NRL Round 8 preview: Panthers vs Sea Eagles betting tips

Best bets for Panthers vs Sea Eagles

NRL Round 8: Panthers v Sea Eagles preview

The Penrith Panthers will be looking to build on last week’s morale-boosting win when they face a Sea Eagles outfit on a three-game slide, with kickoff set for 7:35pm AEST this Saturday night at CommBank Stadium.

With both sides leaking points and star fullbacks in the mix, this one should feature plenty of action. The top NRL betting sites have installed the Panthers as $1.52 favourites, with Manly offering some value at $2.55 for the win.

Penrith finally snapped their five-game losing streak with a ruthless 40-12 win over the Roosters, and with Nathan Cleary pulling the strings and Dylan Edwards chiming in, they looked every bit the four-time champions again.

Their outside backs are firing, with Casey McLean scoring in five of his last six games and Paul Alamoti running riot on the wing.

The Panthers have dominated this matchup, with nine wins from the last 10, and they’ll be licking their lips at the prospect of dismantling the Sea Eagles’ defence.

Manly are under pressure after consecutive losses to the Dragons, Sharks, and Storm. Their edge defence remains vulnerable, and they’ve now dropped their last three games at CommBank Stadium.

Even with key players back, they’ll need a massive lift across the park to stay with Penrith, with the top online bookmaker pricing them as a $2.55 chance.

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Sea Eagles vs Panthers Rd 8 team news

Penrith Panthers

1. Dylan Edwards
2. Paul Alamoti
3. Izack Tago
4. Casey McLean
5. Thomas Jenkins
6. Blaize Talagi
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Moses Leota
9. Luke Sommerton
10. Liam Henry
11. Scott Sorensen
12. Liam Martin
13. Isaah Yeo
14. Brad Schneider
15. Isaiah Papali’i
16. Lindsay Smith
17. Mavrik Geyer

Mitch Kenny is suspended, so Luke Sommerton starts at hooker for the Panthers. Izack Tago returns to the centres with Luke Garner out due to concussion.

Manly Sea Eagles

1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Jason Saab
3. Tolutau Koula
4. Reuben Garrick
5. Lehi Hopoate
6. Luke Brooks
7. Daly Cherry-Evans
8. Josh Aloiai
9. Jake Simpkin
10. Siosiua Taukeiaho
11. Haumole Olakau’atu
12. Ben Trbojevic
13. Jazz Tevaga
14. Tommy Talau
15. Corey Waddell
16. Ethan Bullemor
17. Nathan Brown

Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic returns at fullback, pushing Lehi Hopoate to the wing. Jake Trbojevic (concussion) is out, Jazz Tevaga starts at lock, and Josh Aloiai returns at prop.

Panthers vs Sea Eagles NRL Rd 8 betting predictions

Penrith finally clicked into gear last week and will back themselves to roll a Manly side that’s out of sorts defensively. With Cleary dictating and their backline humming, the -5.5 line is well within reach. Take the Panthers to win by six or more at $1.85 odds with BetOnline.

Casey McLean has crossed in five of his past six games and is fast becoming the Panthers’ most dangerous strike option. With Manly conceding tries through the centres and McLean in career-best form, he’s one of the better tryscorer picks of Round 8 at $2.30 with BetOnline.

Both teams rank outside the top 10 for defence and are giving up over five line breaks per game. The Panthers scored 40 last week, while Manly should pose more attacking threat with ‘Turbo’ back in the side. Three of their last four meetings have gone over 46 points, so expect this one to follow suit at $1.90 odds with BetOnline.

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