Nine’s team of tipping analysts seems divided ahead of Sunday’s showdown between Penrith and Cronulla, despite bookmakers heavily leaning towards the four-time consecutive champions.
The Panthers have established themselves as the dominant force in the NRL for almost five years and are sitting at around $1.67 with TAB to defeat the Sharks, aiming to kick off their 2025 season with a victory in Las Vegas.
However, some of Nine’s tipsters, including Paul Gallen and Ruan Sims, believe the Sharks could create an upset in Sin City.
Darren Lockyer has thrown his support behind Penrith, predicting they will secure an early win.
This comes shortly after Penrith coach Ivan Cleary surprised many by omitting promising new recruit Blaize Talagi, which caught Phil Gould off guard.
Blaize Talagi was not selected. Penrith Panthers
Talagi, who joined from Parramatta, was widely expected to step into the No.6 position left empty by Jarome Luai’s exit.
Instead, Jack Cole has been named in the halves alongside Nathan Cleary and intends to hold onto the jersey for the foreseeable future.
Rumours in Las Vegas suggest that Talagi’s absence from the line-up may be related to a shoulder operation he had during the off-season.
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He has been named in the extended squad and may still be included in the starting line-up before the match commences on Sunday.
It’s not uncommon for NRL coaches to designate young or new players to the extended bench to keep them out of the media’s eye, only to play them on game day.
Regardless of Ivan Cleary’s strategy, it’s difficult to question the judgment of a coach with four premierships to his name.
In the opening match on Sunday, which will signal the official launch of the 2025 NRL season, our experts are evenly divided between the Raiders and the Warriors.
The Warriors have been listed as a $1.65 favourite to win with TAB.
Scroll down for the grand final predictions from all of Nine’s expert tipsters!
Paul Gallen: Raiders, Sharks
Darren Lockyer: Warriors, Panthers
Ruan Sims: Warriors, Sharks
David Middleton: Raiders, Panthers
Peter Psaltis: Raiders, Panthers
Matthew Thompson: Raiders, Sharks
The Mole: Warriors, Panthers
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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