Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 16 clash between the Warriors and Panthers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
New Zealand Warriors Vs Penrith Panthers
Venue: Go Media Stadium
Date: Saturday June 21, 3:00pm (AEST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Adam Pompey 4. Moala Graham-Taufa 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Marata Niukore 11. Leka Halasima 12. Jacob Laban 13. Erin Clark 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith 18. Samuel Healey 20. Bunty Afoa 21. Tanah Boyd 22. Edward Kosi 23. Eddie Ieremia
Panthers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Izack Tago 4. Casey McLean 5. Paul Alamoti 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Isaiah Papali’i 13. Matt Eisenhuth 14. Trent Toelau 15. Liam Henry 16. Luron Patea 17. Luke Garner 18. Luke Sommerton 19. Jack Cole 20. Mavrik Geyer 21. Preston Riki 22. Austin Dias 23. Harrison Hassett 24. Jaxen Edgar
Referee: Todd Smith
Bunker: Ashley Klein
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
A severely depleted Penrith side make the trip across the Tasman on Saturday afternoon to face a couple of familiar faces with the high-flying Warriors.
This match will mark the first time Warriors captain James Fisher-Harris has faced off against his old club, though a lot of his big-name ex-teammates will be missing having played in New South Wales’s defeat in Perth just three days earlier.
Andrew Webster has also opted to rest his Origin representative, Kurt Capewell, but is boosted by the return of Wayde Egan to the side at hooker. Moala Graham-Taufa also comes into the side, starting at centre.
For Penrith, their Blues contingent of Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo are all out, replaced by Daine Laurie, Paul Alamoti, Brad Schneider, Isaiah Papali’i and Matt Eisenhuth respectively. Trent Toelau and Liam Henry also join the bench.
It’s been an excellent first half of the season for the Warriors, who sit third on the ladder with ten wins and three losses, including seven wins in their past eight matches before the bye. Of particular note is their ability to win close matches, with seven of their ten wins by eight points or less. They played arguably their best match of the season in round 13 when they defeated Cronulla 40-10 at Sharks Stadium.
Things have been different for Penrith than what they’re used to in 2025. After a poor start to the season left them at the bottom of the table, three wins and a draw since Magic Round have seen them climb to ninth, one point outside the top eight. Although their defence was a major issue in the early rounds, they’ve slowly returned it to expected levels, conceding 14 points or less in four of their past seven matches.
History favours the Panthers in this match, with 32 wins in 52 head-to-head meetings and a 10-all split at Go Media Stadium. The Warriors won the last match between the two at Magic Round in 2024, but that broke an eight-match Panthers streak that dated back to 2019. This will also be the first match the Panthers have played in New Zealand since 2019.
There’s some quirky history involving coaches Andrew Webster and Ivan Cleary. In addition to being Cleary’s assistant at Penrith, Webster was also caretaker coach at Wests Tigers in 2017 before Cleary took over. In 2023, Webster became the first man to coach the Warriors to a top four finish since Cleary achieved the feat in 2007, as well as being the first to coach the Warriors to a finals win since Cleary in 2011.
With so much talent unavailable, a Panthers defeat seems inevitable. It has been a strange season though and the four-time premiers are starting to get back to their best. An upset is not off the table in this one.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Warriors by 12
Check out our round 16 predictions here.
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