Penrith are set to admit defeat in their quest for a top-four finish, with the four-time premiers to rest several key players for the clash with the Bulldogs on Thursday night.
Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity confirmed halfback Nathan Cleary was likely to head a list of Panthers players to sit out the Accor Stadium clash.
A win will guarantee the Bulldogs a top-four finish – and that outcome would appear far more likely following Penrith’s decision to give their key players a rest.
It is unclear which players will sit out, but the Panthers decided against playing back-up half Brad Schneider in NSW Cup last week.
They also rested Paul Alamoti and Matt Eisenhuth from the same game after they travelled with the NRL team to Mudgee for the clash against Canberra on Friday night.
The Panthers’ intention to rest players against the Dogs is intriguing given they could have done so against the lower-ranked Dragons in the final round of the regular season.
The Panthers aren’t concerned about earning a home final by finishing fifth or sixth because they are currently using CommBank Stadium as their home ground while Penrith Stadium is being rebuilt.
The Panthers are currently in seventh spot on 31 points and can finish no lower than eighth. The fourth-placed Warriors are on 34 points.
The Panthers’ hopes of snaring a top-four finish all but ended in dramatic fashion against the Raiders in golden point on Friday night.
But coach Ivan Cleary remained upbeat about his team’s chances for the season despite a second straight golden point defeat.
“It is what it is,” Cleary said. “It’s not what you want, but it’s what you get, so there’s plenty of lessons again
“And these types of things, it’s obviously very disappointing when you put so much effort in for that, but we just have got to take the lessons and get on with life.
“I think the lessons are pretty obvious, as I said a little bit similar to last week, not quite the same.”
The Panthers welcomed back co-captain Isaah Yeo against the Raiders in Mudgee when he came off the bench after recovering from a shoulder injury.
In other news, the Bulldogs are expected to be without forward Harry Hayes, who picked up an injury in the loss to Melbourne on Friday night.
