2021 NRL – Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels taking place? Friday 2nd July, 2021 – 10:55 (UK)
Where is Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels taking place? BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
Where can I get tickets for Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels? Click here for ticket information on 2021 NRL matches
What channel is Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
THE TEAM NEWS
PENRITH PANTHERS
Starting 13: Staines, Naden, Crichton, Ty. May, To’o, Burton, Luai, Leota, Koroisau, Fisher-Harris, Kikau, Capewell, Yeo – Interchanges: Kenny, Sorensen, Leniu, Martin – Reserves: Tago, Salmon, Eisenhuth, Ta. May
Unavailable: Dylan Edwards (Injured), Nathan Cleary (Injured)
- Penrith Panthers overcame a slow start to proceedings against Sydney Roosters as they produced a ruthless display on the back of going down 0-12 with the minor premiership chasing side avoiding a third straight loss.
- The Panthers ran in 38 unanswered points as they dominated the Roosters, turning the screw with some excellent kicking to force repeat sets but the main man behind those exploits, Nathan Cleary, is out after he picked up a shoulder injury for New South Wales.
PARRAMATTA EELS
Starting 13: Gutherson, Sivo, Opacic, Blake, Dunster, D. Brown, Moses, Campbell-Gillard, Lussick, Paulo, Papali’i, Matterson, N. Brown – Interchanges: Niukore, Lane, Kaufusi, Cartwright – Reserves: Penisini, Smith, Russell, Arthur
Unavailable: Reed Mahoney (Injured), Ray Stone (Injured)
- Parramatta Eels made it three straight wins as they overcame Canterbury Bulldogs last week but the Eels were given a real scare by the bottom side in that contest as they had to overturn a four-point half-time deficit.
- The Eels produced a much better second half showing as they scored 30 points without reply but this will be a much tougher test for them here and they cannot afford to fall behind as they did last time out.
THE PREDICTION
Penrith Panthers’ hopes of winning the NRL have suffered a big blow
with the loss of key man Nathan Cleary for at least a four-week period.
They will hope their star halfback can recoup during that period but
there is a chance that he will be forced into season-ending surgery if
his rehabilitation plan does not go to plan. This will be the Panthers’
first game without their talisman and it will be interesting to see how
they cope without him. However, their defensive efforts have been
consistently good all year and in what should be a fiercely contested
clash against rivals Parramatta Eels, the teams currently second and
third on the ladder, a tight contest is expected with under 46.5 points
likely to be scored.
