Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers Preview & Prediction | 2025 NRL | Preliminary Final
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Suncorp Stadium will host a sold-out Sunday afternoon Grand Final rematch between the Brisbane Broncos and the Penrith Panthers with the winner booking a spot in next Sunday’s Grand Final.
Start date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / Australia – Foxtel / US – Some matches are televised live on Fox Sports
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go & Watch NRL / Australia – Kayo Sports / US – Watch NRL, and if the match is televised in the USA it can also be streamed live on Fox Sports platforms
Brisbane Broncos team news
Brisbane has been forced into a major reshuffle. Captain Adam Reynolds is a welcome return at halfback from a hamstring injury, pushing Ben Hunt to five-eighth to cover for the injured Billy Walters (ACL). In somewhat of a gamble, Ezra Mam will return from his own hamstring injury via the interchange bench. The Broncos will also be without suspended lock Pat Carrigan.
Squad: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Josiah Karapani 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Tyson Smoothy 14. Ezra Mam 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Xavier Willison 17. Ben Talty 18. Jesse Arthars 19. Jack Gosiewski 20. Selwyn Cobbo 21. Jaiyden Hunt 22. Jock Madden
Penrith Panthers team news
The Panthers have named an unchanged 17 for the third consecutive week. Key forward Liam Martin (ribs) and centre Casey McLean (hip) have both been cleared to play after picking up injuries last week.
Squad: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To’o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Brad Schneider 15. Liam Henry 16. Isaiah Papali’i 17. Luke Garner 18. Daine Laurie 19. Matt Eisenhuth 20. Thomas Jenkins 21. Mavrik Geyer 22. Luke Sommerton
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers prediction
The Brisbane Broncos secured their home preliminary final and a week off with a 29-28 golden-point win over the Canberra Raiders in Week 1. They enter this match on an overall five-game winning streak.
The Penrith Panthers have overcome a slow start to the season to hit peak form in the finals. The four-time defending premiers eliminated the New Zealand Warriors 24-8 before dismantling the Canterbury Bulldogs 46-26, proving their seventh-place finish was an anomaly. Their first half last week was flawless with a 20/20 completion rate and their attack clicking on all cylinders.
Key Stats:
- The Broncos have won nine of their past 10 finals matches at Suncorp Stadium.
- Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary has won his last 26 daytime games.
- The Broncos have scored 128 points in their last three games at Suncorp Stadium.
- Reece Walsh is still searching for his first career win against the Panthers after seven attempts
- Panthers winger Brian To’o has scored 17 tries in 17 finals games.
- Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has scored six tries in his last five games.
Head-to-Head:
The Panthers won the only meeting between the sides in 2025, a 32-8 victory during Magic Round. While the all-time record is close, recent history heavily favours Penrith.
The Broncos are chasing their first title in 19 years, while the Panthers are aiming for a sixth consecutive Grand Final appearance. We think the Panthers fairy tale has another week left to write and they can be the first team since the mighty Dragons of the 1960’s to appear in six straight grand finals.
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers tip: Penrith Panthers to win & Brian To’o to score a try
