Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks Prediction: Panthers eye another final

Stadium Australia will be the venue for the NRL semifinal between the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks. The winner of this game will face Melbourne Storm who defeated the Roosters on Friday. Which team will make the final?

Penrith Panthers remain solid and will enter this game with confidence. In their last match, the Penrith Panthers played the Sydney Roosters and pulled off a 20 gap win, an encounter that ended 30-10. In the meantime, this team now has three consecutive wins, the first two being against the Gold Coast Titans and South Sydney Rabbitohs. Heading into this game, Penrith Panthers have not lost to the Cronulla Sharks in seven consecutive matches. 

Cronulla Sharks ended their regular season with a 20-40 win over the Manly Sea Eagles but then struggled against Melbourne Storm in the round ⅛. However, this team needed a win over the NQ Cowboys to at least pull off a spot in the semifinal stage, thanks to a 26-18 victory. However, this team come in as the underdog here, but has only tasted defeat in two of their last eight matches. 

Panthers have consistently made it to the final since 2020 and I still do not see them being stopped by Cronulla Sharks. While the Sharks would have learnt their lesson against a tough Melbourne Storm side, they know they have a big job to do here. Yet, they will struggle, looking at the quality in the Panthers team, while they fail to produce any significant performance in attack.