Panthers vs Storm Prediction: Penrith 5/1 to cook up a Storm

Any clash between the Penrith Panthers and the Melbourne Storm carries significant weight in the NRL Premiership. But Thursday’s meeting at CommBank Stadium (19:50 local, 10:50 BST, live on Sky Sports Action) could well be a glimpse into this season’s finals series.

In the last five years, these two have faced off in two Grand Finals and two Preliminary Finals, And with the Panthers on an extraordinary run which has seen them move from dead last to fourth thanks to nine straight wins, my Panthers vs Storm predictions come to you with the caveat that this probably won’t be their last encounter in 2025.

Panthers vs Storm Odds

Betfred are not about to back against the Panthers given their incredible form, but that 8/15 about them picking up the win is still good value.

The Storm are 8/5 for the 80-minute triumph, while the draw in 80 minutes is 18/1.

The oddsmakers are expecting a close one here, with the Storm offered a 4.5-point lead in return for a shortening of the odds to 5/6. The Panthers are 10/11 to overcome the disadvantage.

Team News

As expected, Penrith will run out the same 17 which beat the Newcastle Knights with plenty to spare last Friday. There’s still no Isaah Yeo, who missed last week’s game with a shoulder complaint.

Nick Meaney is set to start at full-back for the Storm in place of concussion victim Ryan Papenhuyzen. Marion Seve will play for the first time in almost five months to cover for Meaney in the three-quarter line.

Up front there are no alterations for Craig Bellamy’s side, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona only included as a reserve having ran out for the Queensland Cup side last week.

Rugby League Odds

Handicap 3-way: Panthers -6 @ 11/10

With nine successive wins going up against nine victories in 10, one magnificent record has got to fall on Thursday.

The Storm haven’t fallen outside the top four all season, and if anyone is likely to pip the Canberra Raiders to the Minor Premiership it looks likely to be them.

But the Panthers have transformed themselves from the worst team in the league to the very best once more. Cleary has consistently found the quality within his side that was only seen in fleeting glimpses in the early weeks of the campaign.

While not all of their nine wins have come against top-four standard teams, they did beat the Canterbury Bulldogs in a tight one in round 17 in what was a real statement result.

I’m backing them to do similar here. The Storm are a great side, but Penrith are rolling right now and showed no mercy to the Knights last week.

I just see Nathan Cleary leading them to the points, and in a search for value I’m happy to take the 11/10 odds against them having more than six points to spare. The implied probability of 47.6% doesn’t do the Panthers justice in my mind.

Panthers between 21.5 and 24.5 points @ 5/1

It’s not going to be the most open of games, but I think this one will be just half-a-notch or so down on the intensity of NRL Finals meetings past.

As such, I can see both sides getting on the scoreboard early enough that four scores could be needed to secure the win.

So the 21.5 to 24.5-point bracket for the Panthers, which gives us two even-number shouts, is a tempting one given the 5/1 price.

I can well see Penrith getting a victory of 22-14 or similar in this one, and even a repeat of their 24-22 defeat to the Storm in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago would see us to the honours here.

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