TEAMS
PANTHERS: 1.Matt MOYLAN, 2.Josh MANSOUR, 3.Dean WHARE, 4.Isaah YEO, 5.Dallin WATENE-ZELEZNIAK, 6.Jamie SOWARD, 7.Peter WALLACE (C), 8.Sam MCKENDRY, 9.James SEGEYARO, 10.Brent KITE, 11.Tyrone PEACHEY, 12.Sika MANU, 13.Elijah TAYLOR
INTERCHANGE: 14. Lewis BROWN, 15. Jeremy LATIMORE, 16. Nigel PLUM, 17. Bryce CARTWRIGHT
DRAGONS: 1. Adam QUINLAN, 2. Peter MATA’UTIA, 3. Charly RUNCIMAN, 4. Gerard BEALE, 5. Jason NIGHTINGALE, 6. Gareth WIDDOP, 7. Benji MARSHALL, 8. Ben CREAGH (c), 9. Mitch REIN, 10. Mike COOPER, 11. Leeson AH MAU, 12. Joel THOMPSON, 13. Tyson FRIZELL
INTERCHANGE: 14. Jack DE BELIN, 15. Will MATTHEWS, 16. Shane PUMIPI, 17. Bronson HARRISON,
18. Craig GARVEY
All eyes will be on Sportingbet Stadium this Saturday when Jamie Soward fronts up against his old club and former team mates, in what is sure to be a fierce battle between these two rivals.
Penrith will field a near full strength side heading into the match, with Dave Simmons the only casualty left off the list. Tyrone Peachey will start in the front row while Adam Docker is rested with concussion, Isaah Yeo retains his spot in the centres and Bryce Cartwright will come in off the bench.
It’s a very different story for St George Illawarra who have several players out of action with injuries or Origin commitments. Josh Dugan and Trent Merrin are in Blues camp and no less than six other players are unavailable. In turn, we’ll see centre Charly Runciman make his first appearance of the season and hooker Mitch Rein returns after a one-game suspension.
The Panthers are on a winning roll and have taken home two points in their last four matches. St George Illawarra had a convincing win over the Sharks last weekend, but it was their first victory in a few weeks. Looking back at the history between these two sides Penrith has won four of their last five outings against the Dragons, including both clashes in 2013.
This weekend’s game will be a battle of the forwards, and being able to move the ball around the park and share the load between all players will be the key. Benji Marshall in the Red V will be a new concept for our boys and although he won’t have his partner in crime Josh Dugan to help him score tries, he will still be very dangerous in attack.
A lot of current Dragons players will have played alongside Jamie Soward in the past, so they will know a lot about his kicking game and his style of play. But Sowie is quick on his feet and is good at defusing high pressure situations, so he should be able to stay one step ahead.
