NRL - Round Thirteen Preview

The Penrith Panthers looked like a team in turmoil at the start of the season but when they battled their way to a 1 point win up in North Queensland, the Mountain Men certainly signalled their arrival in the 2008 Premiership season. The Panthers have had mixed success since their fairy tale premiership a few years ago. They made some hard decisions in regards to coaching staff and big name players and set about creating a new list that would take them forward in the future.
They have taken a gamble sticking with their current coach Mathew Elliot and putting a lot of their faith in recruiting players that may have been past their prime like big prop Petro Civinoceiva. The blend has started to work and they have started to play winning football by getting the basics right and playing to their strengths while successfully hiding their weaknesses. It would be hard to see them win this year but they could make the finals and set a platform that will see them as serious contenders in the next few years.
It is a hard round this weekend (as it always is around State of Origin time) but I am going to make the NZ Warriors my special of the round. They will give the Rabbitohs plenty of points start at the handicap but at home should run up a cricket score. The rest of my selections for the week are as follows: Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Parramatta, Penrith, Manly, Melbourne.
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