NRL Round 20 Preview and Prediction - Penrith Panthers v Gold Coast Titans @ Pepper Stadium

Penrith Panthers (9th) v Gold Coast Titans (12th) @ Pepper Stadium
 
Preview - Both the Panthers and Titans are making late surges to make the finals as they clash in a crucial Round 20 encounter at Pepper Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers overcame a couple of set backs to record a vital 34-22 come-from-behind victory over the Warriors at Mount Smart Stadium last Friday night. The Panthers trailed 22-16 with 20 minutes to play before an enormous last 20 minutes saw them score 3 tries and run over the top of the Kiwi side. The victory lifts the Panthers to 9th spot with 8 wins, sitting just a game behind the 8th placed Dragons and with a bit of momentum behind them. The Titans are building their own head of steam up, having won 3 straight games against the Tigers, Dragons and Sharks. By far the most impressive of those 3 victories was their 30-10 triumph over the Sharks last week. Despite awful conditions on the Gold Coast, the Titans played some sparking attacking football as they finally start to get their strongest side on the paddock. The Titans will need to win at least 5 of their 7 remaining games to have a chance to sneak into 8th place. 
 
History - Last season these two teams played out two amazing games, with both being decided in the final couple of minutes. Ash Taylor raced away for an intercept try to seal a 28-24 victory at Pepper Stadium, before Matt Moylan kicked a field goal in Golden Point to get the Panthers home 15-14 on the Gold Coast in Round 25. The Panthers have a strong home record overall against the Titans, having won 5 from the past 7 encounters at Pepper Stadium. 
 
Penrith Panthers’ Scouting Report - The Panthers have suffered a huge blow in their finals’ quest with Trent Merrin ruled out for 6-8 weeks with a medial knee injury. Moses Leota comes in as a direct replacement for Trent Merrin at lock. In good news for the Panthers, they get two key players back into their spine with Matt Moylan back in the Number 6 and Peter Wallace, back from over a month out with injury, at hooker.
 
Gold Coast Titans’ Scouting Report - The Titans are unchanged from the side that was so impressive in their dominant 20-point victory against the Sharks. Ash Taylor showed some of his best form at halfback last week, scoring a great solo try as he rediscovered his running game.  
 
Verdict - Penrith by 1-6 in a high scoring game 

I think Penrith can take care of business at home here in what should be one of the better games of the round. The Titans are starting to hit their straps, however I still have a question mark over their road form and whether they can continue on the momentum from their last 2 home victories. I thought the Panthers were pretty impressive last week against the Warriors, considering they were away from home, without Matt Moylan, and had a player in the sin bin during a crucial stage of the game. I feel both sides will score 20+ points this game and it will be close to the highest scoring game of the round, however I just think Penrith, being at home, have an edge and can effectively put an end to the Titans’ finals hopes whilst keeping their own momentum going.