1st Preliminary Final
Penrith Panthers v Warriors
Friday, September 25, 5:15pm, Suncorp Stadium – LIVE on Fox Sports 1
Penrith Panthers
1. Brent Naden 2. Fuimanu Enese 3. Corey Harawira-Naera 4. Maliko Filino 5. Dylan Edwards 6. Tyrone May 7. Jarome Luai 8. Oliver Clark 9. Soni Luke 10. Moses Leota 11. James Fisher-Harris 12. Reed Izzard 13. Paea Pua. Interchange: 14. Shane Kiel 15. Thomson Tuigamala 16. Kaide Ellis 17. Jake Ennis 19. Dylan Fuad. Coach: Cameron Ciraldo.
Warriors
1. Brad Abbey 2. Tomas Aoake 3. Marata Niukore 4. Semisi Tyrell 5. Paul Ulberg 6. Mafoa’aeata Hingano 7. Kauri Aupouri 8. Bunty Afoa 9. Erin Clark 10. Paul Tuli 11. Ofahiki Ogden 12. Matiu Love-Henry 13. Jazz Tevaga. Interchange: 14. Tyler Mohi 15. Mattais Heimuli 16. Amoni Tufui 17. Tualima Tualima 18. Chris Sio. Coach: Kelvin Wright.
Another week, another Grand Final rematch, as the two sides who met in the big one in 2013 battle it out for a spot in next weekend’s final.
Penrith enjoyed a bye last weekend after cruising to a 20-point victory over Manly the week before.
They head into this game without their halfback and goalkicker Nathan Cleary, who is on Australian Schoolboys duties.
Cleary joined the side halfway through the season and has fitted in seamlessly, forming a nice combination with halves partner Jarome Luai.
These two sides met in Round 23, with Penrith winning 36-28 in their only encounter for 2015.
Thought when it comes to the finals for the Warriors, regular season form is thrown out the window.
The 7th placed Warriors have been strong the first two weeks of the finals and are looking to repeat their efforts from last year, when they won the premiership from 8th spot.
They moved past an under strength Broncos side last weekend scoring eight tries in the 35-point victory.
This will be the Warriors fifth straight game in Australia.
Ins and Outs
Oliver Clark is the big inclusion for Penrith after missing the Manly game two weeks ago.
Tyrone May moves into the halves for the unavailable Cleary, with Luai shifting to halfback.
Christian Crichton, a try scorer against Manly, is out with Fuimanu Enese coming into the starting side.
The Warriors are unchanged from the win over the Broncos, with Chris Sio the sole inclusion as 18th man.
2015 Head to Head
Round 23 – Penrith 36-28 Warriors at Pepper Stadium
It was 16-all at halftime before the Panthers ran away with it in the second half. Brent Naden was the danger man for Penrith, scoring a try and running for 238 metres.
Finals Encounters
2008, Week 2 – Warriors 38-4 Penrith at Mt Smart Stadium
2013, Grand Final – Penrith 42-30 Warriors at ANZ Stadium
Keep An Eye On
James Fisher-Harris (Penrith)
A Junior Kiwi this season, Fisher-Harris terrorised the Sea Eagles’ edges in Week 1. The second rower ran for 187 metres, broke 4 tackles and made 4 offloads in a stand out performance.
Mafoa’aeata Hingano (Warriors)
Hingano returned from NSW Cup duties last weekend and was superb for the Warriors. The five-eighth controlled the game, setting up three tries and kicking for 265 metres.
18TH MAN 