Panthers vs Storm NRL Round 3 betting tips – Thursday, March 25

Panthers vs Storm betting preview

The Penrith Panthers‘ preparation for this clash was always going to be difficult because of the five-day turnaround from round two, but just to make life harder the city of Penrith has been evacuated due to rising flood waters. Just how much training they can get on the field to do could have quite an impact on their performance in the 2020 NRL Grand Final rematch.

The Melbourne Storm lost in round two but have had a much smoother preparation, flying on a charter jet home to Victoria immediately after their Thursday night game with Parramatta. They will be without Felise Kaufusi due to suspension and won’t have Dale Finucane or Harry Grant available for selection, but they should be the outright favourite come kickoff given the concussion concerns surrounding Penrith star Nathan Cleary.

Key matchup: Matt Burton vs Jahrome Hughes

Matt Burton has been at the forefront of controversial contract negotiations, but he will be Nathan Cleary’s replacement if the star halfback is ruled out with concussion. His reputation seems to be growing because of his absence from playing first grade on a regular basis, but he will get a fantastic chance to justify the hype on Thursday evening. Jahrome Hughes was below his best last week inside Melbourne’s attacking 20 and left too much on the plate of Cameron Munster, so the Panthers should feel confident if they can create time for Burton and keep a close eye on Hughes. If Cleary somehow passes concussion protocol, then Penrith will start as favourites, but this storyline is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Penrith Panthers betting info

The head-to-head odds at most NRL betting sites are about level, but that will change if it is confirmed that Nathan Cleary will sit out. We may not know until one hour before kick off if he is actually playing or not, especially given how quiet the Panthers were about Api Koroisau’s hand injury in the lead up to round two, so it may be a case of holding fire until there is official confirmation. It was in the corresponding fixture last year that Stephen Crichton announced himself as a star, and we think he will have a big say on proceedings, so get him in your multis as a tryscorer option.

Penrith Panthers

1. Dylan Edwards
2. Charlie Staines
3. Paul Momirovski
4. Stephen Crichton
5. Brian To’o
6. Jarome Luai
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Moses Leota
9. Mitch Kenny
10. James Fisher-Harris
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Kurt Capewell
13. Isaah Yeo
14. Tyrone May
15. Spencer Leniu
16. Matt Eisenhuth
17. Liam Martin

Melbourne Storm betting info

If you think Nathan Cleary is going to be ruled out, then you’d better get on the Storm quickly because they won’t be $1.95 for long. It’s a bit of an educated swing for the fences, but there’s just no conceivable way they remain underdogs if Matt Burton replaces Cleary. They were disappointing against Parramatta last week but would have had this clash circled in the calendar, hence why they got a charter flight home following round two. The Melbourne 1-12 win at $3 is terrific value, and it might be the night to get back on the Ryan Papenhuyzen tryscoring bandwagon to follow up his Clive Churchill Medal performance in last year’s granny.

Melbourne Storm

1. Ryan Papenhuyzen
2. George Jennings
3. Reimis Smith
4. Justin Olam
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jarome Hughes
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Brandon Smith
10. Christian Welch
11. Tom Eisenhuth
12. Kenneath Bromwich
13. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
14. Aaron Pene
15. Tui Kamikamica
16. Chris Lewis
17. Nicho Hynes

Panthers vs Storm betting prediction

We love the Storm at that 1-12 price purely on the basis that Nathan Cleary doesn’t feature. Matt Burton is a fine young player, but the Panthers lose a lot without their starting halfback and the Storm rarely lose two in a row, especially early in the season.

Panthers vs Storm same game multi

The Storm by 1-12 points with Josh Addo-Carr and Stephen Crichton to score at anytime gets you a healthy $16.50 return at Sportsbet.com.au.