Sunday afternoon will see the battle of the big cats, as the Tigers host the Panthers at CommBank Stadium at 4:00pm AEST in a must-win clash for both teams. Despite the encouraging start to the season for the Tigers, it’s been a rough past month for the team, losing three on the trot. The Panthers will be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season and get a tremendous opportunity here against the lacklustre Tigers.
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Tigers vs Panthers Prediction & Tips: 2025 NRL Round 14
Is Mason the Answer at 6 for the Tigers?
The Tigers were on their way to another hiding last week against the Cowboys, trailing 32-6 after 62 minutes after two early sinbins derailed their first half. But in one of the more dramatic comebacks this season, the Tigers fought hard to get the deficit back to just four points with four minutes remaining. Sadly, for the Tigers, they couldn’t get the final try to secure Golden Point (or the win), going down 32-28. It was Heath Mason’s first start at five eighth, and despite a tough first half, Mason looked right at home when the Tigers got on a role, and he seemed to take some pressure off Luai, which made the former Panther come right out of his shell in the second half. Can they do that for 80 minutes this week? It remains to be seen.
Will the Panthers Blues’ Quintet Lead Them to Two More Points?
The Panthers were in the dogfight we’ve come to expect in games between the Panthers and Eels last week, trailing 10-6 nearing the hour mark. The Panthers managed to put two consecutive tries together in the second half, which proved the difference as they won 18-10 in an extremely tight contest. Whilst it would have been a welcome relief for Ivan Cleary for his team to get the two points, it showed where the Panthers are this season, a team that will be battling all the way for a top 8 spot, and likely miss out. Dylan Edwards, Nathan Cleary, and Brian To’o led the team around, with their State of Origin experience four days prior proving vital in the win. One interesting side note was the lack of use from Ivan Cleary of his bench, with Eisenhuth (24 mins), Sommerton (14 mins), and Laurie (0 mins) all playing minor roles in the game. Something to monitor going forward.
Tigers vs Panthers Recent History
The NRL just hasn’t got the scheduling right over the past three years with the Tigers and Panthers, with the teams only meeting once per season despite the obvious rivalry that has been going on between the clubs since Ivan Cleary left the Tigers to reconnect with his son at the Panthers in 2019. The Panthers hold a 6-3 record over the Tigers since 2019, with some particularly tight matchups between the teams.
In their last matchup in round 7 last season, the Panthers took their home game to Bathurst where they closed 13.5-point favourites, with a short total of 41.5. Despite being without Nathan Cleary, the Panthers dominated the game, winning 22-6 despite going down 6-0 early. Dylan Edwards and Isaiah Yeo stood up, each having a hand in a try whilst getting through their usual mountain of work.
Tighter Than the Market Expects?
This week, the Panthers were listed as 11.5-point favourites on the lookahead line, before re-opening at 10.5. Early money came in on the Tigers, with the returns of Jeral Skelton and Latu Fainu having the Tigers closer to 100%. Whilst I’m struggling to get this number close to 10, I can see why the market has this negative sentiment towards the Tigers, given how poorly they have performed since being railroaded by the Storm less than a month ago. Still, have the Panthers showed any reason to be favoured by double digits over anyone? I don’t think so. I still believe the Panthers will win this game, but I like them more at the 1-12 margin in this one.
Looking towards the total, and I don’t see much value at all here, with the opener of 46.5 being bet up to 47.5. My fair total is 48.5, so a slight lean to the over, but I can’t trust the Panthers defence just yet, despite a much better outing last week against the Eels. Pass.
The one key to this game could be the offloading of the Tigers, who lead the league in offloads per game (13.83), a full two offloads per game more than the next best. This week, the Tigers will want to create second phase play as usual, however it will be their toughest test, as they take on the Panthers who are allowing the third least offloads per game, at 7.92. If the Panthers can shut this down, it will go a long way to winning the game.
Panthers 1-12
$3.25 (1 Unit)
Tigers vs Panthers Player Prop Bet: Milky for the Win
Our Best Prop Bet: Thomas Jenkins 1+ Try
Thomas Jenkins continues to impress for the Panthers, playing in the last 10 games for the team in a myriad of positions. He has taken the left-wing spot and appears happy out there, and with Blaize Talagi looking far more at home working on that side now, expect Jenkins to once again be amongst the try scorers this week, going up against the weaker right edge of the Tigers.
Thomas Jenkins 1+ Try
$1.87 (1.5 Units)
Tigers vs Panthers Same Game Multi
Leg 1: Over 46.5 Points – Considered this for our best bet, I’m not convinced the Panthers defence is all of a sudden fixed, and the Tigers showed last week they can still put points on the board.
Leg 2: T Jenkins (1+ Try) – A bit of Milky Magic for our SGM this week.
Leg 3: J Skelton (1+ Try) – Skelton looked a real handful in his four games played for the Tigers earlier this season. Despite coming back from injury this week, I’ll back in the hulking winger to get across the line in this one.
Same Game Multi Odds: $6.25 at Dabble
Tigers vs Panthers Better Odds & Match Info
Date: Sunday, 8th June
Location: CommBank Stadium - Parramatta
Time: 4:05pm AET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 15 degrees
Odds: Tigers ($3.35) vs Panthers ($1.33)
Line: Panthers (-9.5)
Points: 45.5
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