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PANTHERS BOOST AS INJURED STARS, ORIGIN ACES RETURN
Penrith’s chances of moving back into the NRL top four have received a boost with fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak set for an early return from injury against Brisbane.
Watene-Zelezniak had initially been ruled out for three weeks after tearing his hamstring against the Warriors in round 17.
But the New Zealand international trained with the team on Monday and has flown up with the team for a mini-camp on the Gold Coast ahead of Friday’s clash.
“I’ll give Dallin every chance but he’s a good chance of being back,” Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said on Tuesday.
He will be one of four changes to the team that was bounced by Cronulla on Friday, along with the return of the Blues’ State of Origin trio in James Maloney, Nathan Cleary and Tyrone Peachey.
Griffin confirmed star winger Josh Mansour is also certain to play his first game since suffering multiple facial fractures in mid-April.
Their injections come as the Panthers prepare for a challenging stretch of road trips over their final seven games of the regular season.
With a top-four finish within reach, Griffin’s men will travel over 8,500 kilometres in visits to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Auckland and Melbourne before the finals.
“Obviously we’ve known it’s been coming since the draw came out. The staff have been very good in planning the itineraries and the recovery,” Griffin said.
“The flipside of that is the players enjoy travelling together. “Even though we’ve got to play a few away games, it’s a good opportunity for them to spend more time with each other and bring them together as we try and run into the playoffs.” The return of Cleary and Maloney is likely to result in young halves Jarome Luai and Tyrone May moving back to reserve grade despite impressive showings over the past fortnight.
Rookie fullback Caleb Aekins’ 277m on debut was the most of any debutant in the NRL era, but he too is likely to go back to the NSW Cup.
“That was the pleasing thing with all of the guys over that (Origin) period. They’ve always done their job,” Griffin said.
“Caleb and Jarome over the last two weeks have been excellent performers and it gives you and them confidence knowing that if you’ve got to use them, you can.”
The Panthers are one of four teams on 24 points in fifth place, one spot behind the Sydney Roosters on for-and-against.
Penrith’s chances of moving back into the NRL top four have received a boost with fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak set for an early return from injury against Brisbane.
Watene-Zelezniak had initially been ruled out for three weeks after tearing his hamstring against the Warriors in round 17.
But the New Zealand international trained with the team on Monday and has flown up with the team for a mini-camp on the Gold Coast ahead of Friday’s clash.
“I’ll give Dallin every chance but he’s a good chance of being back,” Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said on Tuesday.
He will be one of four changes to the team that was bounced by Cronulla on Friday, along with the return of the Blues’ State of Origin trio in James Maloney, Nathan Cleary and Tyrone Peachey.
Griffin confirmed star winger Josh Mansour is also certain to play his first game since suffering multiple facial fractures in mid-April.
Their injections come as the Panthers prepare for a challenging stretch of road trips over their final seven games of the regular season.
With a top-four finish within reach, Griffin’s men will travel over 8,500 kilometres in visits to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Auckland and Melbourne before the finals.
“Obviously we’ve known it’s been coming since the draw came out. The staff have been very good in planning the itineraries and the recovery,” Griffin said.
“The flipside of that is the players enjoy travelling together. “Even though we’ve got to play a few away games, it’s a good opportunity for them to spend more time with each other and bring them together as we try and run into the playoffs.” The return of Cleary and Maloney is likely to result in young halves Jarome Luai and Tyrone May moving back to reserve grade despite impressive showings over the past fortnight.
Rookie fullback Caleb Aekins’ 277m on debut was the most of any debutant in the NRL era, but he too is likely to go back to the NSW Cup.
“That was the pleasing thing with all of the guys over that (Origin) period. They’ve always done their job,” Griffin said.
“Caleb and Jarome over the last two weeks have been excellent performers and it gives you and them confidence knowing that if you’ve got to use them, you can.”
The Panthers are one of four teams on 24 points in fifth place, one spot behind the Sydney Roosters on for-and-against.
