Stat Attack: Lack of whack in defence is hurting Panthers

The Panthers not only need to figure out how they can gather more points, scoring the least amount of tries (10) after five rounds, but their defence requires just as much work with an NRL-high 201 most missed tackles.

This time last year Penrith were sitting pretty in third spot with four wins from five games, but this season the Eels, Storm and Titans have already handed it to them, putting a total of 82 points on Ivan Cleary’s side.

Their only two wins were the great escape against Wests Tigers in round four and a narrow victory over the Knights in round two.

The Panthers' poor defence seems to have carried over from 2018, when they had the worst record for missed tackles (975).

In 2019, skipper James Maloney has been the offender with 28 missed tackles, the most in the competition. He is also ranked equal second for penalties conceded (7).

Teammate James Fisher-Harris is second to Maloney with 27 missed tackles but on the flip side he has powered through the fifth most tackles (224) among the 16 clubs after five rounds.

The Panthers will need to address this defensive issue ahead of Thursday's clash with a Sharks outfit which leads the NRL in line breaks (25).