Can anyone beat Panthers?

[The Boss]

Feel like this season is over Panthers just look so much better then everyone. Can't see Cowboys beating then in Sydney. Panthers beat Souths and Canberra without thier halves, they Shark's aren't going to hat good and they easily accounted for Eels last week.

 

[Nashy]

 

[Financeguy]

Yes, they are beatable

 

[winslow_wong]

the broncos would have smoked them in the finals.

 

[Morkel]

The Eels have beaten them when at full strength, so even if my conspiracy theory falls through, we've shown that they can be beaten. And because the Eels have actually dominated them recently, I can't imagine the Panthers took them lightly each time either.

 

[Wolfie]

I think the Eels have shown they can do it. Until Moses got injured they were still in the game the other night.

 

[mitch222]

Only side that matches up with them are the Eels. Being the NRLs protected species doesn't make it any easier for them to be beaten either.

 

[Dexter]

Short answer no.
Raiders could on a good day because they have the next best pack .
Panthers are the best cheats in D since those very good storm sides.

 

[Big Pete]

I like the way the Raiders attacked Melbourne, and would like to see teams employ a similar tactic against the Panthers. It's up tempo, early shift then come back through the middle with numbers and try to attack that corridor between the half and second row. Teams try to play around the Panthers too often when they've been fairly vulnerable up the middle.

Unfortunately teams really don't know how to attack that middle third since everything is about short-side raids so Penrith will often use the sideline as their best defender.

I just wonder if teams have to go the Brian Smith route and take the back three out of it for Penrith? Kick for the sideline as much as possible so you maintain a cohesive line and you dominate from tackle 1 & 2.

Teams also have to try to take Cleary out of the game as much as possible. Maybe you go the Gus Gould route and have one player be Cleary's defensive minder. Wherever Cleary goes, he goes and everyone has the same job to limit Cleary's time with the football.

Parramatta made some strides, but where they failed was kick defusal and having forwards try to play over the advantage line. Paulo is just too slow at this level of footy and you really need your halves on good ball taking the line on. Forwards have to merely worry about winning the contact first and then looking for an offload.

 

[BooKhaki]

Nope. Roosters were the only chance I thought.

 

[Financeguy]

I think Souths are capable, beat them in the finals last year and the GF was bloody close. I don't think Penrith are as strong as they were last year, if anything fractionally weaker. I guess you could say the same about Souths with Reynolds but Latrell does cancel that out this year.

I also think Cowboys could get them in the GF if that is the way it works out. I think Cows will enjoy all the talk about Penrith going back to back an no one giving them a chance in the leadup and have the potential to put on an ambush.

Parra have already shown they can beat them.

Put it this way, if Panthers were to play both Souths and Cowboys for 10 games over 10 weeks each, i doubt they win all 10 of them so i give both those teams a chance.

 

[1910]

I like the way the Raiders attacked Melbourne, and would like to see teams employ a similar tactic against the Panthers. It's up tempo, early shift then come back through the middle with numbers and try to attack that corridor between the half and second row. Teams try to play around the Panthers too often when they've been fairly vulnerable up the middle.

Unfortunately teams really don't know how to attack that middle third since everything is about short-side raids so Penrith will often use the sideline as their best defender.

I just wonder if teams have to go the Brian Smith route and take the back three out of it for Penrith? Kick for the sideline as much as possible so you maintain a cohesive line and you dominate from tackle 1 & 2.

Teams also have to try to take Cleary out of the game as much as possible. Maybe you go the Gus Gould route and have one player be Cleary's defensive minder. Wherever Cleary goes, he goes and everyone has the same job to limit Cleary's time with the football.

Parramatta made some strides, but where they failed was kick defusal and having forwards try to play over the advantage line. Paulo is just too slow at this level of footy and you really need your halves on good ball taking the line on. Forwards have to merely worry about winning the contact first and then looking for an offload.

Penrith defend very much like the Sheen's Raiders team 89-91- compact up- give them a golden path if they want to try and go around which teams see and eyes light up but really Raiders/Panthers backed themselves to slide off and use their speed to put you out of action.

 

[BroncosFever]

Parra seem to be able to unsettle them, I think one of the keys to beating Penrith is being able to get the ball back or Cleary will just grind the opposition down with repeat sets, short dropouts are something I would be looking into.

Souths under Wayne could have beaten them, not sure they're on the same level defensively without Wayne.

 

[Cult]

Penrith defend very much like the Sheen's Raiders team 89-91- compact up- give them a golden path if they want to try and go around which teams see and eyes light up but really Raiders/Panthers backed themselves to slide off and use their speed to put you out of action.

8 metres back and moving up way too early after 20 minutes of the opposition getting penalised every time the Panthers are tackled within their own half?

 

[1910]

8 metres back and moving up way too early after 20 minutes of the opposition getting penalised every time the Panthers are tackled within their own half?

Would have been three metres back in 89.

 

[Mustafur]

I think any team can be a chance if they make the other team play like how that Roosters Souths game went, turn it into a sin bin head knock mess.