Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs preview – NRL 2013 Round 3
Joseph
The second NRL Round 3 match today is between Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs. The game is to be played at Centrebet Stadium with the opening kick set to commence at 3pm local time. Away team South Sydney Rabbitohs are the current favourites for the match. View the full game preview and teams for the game between Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Watch Out Panthers: Last year’s rookie sensation Adam Reynolds shows no signs of slowing down in his second year of top-grade footy. The young No.7 was cooler than a 10-year veteran as he set up two first-half tries against the Sharks with pinpoint kicks and converted both.
He also calmly slotted a penalty kick from close to the sideline on the stroke of halftime that proved the difference as the Bunnies held on for a two-point win. His control and composure will be crucial as the Bunnies look to hold off what will no doubt be a desperate Panthers outfit.
And of course Greg Inglis will look to trouble the opposition at every opportunity; the Souths fullback has scored two tries, set up two others for teammates, cracked opposition defences open on two occasions and is averaging 180 metres a match already. Phew.
Watch Out Rabbitohs: Beware the wounded Panther. The loss of Coote could take some of the sting out of the Panthers in attack but it means other players will have to step up and one man the Panthers will be hoping can provide that extra spark is former Cowboy James Segeyaro.
Segeyaro has been simply electric in his first two games at his new club. In addition to stealing a try from dummy-half in Round 1 he has a club-high 59 tackles so far (with just one miss) and a club-high six offloads. He also has – astonishingly for someone who has spent most of their time at dummy-half – averaged 96 running metres per game, with the aid of one line-break.
He’s starting from the bench again but when he comes on after around 20 minutes the Souths markers better be paying attention.
Plays To Watch: Josh Mansour roaming infield to take as many hit-ups as possible (averaging 152 metres a game already); Nathan Merritt (three tries to date) supporting every attacking play like a second fullback; Sika Manu (also three tries) to eye off a few more ‘meat pies’ with his bustling runs close to the line; ‘Big’ Sam and ‘Baby’ George Burgess tag-teaming as they attempt to smash their way through or over the Penrith line.
Key Match-Up: Issac Luke v James Segeyaro. This match features two of the sneakiest dummy-halves in the game in Luke and Segeyaro. Segayaro’s feats so far have been outlined above but Luke is a Kiwi international and one of the best there is at darting past at the first hint of a lazy marker. Segeyaro’s minutes could be limited by captain Kevin Kingston who is the first choice hooker, while Luke has had to contend with challenges from youngster Nathan Peats who excelled in his time at hooker last season.
Luke has the most runs per game (12) of any hooker so far this year, and easily the most tackle-breaks (10). A well-timed dart from dummy-half can really get defenders running backwards and these two men will be aiming for just that at every opportunity.
Where It Will Be Won: Whichever team can remember how to tackle first will go a long way to taking this one out, with the defence of each side currently leakier than a post-iceberg Titanic.
At this early stage of the season only the Tigers have missed more tackles than Penrith (57 misses in two games) and South Sydney (59 misses) and you can guarantee both squads will have enjoyed plenty of tackling drills during the week.
Plenty of these misses are coming from the halves and at the back but worryingly some members of the respective packs aren’t up to scratch so far. For the Panthers, Lewis Brown and Nathan Smith (five misses each) aren’t defending like starting back-rowers should while for the Bunnies, Luke (seven misses) and Te’o (six) clearly have some work to do.
The History: Played 73; Rabbitohs 40, Panthers 32, drawn 1. It’s pretty even at Centrebet Stadium where Penrith hold a slim 18-17 lead (plus one draw). The last 10 match-ups have been split five apiece.
Match Officials: Referees – Ashley Klein & Phil Haines; Sideline Officials – Ricky MacFarlane & Dan Eastwood; Video Referees – Paul Mellor & Justin Morgan.
Dean Whare, Josh Mansour, Wes Naiqama, Geoff Daniela, David Simmons, Tom Humble, Luke Walsh, Sam McKendry, Kevin Kingston, Tim Grant, Sika Manu, Lewis Brown, Nathan Smith
Interchange: Adam Docker, Nigel Plum, James Segeyaro, Clint Newton, Matt Robinson (one to be omitted)
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS:
Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, Dylan Farrell, Bryson Goodwin, Andrew Everingham, John Sutton, Adam Reynolds, Sam Burgess, Issac Luke, Roy Asotasi, Chris McQueen, Ben Te’o, Ben Lowe
Interchange: Nathan Peats, Michael Crocker, Jeff Lima, George Burgess, David Tyrrell, Jason Clark, Justin Hunt (three to be omitted)
Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
