Warriors vs Panthers – Round 19, 2017

This is a massive match for both sides.

The Warriors (10th) and the Panthers (9th) are both currently four points out of the eight, with the winner of this fixture staying in touch with a finals position, while the loser will be forced to make up more ground.

New Zealand’s loss to Manly last time out ended a mini two-match winning streak for the Warriors, while the Panthers will enter this match on the back of a 16-8 win over the Sea Eagles last weekend.

The Warriors will lose Albert Vete (arm) and Nathaniel Roache (hamstring) for Friday’s game, although they have regained Issac Luke at hooker and Solomone Kata in the backline.

Penrith has added James Fisher-Harris to the bench and dropped Sitaleki Akauola to the reserves in their only change.

New Zealand will be out for revenge on the Panthers after the reverse fixture earlier in this season, which saw Penrith score the last 30 points in the match to overrun the Warriors 36-28.

It will be another close game this time around, although it’s hard to go past home ground advantage.

Warriors by 8.