Matchday Details
Friday, 17 April 2026 – 8:00pm AEST (7:30pm local) – TIO Stadium, Darwin
📺 Kayo / Foxtel
Referee: Adam Gee | Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Jake Averillo, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Selwyn Cobbo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Isaiya Katoa (c), 8. Tom Gilbert, 9. Max Plath, 10. Felise Kaufusi, 11. Connelly Lemuelu, 12. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Bradley Schneider, 15. Thomas Flegler, 16. Ray Stone, 17. Francis Molo, 18. Oryn Keeley, 19. Trai Fuller, 20. Brian Pouniu, 21. Tevita Naufahu, 22. Lewis Symonds
Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards, 2. Thomas Jenkins, 3. Paul Alamoti, 4. Izack Tago, 5. Brian To’o, 6. Blaize Talagi, 7. Nathan Cleary (c), 8. Moses Leota, 9. Mitch Kenny, 10. Lindsay Smith, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Luke Garner, 13. Isaah Yeo, 14. Jack Cogger, 15. Scott Sorensen, 16. Kalani Going, 17. Billy Phillips, 18. Sione Fonua, 19. Freddy Lussick, 20. Luron Patea, 21. Jack Cole, 22. Jesse McLean
Match Preview
Rugby league lands in Darwin on Friday night, with the previously invincible-looking Panthers coming off their first loss for the season, taking on the Dolphins who had a bye to think about one of their worst performances since inception.
As hinted in the intro, Penrith looked like a team that may not lose to anyone in 2026, especially after their historic 50-10 mauling of Melbourne in Round 5. But it wasn’t just the Panthers’ loss to the Bulldogs last weekend, it was the 32-16 scoreline of defeat and the way they were outplayed and out-muscled. Penrith still lead the competition on equal points with the Wests Tigers, but their soul crushing methods of victory up to Round 5 gives them the for-and-against advantage.
The Dolphins’ last game was an even more emphatic 52-18 loss to Manly at their spiritual home of Redcliffe, where they were even more outplayed and made the scoreline respectable with three tries after the 70th minute. The bye handed the Dolphins two bonus points in Round 6, but leaves them 12th on the ladder with three other teams on six points. The Panthers’ fixture in Darwin looked hard enough on paper for the Dolphins given comparative 2026 form, and that was before the Panthers lost their first game of the season and will probably look to take it out on their next opponent.
Sadly the Dolphins have lost Kurt Donoghoe to injury just one game after he played his first game of the season, and his replacement on paper is Brad Schneider as the back-up hooker, but given he didn’t feature vs Manly and played six minutes the round before, the Dolphins might be better placed going for more impact. That brings Oryn Keeley into play and both he and Ray Stone will be needed to solidify the Dolphins’ defence, which was poor last time, or Trai Fuller for attacking impact – which wasn’t much better. The backline remains unchanged, but another below par performance might see Tevita Naufahu fight his way back into the side.
The Panthers have bigger changes with Casey McLean out suspended and Liam Martin out injured. Luckily for Penrith they can call upon Izack Tago to replace McLean, and Luke Garner is a good replacement for Martin as is adding Kalani Going to the bench. Liam Martin could be out with that knee injury for 6-8 weeks, so Garner has an extended chance to really impress.
It may seem like a long time ago, but the Dolphins beat Penrith last season, and convincingly so, winning 30-12 after leading 18-6 at half time. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scoring a hat-trick helped, and they really need him to find his best prior to the 70th minute this weekend in Darwin. That win last season was a rich vein of form for the Dolphins, where their attack seemed good enough to beat any team in the competition. But that attack has barely sparkled in 2026, with the odd show here and there. It hasn’t stopped Herbie Farnworth continuing to show he is one of the best centres in the game, and Jake Averillo one of the most underrated, but that effort hasn’t been backed up in general in attack. Izack Tago’s return, along with Paul Alamoti’s good 2026 in general makes the centre battle one to watch. Given Bronson Xerri’s impact in the Bulldogs’ win over the Panthers, the Dolphins’ centre pairing are capable of matching his efforts and more.
The Bulldogs did provide a blueprint of sorts to beat Penrith, with aggression in the forwards and a halfback running the show behind, and you could argue the Dolphins have that in their arsenal. You could argue Isaiya Katoa is a better player right now than Lachlan Galvin is with a minimum of hype, and the Dolphins have loads of in-your-face aggression that can match the Bulldogs’ effort, with Felise Kaufusi, Tom Gilbert, and Francis Molo off the bench; with Kulikefu Finefeuiaki capable of playing the Viliame Kikau role.
But if the Dolphins defend like they did against Manly in Round 5, the scoreboard might need a third number given just how clinical they can be, as seen in big wins over Melbourne, Parramatta, and the Roosters in consecutive weeks prior to losing to the Bulldogs.
And the Panthers have such an advantage with their back three. Dylan Edwards may not score the headline-grabbing tries of The Hammer, but his relentless quality and work rate each week is hard to beat in the Penrith machine. Same for the contributions of the Panthers wingers coming early in the set every match. And in Tom Jenkins they have an in-form try scorer, a description one couldn’t really give to the Dolphins star wing recruit Selwyn Cobbo.
The Dolphins have won their only game so far in Darwin: vs Parramatta in 2024 by 44-16. Penrith’s Darwin record is W1 L1, with games in 2013 and 2015. One stat against the Dolphins is their neutral home game record: they have lost all four games where they are the home side at a venue that isn’t Redcliffe or Suncorp Stadium. Fridays don’t help the Dolphins either: Penrith have won five in a row away on a Friday and in fact have the best Friday record since 2020 with their 78% win strike rate. The Dolphins’ Friday record since inception is six wins and 11 losses.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Penrith by 12
Bold call: Penrith’s back three will all score tries.
Related
- NRL Round 7 Predictions
- NRL Round 7 Team Lists
- NRL Round 7 Hub
- NRL Injury List
- NRL Match Review Tracker
