NRL Round 11 Preview - Panthers v Tigers @ Pepper Stadium

Penrith Panthers v Wests Tigers @ Pepper Stadium
 
Preview - It’s the battle of the big cats at Pepper Stadium as the Panthers host the Tigers in a Top 8 showdown at Pepper Stadium on Thursday night. The Panthers have lately slipped under the radar to get to 7-3, despite having a large injury toll this season, comfortably accounting for the Knights 29-18 in Newcastle last night. The Tigers snapped their 3-game losing streak with a crucial 20-12 win over the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval, to keep them in 7th place heading into Round 11. 
 
Penrith Panthers’ Scouting Report - Nathan Cleary returns from a long term knee injury to take on his father’s team after last playing in Round 3 against the Bulldogs. This pushes the in-form Tyrone Peachey back  to the centres. Peter Wallace is out injured, with Sione Katoa to start in the hooking role. 
 
Wests Tigers’ Scouting Report - Despite running for over 200 metres last week, the Tigers have dropped Mahe Fonua after he was late to a recovery session on Sunday. In his place comes Kevin Naiqama who was a late withdrawal last week. Josh Reynolds is still a week away. 
 
Verdict – Penrith by 1-6 in a low scoring game  

I think this has the potential to be the game of the round, with both sides playing with intensity and a local derby in some respects. Whilst I think the Tigers can keep this close throughout, I just think Penrith have more strike power and that will be the difference, especially playing in front of a home crowd. Expect this game to be fairly low scoring, with the Tigers staying level for 60 minutes, before the Panthers sneak home to get their 8th win of the season.