Premiership-winning captain Paul Gallen blogs live from the NRL Preliminary Final between the Panthers and Rabbitohs from ANZ Stadium
It wasn’t the best performance you have ever seen, but Penrith made it to the grand final Their completion rate was not good enough throughout the match and they will have to play much better next week against Melbourne
It was a very entertaining game, but the Panthers really could have bankrupted the Souths much sooner, the Panthers bombed four tries that I counted
The Suds really should have been done and dusted off at halftime, but they stuck in there and their fans can be proud of it
Isaah Yeoh has been outstanding all year for the Panthers, and when the Panthers needed something special, he delivered
He breaks and puts Dylan Edwards under the posts to give the Panthers an eight-point lead
The Suds weren’t able to build the pressure tonight, Penrith just needs to stick to their structure here with 10 minutes left
The success rate for both sides has been poor this game, whoever respects the ball the most in the last 20 minutes will win
The Panthers bombed four tries in this game, maybe it’s the Souths’ lucky night But I think back to the first half again, it was even during the first 20 minutes, then Penrith took over
Looks like Penrith lost Apisai Koroisau for the match, he went straight into the tunnel with a shoulder problem, which isn’t ideal for them outside of the dummy half, although Mitch Kenny is a practical replacement
Just like the first half, the Suds got off to a good start after the break and were rewarded with a try
But the challenge for the Rabbitohs is to keep playing at this level, and not allow the Panthers to dominate late in the game like they did before the break
The Rabbitohs missed a chance right after the break, they were on the attack 10 yards from the Panthers line, but Adam Reynolds’ kick was not good
Reynolds generally has one of the best short kicking games out there, but he’s going to want this one to come back
The first 20 minutes were pretty consistent, but Penrith certainly had the upper hand during the final stages of the first half
The Panthers lead 14-6 at the break, but I think Wayne Bennett won’t be too unhappy with the score who only conceded two tries to one
But I tipped Penrith over eight before the game, and that’s still what I think They laid the groundwork in the first half, I expect them to continue in the second half
The last 10 minutes have really seen Penrith win the battle for position on the pitch, and it is finally reflected on the scoreboard
Nathan Cleary stepped in exactly when needed, with a clever kick to set up a Tyrone May try under the sticks
James Fisher-Harris is on report for a high shot on Souths’ Tevita Tatola, but to be fair he was barely worth a penalty I would be surprised if Fisher-Harris is tasked by the Game Review Committee
The Panthers moved up a gear after weathering the storm in the early south, although they wasted a few opportunities to try The first quarter of the game was very consistent which is reflected in the score
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There haven’t been many saves in the last 10 minutes, it went from start to finish and both teams will be on the bench soon, you can imagine
Both teams used their captain’s challenges early on when it seemed pretty clear that the referee had made the right choice, hopefully that’s not something that comes back to haunt them at the end of the match
The Panthers lost a captain’s challenge after Josh Mansour went on trial for losing the ball There is a golden rule that each side must adhere to when it comes to captain’s challenges – n ‘ never listen to wingers or rowers before!
If the first ten minutes are anything to go by, we’re in for quite a contest, as both parties have certainly shown up to play
The Suds had the entire run in the first five minutes, they had a quick shot for a penalty goal that I liked, then immediately scored after a one-on-one strip with a kick early of the tackle count
But not a good sign for the Rabbitohs, the first time they had to defend a set of six, they gave up a try
We’re in 10 minutes and maybe now Phil Gould will finally tell us who he thinks is going to win, because I just spent 45 minutes with him and I’m still no wiser for it. stuck on the fence!
Some late changes for each team Tyrone May has been called up to Penrith’s starting squad in place of Brent Naden, who starts off the bench
Spencer Leniu (ill) is also out of the squad with Mitch Kenny called up on the bench
The Rabbitohs also made late changes with Jed Cartwright on the bench, Bayley Sironen at left center, Liam Knight at the lock and Cameron Murray at the back
A few drops of rain have fallen at ANZ Stadium in the last 30 minutes or so It’s more annoying than anything else, although the forecast includes the possibility of a thunderstorm at some point in the evening
Right now the rain is just enough to make the conditions a little greasy, so it will be interesting to see if that dampens the much talked about attack on South Sydney
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World News – UA – NRL Preliminary Final: Penrith vs Souths