NRL Record YTD (6-2)
Panthers v Titans
Carrington Park, Bathurst
Saturday 1:30 am EST
The people of the Central West get an early taste of Telstra Premiership action in 2015 as the Panthers take the second game in a five-year deal to Bathurst's Carrington Park, the Titans embarking on a two-leg journey to take them on.
The last time the Titans played in the region they racked up a club-record 42-4 thumping of the Eels in Mudgee but they come into this clash amidst a pre-season of turmoil and against a Panthers team who have set about proving last year's run to the Preliminary Final was no fluke.
While the footy gods chose the right boot of Pat Richards to give the Titans another kick in the guts last weekend, the Panthers sent the NRL abuzz with a blistering opening hour to their campaign that saw them lead last year's runners up the Bulldogs 24-0.
Exciting young wingers Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and NRL debutant George Jennings made up for any perceived mismatch in the forwards with strong carries early in the Panthers sets that gave hooker James Segeyaro the platform to park his side's attack.
The Bulldogs had no answer until the 68th minute and three tries in the space of eight minutes would have given Penrith coach Ivan Cleary a talking point in the team's video review session early in the week.
Although not named in the 18-man squad on Tuesday by coach Neil Henry, suspended Titans Greg Bird, Dave Taylor and Beau Falloon could still yet earn a call-up if the club's board and the NRL Integrity Unit gives them the all clear to return until their next appearance in court on drugs charges.
The only other minor change to the Titans is a swap between Lachlan Burr and Matt Robinson that sees Burr promoted to the starting team while Cleary has been able to name an unchanged line-up to that which defeated the Bulldogs.
Watch out Panthers: There are a couple of very familiar faces in the Titans squad who this time 12 months ago would have been wearing black and not ocean blue, and both looked sharp in Round 1. Former Panthers hooker Kierran Moseley was thrust into starting opposite Robbie Farah in just his second NRL appearance against the Tigers and although he was solid in racking up 30 tackles in 44 minutes, struggled to make an impact with any runs of note out of dummy half. James Roberts ran for 95 metres, scored two tries and looked threatening throughout but again was limited by few genuine opportunities to showcase his blistering speed. They're two players both determined to prove they belong and they'd relish the chance to upset their former club.
Watch out Titans: Since departing the Cowboys at the end of the 2012 season James Segeyaro has gone about proving that he is not only worthy of an NRL starting spot but that he is now among the most effective hookers in the Telstra Premiership. The reigning Dally M Hooker of the Year started 2015 in scintillating fashion against the Bulldogs, playing 80 minutes in oppressive heat and causing the big Bulldogs forwards to pirouette more often than a Russian ice dancer. His solo try in the 41st minute maintained the momentum Penrith took into half-time and all told he ran for 131 metres, made seven tackle busts and had five offloads. He is merciless when a spies a disorganised ruck defence and is capable of causing the Titans all sorts of problems.
Key Match-Up: A couple of left-footers with their side's fortunes resting on their kicking skills makes the head-to-head between Jamie Soward and Aidan Sezer an integral piece of this puzzle. Soward was the dominant kicker for the Panthers in their 24-18 win over the Bulldogs with 385 kicking metres while Sezer shared the responsibility for the Titans equally with Daniel Mortimer. Sezer's kicking game has much more variety than Mortimer's and the Titans need their five-eighth to build pressure with repeat sets in order to build any pressure on the Panthers. Sezer also ran for far more metres than Soward did against the Bulldogs and his combination with Ryan James on the left edge looks to be an early trump card for the Titans.
The History: Played 11; Panthers 7, Titans 4
Games between the Panthers and Titans have been traditionally high-scoring affairs in the short history of their rivalry with at least 50 total points scored in seven of their 11 meetings. The Panthers are currently on a three-game winning streak over Gold Coast, registering 14-12 and 36-14 victories in 2014.
What Are The Odds: Panthers $1.22, Titans $4.35
More than double the money has come in for the Panthers in this one, firming from $1.25 into $1.22. Punters however do fancy the Titans line of +12.5, easily better backed than the Panthers' 12.5.
Did You Know: Last year's 18-16 loss to the Sharks in Bathurst was the Panthers' first defeat in three previous visits to the New South Wales Central West town. The Panthers' first game at Carrington Park was back in 1985 when they defeated Parramatta 18-10 in the National Panasonic Cup and then in 1990 they defeated Western Suburbs 21-10 in the Channel Ten Challenge Cup. Although Bathurst had hosted 10 pre-season and representative fixtures previously, last year's Telstra Premiership clash was the first time competition points had been up for grabs.
Match Officials: Lead Referee: Gavin Morris. Assistant Referee: Alan Shortall. Touch Judges: David Ryan and Jon Stone. Video Referees: Steve Clark and Steve Folkes.
The Way We See It: Having established such a strong connection with the Bathurst community in recent years the Panthers will feel right at home despite the relative unfamiliar surroundings of Carrington Park. There are positives everywhere you look for the men from Penrith and they will start this game as overwhelming favourites. The Titans' prospects of causing an upset will rest heavily on whether the likes of Bird and Taylor in particular are allowed to take their place in the side. Given the effort of an under-manned team in Round 1, the addition of a determined Bird and Taylor would be capable of giving the Titans a significant lift but it is hard to see that even being enough to earn their first win of the year. Panthers by 16.
Sleepy's Official Play - Penrith -12.5
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Manly Sea Eagles v Melbourne Storm
Brookvale Oval
Saturday, 4am EST
Does form really matter when two fierce rivals collide? Is there such a thing as 'form' after Round 1?
On Saturday night these two teams will add another chapter to their thrilling saga and if recent history is anything to go by you’d best prepare the heart rate to rise and finger nails to shorten.
Many and Melbourne were separated by a combined margin of just four points from their two meetings last season. The Sea Eagles suffered back-to-back heart-breaking losses to the Storm in 2014. First it was a dramatic comeback and a Cam Smith field goal at Brookvale Oval that broke Manly hearts and then later in the season, it was two tries in the final 10 minutes at Melbourne that sealed another dramatic chapter in this decade long rivalry.
Add to this a draw in 2013 and all signs point to this next instalment being a weekend thriller.
If you doubted the notion that bad things happen in threes Friday night would have proved otherwise. Geoff Toovey’s pre-season preparations were blown out of the water as the Eels piled on 32 unanswered points to hand his side a humbling 42-12 defeat while youngster Clint Gutherson suffered a season-ending ACL injury and Daly Cherry-Evans capped a dismal night by informing the club that this season would be his last as a Sea Eagle.
While it wasn’t a pretty start to the Telstra Premiership for Melbourne, Craig Bellamy will be happy that it was at least a winning one. Thanks largely to some resolute defending, his side was able to overcome 10 errors and a completion rate of just 70% to run out 12-4 winners over the Dragons.
While a knee injury kept Kieran Foran out of the last meeting between these two sides, it is a hamstring that sees him replaced by Jack Littlejohn this time around and veteran Steve Matai is named to return from off-season shoulder surgery in place of the unlucky Gutherson.
Storm have named an unchanged side but that is set to change with rookie Felise Kaufusi charged with a grade 2 dangerous contact by the NRL Match Review Committee and can serve one game with an early plea. Jesse Bromwich looks likely to escape suspension from a high tackle if he accepts his grade 1 charge. Other than that Melbourne, along with the Cowboys, are the only teams to head into Round 2 with a clean bill of health.
Watch out Sea Eagles: Despite having 54% of possession against Parramatta, the Sea Eagles could only manage 1159 metres, the second fewest of any team in Round 1. Their inability to generate quality yardage saw them go scoreless in the second half as the Eels went in for the kill. Melbourne recorded 471 more metres in their win over St-George despite controlling the football for just 43% of the game. If Manly want to stand a chance they must push the ball deep in the Storm half and keep the ever-dangerous Big Three as far from try-scoring territory as possible.
Watch out Storm: The Storm received plenty of plaudits for their defence on Monday night but the effort would’ve seen them spend plenty of petrol tickets in the process. The men in purple laid 407 tackles, the most of any side for the round. This included an opening 35 minutes that saw them make 33 tackles inside their own 20 metres. There was barely a respite as they had less than 40% of possession for much of the 80 minutes. With just a four-day break between back-to-back road games you have to wonder if Melbourne will be 100% fit come game time. With an extra three days rest up their sleeve, if the Sea Eagles can be close at halftime their fresher legs could very well prove the difference.
Key Match-Up: While Cherry-Evans will receive an intriguing reception from the home crowd, he will have a much bigger fish to fry when you consider the quality of his opposing number. Cooper Cronk ranked third for try-assists in the NRL last season and it took just four minutes to open his tally in 2015. This match-up will provide another chance draw a direct comparison between the two talented Queensland halfbacks. With Foran injured the home side will be leaning even more heavily on the creative shoulders of Cherry-Evans, making his performance against the man who has largely kept him out of a Kangaroos and Maroons jersey all the more important.
The History: Played 27; Sea Eagles 11, Storm 15, Drawn 1. Manly have won just one of their past six games against the Storm who will be out to make it three wins from four trips to Brooky.
What Are The Odds: Sea Eagles $2.02, Storm $1.80. Last weeks results see Melbourne pushed into favouritism with punters placing five times the money their way.
Match Officials: Lead Referee: Jared Maxwell. Assistant Referee: Chris Sutton. Touch Judges: Nick Beashel and Brett Suttor. Video Referees: Steve Chiddy and Luke Patten. Standby: Adam Cassidy
The Way We See It: Round 1 form can be a dangerous to base a tip on and the Storm will be racing the recovery clock after a short week. That being said their trademark defence looks to be back after a 12-month hiatus and a Foran-less Sea Eagles will leave the home side even less potent in attack. Storm to start strong and hold on to win by two points.
Sleepy's Official Play - Storm - 2
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Cowboys v Knights
1300SMILES Stadium
Saturday 6am EST
According to the old adage, a champion team always beats a team of champions.
Boasting one of the most talented squads in the country, the Cowboys' expectations were peaking before their Round 1 capitulation to the Roosters, while Newcastle played with sheer determination in their comeback win over the Warriors.
This is a one-sided affair on paper, but the Knights are guaranteed to come out swinging with free-flowing, expansive football indicative of a team with a lot less to lose. The same cannot be said for North Queensland.
We are only in Round 2 but there is a question that will linger for weeks to come up north: when will the Cowboys to find their groove? The league is well aware of what they can do, but it never seems to come until after Origin.
Paul Green has named a largely unchanged side, with former Eel Kelepi Tanginoa to make his club debut in place of veteran Glenn Hall who drops out of the squad.
Not many changes at Newcastle either this week with their only inclusion being veteran fullback Kurt Gidley, who moves to fullback with Sione Mata'utia falling back to 18th man.
Watch Out Cowboys: Knights centre Dane Gagai is primed for a breakout year if his two-try, 222-metre, eight tackle-break performance last week is any indication. The 23-year-old forms an explosive combination with an invigorated Akuila Uate on the right wing in a Newcastle team that likes to make its metres in the non-conventional way. While the Knights received 143-metre contributions from both Kade Snowden and Robbie Rochow last week, most of their damage was done by power runners Gagai, Uate (161 metres) and Joey Leilua (180 metres) out wide. North Queensland were at the Roosters' mercy last week after being overpowered from the inside out; and while Newcastle lacks the talent of Sydney's middle third, they could have the home side at sixes and sevens with the dazzling speed, footwork and finishing ability of those three outside backs.
Watch Out Knights: We will find out rather early just how much Round 1's loss burns the Cowboys. If things start out the same as last week, expect co-captain Johnathan Thurston to say something about it. While coach Green is a man of encouragement, Thurston is no stranger to telling his side exactly how it is. Coincidentally, this was the Cowboys' bounce-back game last season after a slow start when they torched the Knights 28-2 in Round 5.
Key Match-Up: Two match-ups are equally worth noting this week: Michael Morgan v Kurt Gidley and Johnathan Thurston v Beau Scott. Expect Morgan to come out all guns blazing after he was given a jolt in the form of Lachlan Coote's inclusion to 18th man. Morgan has admitted frustration with his own form, so expect the fullback to insert himself in attack any way he can. Meanwhile, Gidley's presence will guarantee the Knights an extra level head as they will look to throw the ball around in search for brilliance from his outside backs.
As for Beau Scott and Johnathan Thurston, this rivalry stems from State of Origin and has been developing over the past couple of years. Scott is the Blues' certified hitman, generally with just one man in the crosshairs: Thurston. As brilliant as the halfback is, Scott has come up trumps more often than not when these two have met recently. Expect no love to be lost on Saturday as JT looks to probe the Knights' line in a fashion that was noticeably absent last weekend.
The History: Played 32; Knights 18, Cowboys 14. Last time out (Round 15) Newcastle got up in a high-scoring Monday night affair 36-28. That win broke Newcastle's seven-game losing streak and provided the springboard for their 8-3 finish to the season after being out of the race by Round 14. Only two of the past 10 encounters between these two have been decided by fewer than 10 points, with deficits ranging from a 28-point blowout of North Queensland to 26 points the other way.
What Are The Odds: Cowboys $1.33, Knights $3.35. Punters like the look of the Knights here, with double the amount of money placed on the visitors.
Match Officials: Referee – Gavin Badger; Assistant Referee – Matt Noyen; Sideline Officials – Rick MacFarlane and Belinda Sleeman; Video Referees – Shayne Hayne and Ben Galea.
The Way We See it: Defensive deficiencies are posing a major problem on the Cowboys' right edge and will have coach Green scratching his head during the week. Four of the Roosters' five tries came against the Cowboys' right side last Saturday. Newcastle will come in offering everything they have, so it is up to the Cowboys to lift the defensive intensity a notch or two. Cowboys by six points.
Sleepy's Offical Play - Knights + 8
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Official NRL Record - YTD (6-2) / +3.85 Units / All Plays are 1 unit plays
***Article taken from NRL.com
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