The Panthers and Sea Eagles will be sweating on the availability of their Origin stars as they head into a crucial Round 14 showdown at BlueBet Stadium on Sunday.
Already missing Nathan Cleary to a hamstring injury, the Panthers watched on as fullback Dylan Edwards suffered a quad injury in NSW camp, cruelly robbing him of an Origin debut.
With three full days for their Origin stars to recover from Game One, coaches Ivan Cleary and Anthony Seibold will be hoping the majority can back up, with Penrith back-rower Liam Martin (ankle) the only confirmed out as of Saturday.
Manly have Tolutau Koula (shoulder) on deck but one man who won't be there is Sea Eagles superstar Tom Trbojevic, who was at his devastating best in Round 5 when Manly stunned the Panthers 32-18 at 4 Pines Park.
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Team News
Panthers: An ankle injury picked up on Wednesday night has ruled back-rower Liam Martin out, but the rest of Penrith's Origin contingent remained in the squad when it was cut to 19 on Saturday. Dylan Edwards (quad) dropped out at the 24-hour mark, while Luke Garner joined the run-on side in the second row to replace Martin, with Matthew Eisenhuth the new face on the bench. No late changes 60 minutes before kickoff, with Preston Riki the 18th man.
Sea Eagles: No late changes on Sunday, with all three of their Origin reps set to back up. Lehi Hopoate is the fullback with Tolutau Koula at centre with Tommy Talau moving to the wing. New signing Jake Simpkin will have to wait at least another week for his club debut after dropping out of the squad on Saturday.
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Stat Attack
- The Panthers have won eight of their past nine games against the Sea Eagles.
- The Sea Eagles have not defeated the Panthers twice in a season since 2011.
- The Panthers have not been beaten in consecutive games at BlueBet Stadium since 2019.
- Sea Eagles centre Tommy Talau has scored five tries in his past five games.
- Panthers winger Brian To’o has scored 16 tries in his past 13 games at BlueBet Stadium.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.