoe

Perseverance pays off for Panthers prop

The way Sam McKendry talks about it, you could be excused for thinking the Penrith prop spent most of the NRL season recovering from a hamstring strain.

Instead, the hulking Kiwi was rehabilitating from a broken neck, an injury which normally sends a shudder through any rugby league player, fan or official.

Thought to be out for the rest of the season after fracturing the C6 vertebrae during the Panthers’ round seven win over Parramatta, McKendry made a surprise top grade return in Sunday night’s loss to North Queensland.

It was a feel good story on a bleak night for the Panthers – whose finals chances slipped into the realm of mathematical possibility – with coach Ivan Cleary admitting some within the club doubted whether the 24-year-old had a future in the game.

For McKendry however, there were never any doubts.

“I always had a positive attitude towards the neck injury. I eventually got through it and here I am today playing,” McKendry said.

“It’s just like any other injury, you’ve just got to make sure it’s 100 per cent right before you play.

“That’s what I did, making sure I got the clearance from the specialist and I ended up playing.”

One of the game’s more robust props, McKendry could be forgiven for tempering his style in a bid to protect the injury.

There were no signs of that against the Cowboys however, two bursts at either end of the game proving McKendry wasn’t about to hold back on the field.

“You can’t really think like that when you’re out there, you’ve just got to play the way you’ve always played,” he said.

“You think like that and it will make you hesitant when you’re out there.

“Not in the front row, you’ve got to charge the ball up and put your body on the line.”

McKendry’s return has come at a good time for the club, the Panthers needing to win all four of their remaining matches to be any chance of making the top eight.

The news wasn’t as good for Matt Robinson, the Panthers backrower who had also suffered a neck injury, against Parramatta back in round 18.

Robinson is yet to start rehabilitation and won’t play again until 2014.