09 :: R22 Fri :: Panthers 6 Dragons 25 @ CUA

[STG-Dragon]

Will be a good game. Go the Dragons!

 

[redvscotty]

Penrith's 1000th top-flight RL match (NSWRL, ARL, SL, NRL all together). They'll be wearing the heritage jersey, brown with double white vees.

f**k yeah, awesome jersey.

 

[grandorient]

Nothing in league surprises me any more.

Dragons to win by a few, but if Penrith got up, I wouldn't be at all bloody surprised. Should be a great match though, against a quickly improving footy team, at a great ground with great supporters.

C'mon Dragons, give em hell.

GO

 

[murraymob]

penrith team for the legends game

1.....mark levy
2....ken wolfe
3....david....applebee
4....col.......bently
5...rod.......mcneil
6...steve...carter
7...greg ...alexander
8..peter...kelly
9..jim .....jones
10.tony..butterfield
11..mark..geyer
12..brad...waugh
13..geoff..gerard

reserves
tas...bateri
luke goodwin
chris...levy
mick...kelly
steve..waddell
neil.....baily
brad....izzard
troy.....clarke
jason...wrigley
matt....goodwin

 

[dogz08]

That's not a surprise, you've been hoping every team beats us for the last 10 rounds.

That's because i want us to finish first

 

[Eelectrica]

It wouldn't surprise me if the Panthers won, but just can't tip against the Dragons.
Dragons are due for a let down after the Melbourne game though.

 

[thommo4pm]

That's because i want us to finish first

Yes I realise that.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

That's because i want us to finish first

I hate to break it to you, but that boat sailed 2 weeks ago.

We need to lose 3 from 5 games and you need to win all your remaining games... Not gonna happen.

 

[God-King Dean]

I'll look forward to this game more if Soward doesn't play. I'm most curious to see how we'd go without him.

 

[griffo346]

whats the dragons legend team?

 

[Bob]

Panthers 1 - 12

 

[_Johnsy]

1. Gordon - Boyd
2. JTK - Morris
3. Jennings - Scott
4. Blair - Cooper
5. Elford - Sailor
6. Graham - Soward
7. Walsh - Hornby
8. Bell - Poore
9. Aiton - Fien
10. Puletua - Weyman
11. Waterhouse - Young
12. Pritchard - Creagh
13. Smith - Costigan

14. Tighe - Smith/Stanley (Stanley drops off if Smith fit)
15. McKendry - Hunt
16. Cooper - Prior
17. Romelo - Saffy

Saints 32 - Pennies 18

 

[pantherz9103]

Lewis is No 19. He better play for us to have a realistic chance.

Bell is back but would've liked to see Tia Kilifi in the side.

 

[kia ora storm]

Dragons by 18..

 

[thommo4pm]

Ticket sales are very strong for this match so far.

I got my tickets at Panthers last night, and was told this is by far the strongest ticket sales they have had for any match this year to date.

The lady behind the counter told me they are anticipating a sell out come Friday night.

 

[thommo4pm]

And this is how I see our Dragons team taking the field if Coops and Smith are fit to play.

Boyd
Morris
Scott
Coops
Sailor
Soward
Hornby

Poore
Young
Weyman
Prior
Creagh
Costigan

Int:
Hunt
Smith
Fien
Saffy

Green & Stanley will drop off the bench, which is very unlucky for both of them.

 

[Sleep]

If Luke Lewis proves fit our team will probably run out looking like:

1. Sammut, 2. Gordon, 3. Jennings, 4. Tighe, 5. Elford, 19. Lewis, 7. Walsh, 8. Puletua, 9. Aiton, 10. Bell, 11. Waterhouse, 15. Pritchard, 13. Smith. Re: 6. Graham, 12. Cooper, 14. Grant, 16. Paulo

Blair will drop off and Lewis will play the role he normally would.

 

[mxlegend99]

Luke Lewis is confident of playing, but he doesn't expect to be part of the starting line-up:

Let me at 'em: Lewis

Battered by injuries to key players over the past month, Penrith veteran Luke Lewis says there is no way he will miss Friday night’s blockbuster against competition leaders St George Illawarra as the Panthers look to secure their first finals berth since 2004.

Lewis has been sidelined since Round 13 with a fractured toe – joining Lachlan Coote, Masada Iosefa and captain Petero Civoniceva in the casualty ward – but having trained strongly this week the 25-year-old told NRL.com he was determined to take the field in a game that could make or break Penrith’s season.

“I should be pretty much right,” he said. “I’ve got to do a fitness test tomorrow but everything seems fine.

“It’s a massive game for the club against a team that has been dominating so of course I want to be out there but my fitness is good, I’m running well and I’m pain-free so I’m just looking forward to playing again.”

Such is the logjam of teams battling for top eight spots that the Panthers – currently in fifth position on 25 points – could find themselves closing in on the top four or in danger of missing the finals altogether depending on the result of Friday’s game.

Three teams sit locked on 24 points right behind the Panthers, while South Sydney (22), Brisbane (22) and in-form Parramatta and Wests Tigers (21) are all poised to capitalise on any slip-ups from their opponents.

But Lewis said it was important that Penrith ignored the NRL ladder and focussed on the task at hand.

“There is nothing we can really do about it to tell you the truth other than keep winning games,” he said. “As a group we have to just keep going out and playing footy.

“Obviously we need to keep winning but at the end of the day if we don’t win games then we don’t deserve to be there anyway.

“The idea is to be there at the end of the year and once you’re in that top eight anything can happen.”

Asked if the top four was still a realistic goal, Lewis said: “There would be no better feeling than finishing in the top four and getting a home semi-final.

“We know where we are and we know we need to win a few more games just to cement ourselves in the top eight, but we also know there is an opportunity there to get that home-semi.

“But at the end of the day we’ve decided not to worry too much about the ladder.

“We just want to win games and play good footy for each other.”

If anyone is familiar with success in Sydney’s west, it’s Lewis.

The veteran utility is one of just two players, alongside Trent Waterhouse, remaining from 2003 when a similar influx of local talent into the NRL squad propelled the Panthers to a stunning grand final win over the Sydney Roosters.

Having watched his side secure consecutive wins over Canberra and North Queensland before last Saturday night’s stunning comeback draw against the Warriors after trailing 32-6 early in the second half, Lewis believes the current batch is starting to exhibit similar qualities to the 2003 version.

“All of the young guys in our team are so used to winning (in the juniors) that they’re bringing that winning culture back for the older guys,” he said.

“I think that has helped us out a lot.

“As a group we’re all willing to help each other out so it’s that mateship thing as well.

“We’re all working hard as a group despite some adversity with injuries all the way through the team and our junior ranks as well.

“Everyone that has been given an opportunity to play first grade has not only taken their opportunity but also kept us in the top eight.”

Lewis said that although he would take the field this weekend he didn’t expect to play a full game.

“They just want me to go out and get a bit of time under my belt and enjoy it,” he said.

“I’ll come off the bench after probably 20 minutes and just play my normal role without having too much pressure on me.

“It’s just about getting back into the groove of things.”

http://www.nrl.com/newsviews/latest.../newsid/56152/let-me-at-em-lewis/default.aspx

 

[renouf]

Won't make an ounce of difference.. saints will still cruise home

 

[bigfoot]

Lewis was THE best player in the entire NRL before he was injured in my (biased) opinion, so I'd say there's a chance he could make a difference.
Still, we need more than 1 prop on the bench Elliott you idiot.

If Soward is out for the Dragons, I'd say our chances increase dramatically; he's IMO a big part of their team, although I suppose it's impossible to say how they'd go without him, and they certainly have plenty of quality backup players (unlike us).

My heart says us by a field goal, my head says Dragons by 13+.