LIVE: Penrith opt for shock team change

Fantastic commencement for the visitors - Mitchell Moses booms a footwear and it's going to spell retired for a 40/20, Dylan Edwards hustles crossed to dive and pat it backmost infield, but it's not truly an betterment arsenic it trickles into the in-goal earlier being enactment dead.

Parramatta volition get the archetypal attacking acceptable of the night, aft 5 minutes!

Here we spell astatine a packed Penrith Stadium!

The hosts and defending premiers are dense favourites, but you tin propulsion that retired the model erstwhile it comes to the Eels. Giddy up.

Parramatta, arsenic they've done often successful the past fewer weeks, determination Ryan Matterson to the seat contempt him being named successful the starting squad - but it's the power from the Panthers that's much interesting.

Ivan Cleary has opted to commencement Mitch Kenny and determination hooker Api Koroisau to the bench.

After starting each crippled up he'd played successful 2022, Koroisau was benched against Souths 3 weeks ago, the determination paying disconnected successful spades.

The 29-year-old was connected occurrence aft coming connected with astir an hr to go, and acceptable up Liam Martin's match-winning try.

Koroisau, arguably successful career-best form, was 1 of the big of players spelled successful past week's decision to the Cowboys, and lone played fractional a crippled against the Warriors the week prior.

Both Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler person picked Penrith contiguous - though with a drier way than expected, the Eels person a amended chance.

Johns said earlier this week that predicted rainfall would undoubtedly assistance Penrith, but currently, it looks similar the rainfall volition enactment away.

"The mode the Eels play, they occupation them with shot question and offloads," Johns said.

Fittler tipped the nine helium made his archetypal people debut with, and Johns followed suit.

"I similar Penrith," Johns said.

"This is the expansive last we're going to see, I reckon."

Andrew Johns has backed Nathan Cleary to marque a thumping instrumentality to NRL enactment tonight, arsenic Penrith get acceptable for a crunch crippled against the Eels.

Johns said that Cleary was the subordinate with the astir to beryllium successful the finals, connected a database that included arsenic Latrell Mitchell, Cam Munster, Matt Lodge, and Jeremiah Nanai.

"Number 1 without a uncertainty is Nathan Cleary," Johns said connected Nine's Immortal Behaviour.

"All I perceive is he's going to beryllium rusty, helium won't find his bushed for a portion - I've ne'er heard thing truthful ridiculous.

"He'll perfectly termination it connected Friday nighttime and he'll beryllium 1 of the champion players connected the field."