Are you nervous, Penrith fans? After two straight losses, you probably have a right to be.
But as they say, competitions aren’t won in March and there is a long, long way to go as far as season 2015 is concerned.
Take away the first 20 minutes against Newcastle last weekend, and the Penrith performance wasn’t all that bad. In fact, had controversial no-try rulings against Peter Wallace and Jamal Idris gone the other way, who knows what the final result might have been,
The Panthers are struggling significantly without playmaking five-eighth Jamie Soward.
The slick backline movements that were part of Penrith’s campaign last year and the opening two games of 2015 aren’t anywhere near as effective without Soward.
Soward has an incredible ability to sniff out the scent of even the smallest opportunity; without him, the Panthers look like they’re waiting for an opportunity that sometimes never comes.
The Panthers were also rattled last weekend by the withdrawals of James Segeyaro and Isaac John – the fact that Penrith used their third choice five-eighth in the match has been overlooked by some of the critics, including those from within the fan base.
Monday night’s game against North Queensland is an important one. Three straight losses would be far from ideal, not in the context of competition points (there’s enough of those up for grabs over the next five months) but rather ensuring confidence remains high within the squad.
The Cowboys found themselves in a similar position last weekend after losing their opening three matches, and there is no doubt that their golden point victory over
Melbourne on Monday night was worth a whole lot more than two competition points.
Johnathan Thurston proved just what a sensational playmaker he is – calmly slotting a sideline conversion and then two field goals to give the Cowboys a much-needed and unlikely win.
It’s obvious that Thurston is public enemy number one on Monday night.
The Cowboys are far less imposing when Thurston is shut down, as Newcastle showed a few weeks ago. The Knights implemented a similar game plan against Penrith on Saturday and essentially put Peter Wallace out of the game.
Shutting Thurston down, however, is not as easy as it sounds. He is a commanding figure on the field, and he’ll be keen to see if Penrith have fixed some of their flaws from recent matches. If anything, Penrith appeared lazy in defence in the opening 20 minutes last weekend. If anyone can sense laziness in a defensive line, it’s Thurston.
For Penrith to win on Monday night, they need to announce their intentions in the opening minutes. Big, tough tackles. Powerful hit-ups. They need to let North Queensland know that they’re here to play.
To that end, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has moved to strengthen his starting side. The hard working Jeremy Latimore starts the game in the front row while Issah Yeo is in the second row.
Isaac John and James Segeyaro both return from injury, but the Panthers will be without Brent Kite and Lewis Brown.
The Cowboys named the same side that beat Melbourne on Monday, adding Kelepi Tanginoa to an extended bench.
– Troy Dodds
