In Australia, Penrith Panthers change lineup ahead of NRL match against Sydney Roosters
In Australia, the Penrith Panthers made several lineup changes ahead of Sunday’s NRL finals match against the Sydney Roosters. As ABC News reports, the most notable change was Blaize Talagi’s inclusion at centre, while Luke Garner dropped out of the lineup.
Changes at the Panthers
Talagi has rarely played at centre since joining the Panthers, having mainly been used at five-eighth and on the left edge. ABC journalist Nick Campton suggested that Talagi could play on the right side in this match and face Billy Smith. In Campton’s view, the Roosters may try to exploit the Panthers’ new combination from the opening minutes of the game.
In addition, Liam Henry will start at prop. Lindsay Smith will return at lock, while Isaiah Yeo will begin the game on the bench.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Tournament situation
For the Sydney Roosters, Egan Butcher will start in the second row, while Salesi Foketi will begin the match among the reserves. The Panthers won the regular season, while the Roosters finished fourth.
The winner of the meeting will host a preliminary final in two weeks and will be one win away from the grand final. The losing team will play Cronulla in an elimination match next week. The Roosters won the previous head-to-head meeting, which took place a little over a month ago. However, this time the team will be without halfback Sam Walker, who is recovering from an ankle injury.
