The Stat to Fix: Penrith's worrying defensive hot spots

It won't surprise keen fans, Penrith's leaky defence was responsible for 36.4 missed tackles a game last year, more than any other side in the competition.

As well as worries on the edges where Corey Harawira-Naera missed 3.3 tackles a game, middle men Mitch Rein (3.6), Reagan Campbell-Gillard (3.5) and Trent Merrin (3.3) all clocked worryingly high counts in 2017, though Rein has since moved on to the Gold Coast.

Out wide it didn't get any prettier for the Panthers. In the crucial edge defensive positions of centre and back-row, Isaah Yeo completed 29 of 40 one-on-one tackles at 73%.

Teammates Waqa Blake (32 from 60 attempts at 53%), Corey Harawira-Naera (30 from 60 attempts at 50%), Tyrone Peachey (18 from 41 attempts at 44%) and Dean Whare (11 from 23 at 48%) all had their issues when confronted one-on-one.