Round 1 - Panthers 34 Raiders 16

[Matt Pritchard]

The Panthers team is announced Tuesday and I'd presume the Raiders too will name theirs on the same day.
Last year we beat Canberra at home in a tough game, scoring 27 points.  Michael Gordon and Michael Jennings are the tip to score tries with each scoring three against the Raiders (Gordon in 3 games, Jennings 6). 
The Raiders have come out talking up matching the Panthers pack punch for punch and won't be intimidated by us.  Tom Leroyd-Lahrs is in doubt for round one but I suspect he'll be named on the bench.
A lot riding on the prospects of the Panthers.  John Lang famously said one day that the first two competition points are worth four.  Our first round record isn't great, but recently we've travelled round one.

[Matt Pritchard]

Thanks to Murraymob our team injuries are:
current injury list from todays paper
wade...graham.....shoulder.......round...4
dane..laurie..........toe.............round...3
dave..simmons......shoulder......round....2
gavin...cooper.....foot.............round.....2
nathen..smith......groin..........round.....2

So my team would be:
Backs
Coote
Gordon
Jennings
Tighe
Elford
Halves
Burns
Walsh
Forwards
Lewis
Pritchard
Waterhouse
Grant
Kingston
Grant
Interchange
Puletua
Romelo
Masada
Paulo

Not having seen the trials I might be a little way out.

[Matt Pritchard]

Panthers 32 Raiders 8
First scorer: Travis Burn
Last scorer: Trent Waterhouse

[murraymob]

penrith 18
raiders 16

will be close game they are a far better side than people from penrith are giving them credit

[kave1]

Panthers-32
Raiders- 14
1st Try to Luke Lewis
Last try to Walsh

[Pirate]

Panthers 36 
Them  2
First try Coote
Last point Walsh
MVP Luke Lewis
Biggest looser  Canberra

Premiers The all mighty Panthers

[Matt Pritchard]

Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders
Saturday 13 March 2010, 7:30pm AEDT - CUA Stadium
Referees: Steve Lyons & Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Daniel Eastwood & Luke Phillips; Video Referee: Russell Smith

Panthers: 1. Lachlan Coote 2. Michael Gordon 3. Michael Jennings 4. Adrian Purtell 5. Shane Elford 6. Travis Burns 7. Luke Walsh 8. Petero Civoniceva 9. Kevin Kingston 10. Tim Grant 11. Frank Pritchard 12. Trent Waterhouse 13. Luke Lewis
Interchange: 14. Sam McKendry 15. Joseph Paulo 16. Matthew Bell 17. Nathan Smith; Reserves 18. Frank Puletua 19. Brad Tighe 20. Nigel Plum
Raiders: 1. Josh Dugan 2. Reece Robinson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joel Thompson 5. Daniel Vidot 6. Terry Campese 7. Marc Herbert 8. David Shillington 9. Alan Tongue (C) 10. Scott Logan 11. Danny Galea 12. Bronson Harrison 13. Josh Miller
Interchange: 14. Travis Waddell 15. Trevor Thurling 16. Troy Thompson 17. Dane Tilse; Reserves: 18. Shaun Fensom 19. James Stuart

[Matt Pritchard]

Just of note, Michael Jennings has scored 27 tries in 35 games at CUA Stadium.  Michael Gordon in 36 games has scored 17 tries and 95 goals for a total of 258 points.  Luke Lewis and Trent Waterhouse are also contenders for points at home along with Frank Pritchard.

[Matt Pritchard]

KICKOFF: Panthers kick off defending the Penrith Showground end of the ground.
Waterhouse is out for the Panthers tonight.

[Matt Pritchard]

5th minute - both sides playing out their set of six without mistake and the Panthers receive the first penalty of the match for the Raiders being inside the ten metres.  Luke Lewis bumps off a few defenders only twenty metres out and throws a ball inside to Coote who drops the ball.

[Matt Pritchard]

7th minute - Ex-Panther Danny Galea drops the ball twenty metres out and the Panthers win the scrum.  Walsh puts through a kick early in the tackle count, Dugan saves at the back and is tackled only a few metres from his line.  Josh Millar off for the Raiders with a shoulder problem.

[Matt Pritchard]

9th minute - Campese spirals the ball into the Panthers half, Gordon drops the ball but thankfully the Raiders and Campese drop the ball about ten metres out after a solid tackle. 

[Matt Pritchard]

13th min - Panthers try.  A fourth tackle option by Walsh to kick for the left hand corner and Lewis does well to tap it back to Pritchard who hands it to Spud Elford who scores out wide.  The Raiders ran the ball on the last and a forward pass only fourty metres out from their line gave the Panthers good field position.  Gordon's first conversion of 2010 is wide.
PANTHERS 4 RAIDERS 0

[Matt Pritchard]

19th minute - PANTHERS TRY - Kevin Kingston runs from five metres out accross field, then links up with Luke Lewis back on the inside and he runs over Josh Dugan to score.  Panthers on the last set force the Raiders to drop out from their goal line and then get a penalty.  The Raiders are starting to tire.  Four penalties to the Panthers, and the Raiders dropping plenty of ball.  Michael Gordon converts this goal.
PANTHERS 10 RAIDERS 0
Under 20's: Panthers 34 Raiders 20

[Matt Pritchard]

25th minute - PANTHERS TRY - video ref called for but Kingston is over.  Frank Pritchard just walks through the Raiders defence which is pretty tired, and when he comes to the last line of defence Kevin Kingston backing up scores.  Kingston making some good ground out of dummy half and impressing on debut.  Nigel Plum and Burns settling in well to the Panthers squad with solid matches so far.  Gordon from in front of the posts converts. 
PANTHERS 16 RAIDERS 0