Matchday Details
Sunday, September 21 – 4:05pm (AEST) – Accor Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Nine / Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Ashley Klein | Bunker: Chris Butler
Bulldogs
1. Connor Tracey, 2. Jacob Kiraz, 3. Bronson Xerri, 4. Matt Burton, 5. Jethro Rinakama, 6. Lachlan Galvin, 7. Toby Sexton, 8. Max King, 9. Bailey Hayward, 10. Josh Curran, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Jacob Preston, 13. Jaeman Salmon, 14. Kurt Mann, 15. Sitili Tupouniua, 16. Harry Hayes, 17. Reed Mahoney, 19. Blake Wilson, 20. Jake Turpin, 21. Samuel Hughes, 22. Marcelo Montoya, 23. Stephen Crichton
Panthers
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. Luke Sommerton, 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. Tom Jenkins, 19. Matthew Eisenhuth, 20. Daine Laurie, 21. Mavrik Geyer, 22. Mitch Kenny
Match Preview
The NRL finals surge into the second week with a huge Sunday afternoon semi-final between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers at Accor Stadium.
The fortunes of the two teams contrast dramatically, with the Bulldogs struggling for form and having a growing casualty ward, while the Panthers are in strong form with a clean bill of health.
After finishing third, the Bulldogs put up a strong fight against the Storm in Melbourne in the qualifying final, before going down 26-18. In a bad day, they lost Stephen Crichton and Enari Tuala to injury and missed an alarming 61 tackles before suffering their fifth loss in their past seven games.
The seventh-placed Panthers were made to work hard to beat the Warriors in Auckland in the elimination final on Saturday, only putting the result beyond doubt in the final 10 minutes of their 24-8 victory. They have their entire top 30 available for the final weeks of their quest for a fifth consecutive premiership.
The big news for the Bulldogs this week is the movement of Matt Burton to the centres to replace captain Stephen Crichton. Crichton has been named among the reserves and will be hoping to take his place despite his ankle injury. Toby Sexton has been named to start at halfback with Lachlan Galvin moving to five-eighth to cover Burton. Bronson Xerri is also set to return to the side in place of Enari Tuala (calf) after passing HIA protocols, while Reed Mahoney has been named on the bench. Viliame Kikau has been named despite an eye socket injury and is expected to play.
The Panthers have an unchanged 17 to the one that defeated the Warriors, with Luke Sommerton at hooker and Mitch Kenny named among the reserves as he prepares to return from a hamstring issue.
The two teams have met twice this year, with results split one each. The Panthers won one of the best games of the regular season 8-6 at Commbank Stadium in round 17, while the Bulldogs claimed a 28-4 win over a Penrith side resting virtually their entire first grade side in round 26.
The rivalry between these two clubs has grown in recent years with the movement of players and staff from Penrith to Canterbury. The Bulldogs have four players (Crichton, Kikau, Burton, Jaeman Salmon) who played in at least one of Penrith’s four consecutive premierships, while coach Cameron Ciraldo worked as an assistant to Ivan Cleary before taking over at the Bulldogs.
Despite holding an overall advantage in matches between the two teams, the Bulldogs’ round 26 win was their first against the Panthers since 2019. Since the Panthers’ 2016 elimination final defeat of the Bulldogs, the mountain men have won 12 of their 15 meetings.
Finals matches between the two clubs are split two wins each, with the Panthers claiming victory in their most recent match in 2016. Panthers co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo are the only players remaining from that game.
The Panthers will be confident of keeping their premiership dreams alive with the Bulldogs falling apart. The Bulldogs will be desperate to avoid the ignominy of becoming the first team since Cronulla in 2022 to go out in straight sets.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Panthers by 14.
See our full NRL Semi Final Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL: Semi Final Writer Predictions
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