NRL Round 12 Preview - Panthers v Dragons @ Pepper Stadium

Penrith Panthers v St. George Illawarra Dragons @ Pepper Stadium
 
Preview – It’s the Top of the Table showdown as the Dragons and Panthers collide in a Saturday night cracker at Pepper Stadium. The Panthers underlined their premiership credentials last week with a dominant 16-2 win over the Wests Tigers in a game they totally dominated physically from start to finish. The Dragons managed to escape with a 23-16 victory over the Raiders in Mudgee, despite not being at their best, to maintain a one game lead at the top of the NRL ladder. 
 
Penrith Panthers’ Scouting Report - The Panthers are unchanged after their comprehensive win over the Tigers. Damien Watene-Zelezniak had a huge game against the Tigers and pushed his claims to play fullback for the rest of the season. Regan Campbell Gillard will be up for a huge game in what could be a battle for Origin spots with the Dragons’ forwards. 
 
St. George Illawarra Dragons’ Scouting Report - The Dragons are also unchanged with Jack De Belin returning to somewhere near his best form last week. Matt Dufty continues to excel at fullback, with two line breaks, a try, and a try assist last week against the Raiders.
 
Verdict -Panthers by 1-6 in a high quality game

There is something about Penrith this year that tells me they are a different side to the past two seasons. Despite playing in Week 2 of the finals they never looked organised last year, however this year they all look on the same page, and I think they can beat a Dragons’ side just showing a couple of signs of being a bit tired at the moment. Expecting this game to be a beauty, with high completions and high quality throughout, but the Panthers to sneak home off the back of the home crowd advantage by 2 points.