If the Broncos roll out the same 17 as last Friday, I'd say the Panthers win in a boil over. The Broncos need to get back to what was working with them - Nikorima at halfback, Thaiday handling the opening exchanges and bringing Hunt off the bench. The issue is, without Darius Boyd they don't have anyone to play fullback. David Mead is serviceable but has no chemistry with the halves, Jordan Kahu is barely getting through games as is and I doubt Bennett will throw Isaako or Marshall there in such a big game. If worse comes to worse, they'll have to bite the bullet and go with Nikorima, Milford and Marshall again.
Penrith will definitely want to win here. They had two dissapointing performances in the lead up to the finals but it's worth mentioning that on top of losing Matt Moylan and dealing with that distraction, they also lost Dylan Edwards who has been one of their best players in 2017. Not only did they miss his exceptional work in the backfield, it caused the 17 to be shuffled around. With Edwards back and the rest of the side confident after disposing of Manly in a spirited game they'll give Brisbane a much better shake than they did in Round 9.
Penrith will get more out of the experience than Brisbane will. All year the media has been quick to point out their record in the big games so if they can earn a win here and back that up with a good showing in Melbourne, suddenly we're talking about a dominant Penrith era again.
With Brisbane I think it comes down to a personal desire more than anything else. Ben Hunt is definitely out the door and Adam Blair from all reports will be joining them. Both love the club and while Blair's form has been iffy, Hunt has been playing with a devil may care attitude as of late and has really made teams think twice through the middle of the ruck. If they can snare one win, at least it will be a positive way to leave Suncorp Stadium, especially after their last start.
