Fabulous Friday: Roosters v Panthers; Storm v Broncos

Friday doubles don't come much bigger than this with the four sides on show tonight having won the last nine premierships between them.

We kick off at Allianz Stadium where the Roosters (2018-19) and Panthers (2021-22-23-24) write another chapter in a great modern-day rivalry.

These teams have won six of the past eight premierships between them and boast an array of the NRL's most watchable superstars from Cleary, Edwards and Yeo to Tedesco, Walker and Nawaqanitawase.

From there we head to Melbourne for a rematch of last year's grand final with the 2025 premiers desperate for a first win of the season but facing a huge obstacle in the form of Craig Bellamy's red-hot Storm (2017, 2020).

Follow all the action from Round 3 of the NRL Telstra Premiership on NRL.com's live blog.

Roosters v Panthers at Allianz Stadium

65 min: The Roosters go to the air and the ball bounces 10 metres backwards off James Tedesco and it's Moses Leota on hand to scoop it up and give it off to Thomas Jenkins who sprints 70 metres to make it four tries for the night. Nathan Cleary converts. Panthers 34-4.

64 min: Nathan Cleary produces a cross-field banana kick for Brian To'o to chase but the winger can't make the catch and the Roosters hang on.

62 min: A powerful charge by Salesi Foketi carries him over the line but Luke Garner, Dylan Edwards and Lindsay Smith join forces to hold him up.

59 min: The Roosters string some passes together on the left but Junior Pauga can't handle the ball when it is turned back inside by Daniel Tupou. 

55 min: Reece Robson puts in a grubber out of dummy half but Connor Watson is offside and goes inside the 10m so the Panthers have the penalty.

54 min: Isaiah Papali'i is placed on report and penalised for shoulder contact to the head of Siua Wong.

52 min: A mistake by Blaize Talagi hands possession to the Roosters on the halfway mark as the home side look to launch a comeback.

45 min: The Panthers come up with another beauty after Paul Alamoti makes a break down the right and when he is tackled they swing the ball back to the left where Nathan Cleary and Blaize Talagi handle before Isaiah Papali'i produces a superb cut-out pass for Thomas Jenkins to complete his hat-trick. Panthers 28-4.

43 min: Scott Sorensen leaves the field for a HIA which he passes and is able to return.

Perfect Panthers: The men in pink had 54 per cent of possession and completed 23 of 23 sets as they took a stranglehold on the match.

Half-time: Four tries in 12 minutes blew the game wide open for Penrith after the Roosters had started well. Rival fullbacks Dylan Edwards (nine runs for 110m) and James Tedesco (eight runs for 102m) created plenty of opportunities while Brian To'o stole the show with a sensational solo try. 

39 min: Junior Pauga finds space down the left and goes to the boot to try and find Roosters support players backing up on the inside but the ball hits Dylan Edwards and the Panthers No.1 cleans up.

35 min: Connor Watson is pinged for a second effort in the tackle and Nathan Cleary helps himself to two more points from the penalty. Panthers 24-4.

32 min: Mark Nawaqanitwase takes a kick on the full and is taken back in goal. The Roosters go short with the dropout and Nawaqanitwase tries to tap it back but is ruled to have gone forward. The Roosters throw in a captain's challenge but the bunker supports the on-field call and the challenge is lost.

28 min: Make it three doubles in three rounds for Thomas Jenkins as he finishes off brilliant work from Nathan Cleary, Blaize Talagi and Casey McLean to cross wide out. Jenkins becomes the first Panther to open a season with doubles in the first three games. Cleary adds the extras. Panthers 22-4.

23 min: The Panthers get adventurous 10 metres out from their own line with Paul Alamoti leaving Junior Pauga in his wake and streaking away before finding Nathan Cleary on the inside and the halfback sends it on to Dylan Edwards who scores. Cleary converts from in front. Panthers 16-4.2

20 min: Brian To'o sets Allianz Stadium alight with a magical double-kick try for himself after taking the ball from Paul Alamoti 30 metres out. To'o was confronted by the Roosters cover and grubbered for himself. He regathered and put in a second kick which he followed through and go to first ahead of Nathan Cleary. An absolute cracker of a try to give Penrith the lead. Cleary converts. Panthers 10-4.

16 min: Brilliant dummy half play from Mitch Kenny as he operates on an extremely narrow short and side and puts Thomas Jenkins over in the corner with a clever pass. Mark Nawaqanitwase slid in off his wing and came up empty as Jenkins dived over. Nathan Cleary misses the conversion. 4-4

14 min: Rob Toia goes close to making it a double but the Panthers scramble well and the Roosters centre puts the ball down just short of the line.

11 min: The Panthers put in a chip kick which is taken on the full by Paul Alamoti and flicked back but Lindsay Collins shows great urgency to dive on the loose ball.

9 min: Lindsay Collins comes up with an error on the halfway mark and the Panthers get a chance to mount some pressure.

5 min: The perfect start for the home side as James Tedesco slides across field and picks up right centre Rob Toia who burns Casey McLean to post the eighth try of his career. Sam Walker fails to add the extras. Roosters 4-0.

Late Mail

Roosters: Star hooker Reece Robson is on track to play his first game as a Rooster after making a rapid recovery from pre-season thumb surgery. Former Dragon Cody Ramsey is part of the six-man bench as he chases a first NRL appearance since late 2022.

Panthers: No late changes for the Panthers. Liam Martin is set to play his first game of the season after overcoming a calf complaint that he has battled for the past month. The representative back-rower's return will see Luke Garner shift to the bench. Utility Jack Cogger is set to miss the match after suffering a head knock last week, with Freddy Lussick the new man on the interchange. 

Numbers Game

• The Roosters have conceded 30 points or more in five of their past six games against the Panthers.
• The Panthers have won 11 of their last 12 games against the Roosters.
• Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has scored nine tries in his last five NRL games.
• Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards has scored a try in five of his last six games against the Roosters.
• Roosters five-eighth Daly Cherry-Evans requires one try for a century of NRL tries.

 

Storm v Broncos at AAMI Park

Late Mail

Storm: Back-rower Alec MacDonald returns from concussion and will start in place of Ativalu Lisati, who faces a month out after suffering a calf strain during the week. The interchange bench includes a return for Trent Loiero following his two-game suspension, alongside Tyran Wishart, Davvy Moale and Cooper Clarke.

Broncos: Skipper Adam Reynolds was named on Tuesday but has been ruled out due to rib cartilage damage so Ben Hunt takes over at halfback. Cook Islands star Brendan Piakura is also in the mix for his first appearance of the year after recovering from off-season knee injury and has been listed in jumper No.18. Former Storm flyer Grant Anderson comes on to the wing for his Broncos debut, with Deine Mariner shifting to the centres and Gehamat Shibasaki moving to the interchange. 

Numbers Game

• The Storm have won their last nine games against the Broncos at AAMI Park.
• The Broncos have conceded 66 points in their opening two games.
• The Storm have scored 13 tries in 14 games against the Broncos.
• Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has scored 28 points in his last two games against the Storm.
• Storm coach Craig Bellamy has won 14 from 17 against Michael Maguire-coached teams.