- Dolphins have been scored on by a Right side CTW in 4 of 5 games so far
- Dolphins have conceded the first try to a Right side CTW in 3 of 5 games so far
- Dolphins have been scored on by opposition halves for the last 3 straight games
- The Hammer and Jake Averillo have scored in 4 of 5 games so far
- The Dolphins have not scored less than 2 tries in any game so far
- Panthers have been scored on by a Left side CTW in 4 out of 6 games so far
- Panthers have only conceded 13 tries in 6 games
- Over half of those tries occurred in the last two weeks
- Panthers Left side CTW has scored every single game so far
- Panthers Right side CTW has scored every single game but the last
- Panthers have scored 20 tries in their last three games
Analysis:
Last time these two had a crack at each other, around this very time last year, the Dolphins gleefully beat up on a depleted Panthers outfit that was still reshaping due to an exodus of players at the end of the 2024 season. Feels like we might be primed for a Panthers revenge game here cunts.
The Doggies showed us last week that the Panthers are still human, humiliating Chinito in his milestone 200th game, but the difference between the Bulldogs and the Dolphins, is that the Dogs actually have a somewhat decent defence. The Dolphins key strategy for the past year or so has been ‘just keep scoring tries and don’t look at the scoreboard’ which, while bringing us a lot of try-heavy games, hasn’t exactly translated to wins for them. They’re probably in deep shit here.
Penrith have a clear vulnerability to left side CTWs, so it’s worth a slap on Herbie, because I could never in good conscience recommend Selwyn Cobbo to score in any given week. Jake Averillo has been going ballistic over on the right side where Casey McClean is out this week, but Izack Tago is not exactly a defensive downgrade. It’s possible but risky nonetheless.
I don’t expect the Hammer to have a repeat of his hat trick performance last time around, but he still is a fuckin pest, and one of his best strengths is being able to stay competitive for the full 80. Loves getting one over when the other team finally clocks out for the evening, even if they are down by 40.
Otherwise, you know all the usual suspects for the Panthers, my punters, the Dolphins are slightly weaker on their left, so Alamoti and To’o get the highest priority, but tbh, the Panthers are probably just going to put it anywhere. That’s assault brutha.
Dolphins Try Scorers: Herbie Farnworth, The Hammer
Panthers Try Scorers: Paul Alamoti/Brian To’o, Dylan Edwards, Tom Jenkins
Degen Bets: Alamoti/To’o FTS 2+, Blaize Talagi/Nathan Cleary, Jake Averillo/Izack Tago, The Hammer LTS
