2021 NRL – Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers taking place? Saturday 20th March, 2021 – 04:00 (UK)
Where is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers taking place? Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
Where can I get tickets for Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers? Click here for ticket information on 2021 NRL matches
What channel is Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Canterbury Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
THE TEAM NEWS
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
Starting 13: Allan, Meaney, Hopoate, Cotric, Watene-Zelezniak, Averillo, Flanagan, Ogden, S. Katoa, Hetherington, Elliott, Faitala-Mariner, Jackson – Interchanges: Marshall-King, Atoni, Waddell, Napa – Reserves: T. Katoa, Smith, Lewis, Stimson
Unavailable: Luke Thompson (Suspended), Jayden Okunbor (Injured), Christian Crichton (Injured)
- Canterbury Bulldogs were hoping to put in a big performance in what had been heralded as a new era for the club under Trent Barrett but they failed to fire as they were well beaten by Newcastle Knights in their opening clash last week.
- The Bulldogs took an early lead in the 32-16 loss but failed to build on it with errors their downfall and the weight of possession for the opposition was telling towards the end with Canterbury tiring having been forced to defend seven more sets than their opponents.
PENRITH PANTHERS
Starting 13: Edwards, Staines, Momirovski, Crichton, To’o, Luai, Cleary, Leota, Koroisau, Fisher-Harris, Kikau, Capewell, Yeo – Interchanges: May, Leniu, Eisenhuth, Martin – Reserves: Sorensen, Burton, Jennings, Kenny
Unavailable:
- Penrith Panthers laid down a marker for the season as they produced a very strong performance to nil North Queensland Cowboys in their opening clash last week and they will be eager to build on that.
- The Panthers were impressive on both sides of the ball last season but they were the best defensive team during the regular campaign as they conceded just 11.9 points per game and they will believe that they can restrict the Bulldogs here.
THE PREDICTION
Penrith Panthers produced a textbook start to the season thanks to a 24-0 win over North Queensland Cowboys and that success spells trouble for Canterbury Bulldogs in this one. The Bulldogs averaged just 14.1 points per game last season, the second fewest in the NRL, and now facing last season’s best defence that nilled their opponents last week does not bode well for the hosts. Canterbury showed some better signs with the ball in their loss to Newcastle Knights last week but it is unlikely to be enough to trouble Penrith who are capable of racking up plenty of points themselves and the Panthers should be comfortable victors by covering the -14 handicap here.
