Panthers rest 16 stars for Bulldogs clash as Cleary pulls plug on top four shot

[ad_1] Penrith has left near 2,000 video games of first-grade expertise on ice for its grudge match with Canterbury because it appears to turn into the primary group from outdoors the highest 4 to win a premiership within the NRL period.

After successive golden-point defeats to Melbourne and Canberra left the Panthers needing a miracle to assert a top-four end, coach Ivan Cleary has chosen to make 16 modifications to the facet which fell to the Raiders in Mudgee.

With gamers together with Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Moses Leota and Brian To'o rested, coach Cleary has sat out a whopping 1,943 video games of NRL expertise for Thursday's recreation at Stadium Australia.

Brad Schneider, who was named on the bench however didn't take the sphere towards Canberra, is the only survivor and can play halfback in a group which incorporates 4 NRL debutants and can begin as $8 outsiders.

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Austin Dias and Riley Value, the son of Bulldogs nice Steve Value, will make their Panthers debuts in a facet to be captained by lock Matt Eisenhuth.

Penrith's top-eight spot is locked in but it surely wants an unlikely sequence of outcomes to go its solution to fall into the highest 4.

The Panthers — at present seventh — wouldn't be afforded the luxurious of per week off within the finals sequence in the event that they end between fifth and eighth.

For the reason that NRL period started in 1998, no facet has received the premiership from outdoors the highest 4.

There's clearly some logic to Cleary's pondering as he appears to defend the Panthers' four-straight premierships.

By resting his key males on Thursday, Penrith will a minimum of have a freshen-up forward of subsequent week's closing common season recreation towards St George Illawarra.

The Panthers ought to then be recharged and able to defend their crown within the finals, the place they might face 4 weeks of knockout video games.

Phrase started to trickle out on Monday that Penrith had been set to relaxation their top-line stars, prompting a betting plunge on Canterbury after the Panthers had opened as favourites.

The Bulldogs have shortened to $1.10 regardless of the actual fact they are going to be with out Viliame Kikau resulting from a pores and skin an infection, and prop Harry Hayes.