The Penrith Panthers will be out to bounce back from being held scoreless in their season-opener when they clash with the Parramatta Eels in Round 2.
It was a disappointing start to the year for the defending three-time premiers, who failed to register a point in the Victorian capital against the Melbourne Storm.
Some of their performance could well be put down to the World Club Challenge, but standards for the men from the foot of the mountain will likely return in Friday evening's Western Sydney derby.
The Panthers very rarely come up short on their own home turf, and a sell out crowd has already been confirmed for one of the NRL's biggest rivalry matches.
If Penrith were poor against a strong opposition in Round 1, then Parramatta were strong against a poor one as they ran away from the Canterbury Bulldogs.
While the Eels weren't at their absolute best, it's almost unarguable to say they did what was required in Round 1, putting the Bulldogs away, and, despite a scare for Mitchell Moses, coming out of the game without injury issues.
This one will be up a level in the challenge department for the blue and gold, with Brad Arthur's side having plenty to prove after a poor 2023 campaign where they missed the finals.
Penrith welcome back Mitch Kenny and Scott Sorensen for this clash, while the Eels also have Wiremu Greig back in action.
How to watch Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels
Being a prime time game on Friday night, the NRL's TV deal has this game broadcast on both free-to-air TV and Pay-TV.
The free option to watch the Western Sydney derby will be to tune in through Channel 9, whose coverage will commence at 7:30pm (AEDT).
On Pay TV, you can tune in through Fox Sports, who will broadcast the game through Fox League (Channel 502) with coverage commencing immediately at the conclusion of the earlier Canterbury Bulldogs and Cronulla Sharks fixture. To watch this coverage, you'll need a Foxtel TV subscription with the sports package.
To live stream the match, you can either use 9Now (free), or Foxtel's applications being the Foxtel App or Kayo Sports.
In New Zealand, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to the NRL, while globally you can tune in through the Watch NRL app.
Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels teams
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo
Interchange: 14. Soni Luke 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner 18. Daine Laurie 20. Mavrik Geyer
Parramatta Eels
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J'maine Hopgood
Interchange: 14. Brendan Hands 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Kelma Tuilagi 19. Wiremu Greig 20. Luca Moretti
Click through to Zero Tackle's match centre for updated teams, live scores and stats from the game.
Key information: Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels
Kick-off: Friday, March 15, 8:05pm (AEDT)
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
Overall head-to-head record: Played 109. Eels 62, Panthers 46, drawn 1
Record at venue: Played 53, Panthers 26, Eels 26, Drawn 1
Last meeting: 2023, Round 26, Panthers 32 defeat Eels 18 at BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
Referee: Ashley Klein
Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels betting odds
The Panthers come into the game as red-hot favourites, paying just $1.40 which is something of a surprise given the performance last week. Parramatta have $3 about them coming into the contest, with a tight and low-scoring affair expected.
Penrith dominate the first try-scorer market. Brian To'o pays $7.50, Sunia Turuva $8.50, Taylan May $11, Dylan Edwards and Izack Tago $12 before the first Eel - Bailey Simonsson at $13 - appears.
Odds taken from PointsBet, correct at 4pm, Friday, March 15.
Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?
Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels prediction
It's a little tough to get a read on this one given the the performances of each side last week against varying opposition.
The Panthers will not be as poor as they were though - they get a few key players back and should be good enough to pick up the two points here.
Panthers by 4.
