Source :- THE AGE NEWS
1 min: Penrith get first use of the ball after Melbourne kick off.
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters will exit the role after this year’s World Cup, potentially bringing four-time premiership-winning Panthers mentor Ivan Cleary into contention to take charge of the national side.
Walters will lead Australia’s World Cup defence in October before moving to England, where he will be head coach St Helens on what sources have indicated is a deal worth more than $600,000 a year.
Cleary looms large among contenders to replace Walters in charge of the Kangaroos given he will vacate the Panthers head coaching role at the end of 2027, handing the reigns to assistant Peter Wallace.
The likes of recent Queensland Origin coach Billy Slater, NSW counterpart Laurie Daley and Australia’s most-capped player, Cameron Smith are other options for the national side.
Melbourne Storm: 1. Sualauvi Faalogo 2. Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Moses Leo 6. Cameron Munster 14. Tyran Wishart. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Oryn Keeley 13. Trent Loiero. Interchange: 7. Trent Toelau 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Angus Hinchey 17. Cooper Clarke 18. Joe Chan 21. Jack Hetherington
Penrith Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Izack Tago 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To’o 6. Jack Cogger 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Freddy Lussick 10. Liam Henry 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Liam Martin 13. Lindsay Smith. Interchange: 14. Billy Scott 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Luron Patea 17. Billy Phillips 18. Jack Cole 21. Luke Garner
Thank you for joining us this evening as 11th-placed Storm play host to the second-placed Panthers in Melbourne.
While the Storm are well and truly out of finals contention, they do have an excellent record at AAMI Park against Penrith, having won nine of 10 matches, and are fresh from a bye weekend too.
The Panthers, having lost top spot on the ladder after back-to-back losses against the Roosters and the Warriors, will be desperate to stay in the hunt for the minor premiership and mark coach Ivan Cleary’s 500th game as an NRL coach with victory.
As formidable as the Storm invariably are at home, it’s difficult to see anything other than a comfortable Penrith win tonight.
Kick-off is at 7:50pm.
