Panthers v Rabbitohs NRL Rd 2 best bets & multi – March 9, 2023

Round two of the 2023 NRL Premiership kicks off in Penrith with the Panthers hosting the South Sydney Rabbitohs at BlueBet Stadium. The Panthers will be desperate to get a win on the board before their round three bye, while the Rabbitohs will be looking to capitalise on momentum and improve on their round one win over the Sharks in Cronulla.

The Penrith Panthers have lost bench forward Scott Sorenson through head injury assessment (HIA) protocols, bringing Matt Eisenhuth in as a replacement. The Rabbitohs, meanwhile, have been forced to replace Jai Arrow and Tevita Tatola with Jed Cartwright and Daniel Suluka-Fifita through injury.

Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell has been named to start for the Bunnies despite suffering a reported PCL injury. However, Terrell Kalo-Kalo and Taane Milne have been named in the reserves and could serve as replacements should Mitchell not be fit to take on the two-time defending premiers.

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The Panthers were only narrowly beaten by St Helens and the Broncos and will be hellbent on making amends. The losses in the forward pack for the Rabbitohs, as well as the injury cloud surrounding Mitchell, are too hard to ignore when travelling to Penrith. The Panthers should record their first win of the 2023 NRL season over the Rabbitohs in emphatic fashion, so the margin of 13 or more points looks a good play at $3.05 with Ladbrokes.

The most obvious attacking matchup on the field on Thursday night will be Brian To’o against Alex Johnston. While the Rabbitohs left winger is a brilliant player, he will likely lack the size and strength needed to stop To’o. Penrith’s game should be simple: isolate the two wingers and let To’o overpower his opposite number. If the Panthers can successfully implement this plan, the premiership-winning winger should score two or more tries on the night ($5.40).

Dry, sunny conditions are predicted in the lead-up to this match. The loss of the starting forwards will likely soften the middle third of the field for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, which will make it easier for the Panthers to gain metres there. Should that occur, the Panthers will put themselves in plenty of scoring positions, which should see the total match points exceed 39.5 ($1.90).

Key matchup: Nathan Cleary v Lachlan Ilias

The battle of the halfbacks will be one of the key areas where this game is won or lost. Nathan Cleary will be looking to stand up and lead his team from the front for the club’s first win of the season through his kicking and running game. Lachlan Ilias has improved immensely in his defensive game and will not be as big a target as he was last year. Ilias will instead need to stand up with his kicking game to help his smaller, less experienced forward pack, as well as involving his outside backs in the match.

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