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Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks NRL Round 2 Tips & Prediction - Panthers to win on the back of defence

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Thu 12 Mar 2026 11:37

Andrew Hendrie 12 Mar 2026

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Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks predictions for Saturday's NRL Round 2 game
Sharks have struggled to score points in recent years vs Panthers
Penrith coming off 26-0 blitz of the Broncos in Round 1
The game is scheduled for kick off at 7.30pm AEDT on Saturday March 14

Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks NRL Round 2 Tips & Prediction

Carrington Park in Bathurst plays host to a pair of premiership contenders, but it's the Panthers who are tipped to come away with the two competition points on Saturday night.

Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks NRL Round 2 Tips & Prediction
Panthers vs Sharks Stats & Trends
Panthers vs Sharks Head To Head
Penrith Panthers Form Analysis
Penrith Panthers Team News
Cronulla Sharks Form Analysis
Cronulla Sharks Team News

I know it's very early stages, but could the Panthers be playing with extra motivation this season after their premiership dynasty came to an end last year? Keeping the reigning premiers to nil in their opening game on the road is a mighty statement and the scary thing is there's plenty for Penrith to improve on even though they are near the top of the Premiership Odds Rankings - but the one constant with Ivan Cleary's troops is rock solid defence. That's the cornerstone to their success and I think they'll knuckle down again out west.

The Sharks were impressive in their 50-10 demolition of the Titans, but Gold Coast were barely even NSW Cup standard in an embarrassing performance. We'll get a clearer indication of where Cronulla are truly at here - an upset would go a long way to shedding the flat-track bully tag. But I don't see it happening.

The Panthers have kept Cronulla scoreless in three of their last seven meetings. That's a ridiculous stat considering how rare 'Win To Nils' are in this sport. On the back of their flawless defence last week, I'm taking the Panthers to cover a -7.5 line, keep the Sharkies Under 17.5 total points and for the prolific Tom Jenkins to cross after last week's double.

Panthers vs Sharks Stats & Trends

Panthers have won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams
Panthers have kept Sharks to 10 points or less in four of the last five meetings
Panthers have kept Sharks scoreless in three of the last seven meetings
Panthers are coming off a 26-0 win over Brisbane last week
Panthers have kept their opponents Under 17.5 points in three of their last four NRL games
Panthers have covered a -7.5 line in eight of their last nine wins
Tom Jenkins has scored 15 tries in his last 16 games

Panthers vs Sharks Head To Head

This will be their first meeting since Round 1 in Vegas last year, where the Panthers scored late for a 28-22 victory. Penrith have dominated this matchup in recent times, winning nine of the last 10.

Year	Winner	Score	Venue
2025	Penrith Panthers	28–22	Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
2024	Penrith Panthers	26–6	Accor Stadium, Sydney
2024	Penrith Panthers	42–0	PointsBet Stadium, Sydney
2023	Penrith Panthers	28–0	BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
2022	Penrith Panthers	20–10	BlueBet Stadium, Penrith

Penrith Panthers Form Analysis

It was classic Penrith last week as they suffocated the Broncos in a 26-0 ambush on the road.

Defence once again laid the platform and although Penrith weren't completely seamless in attack, they didn't need to be.

Dylan Edwards was on song, running for 260 metres and scoring a try, while Tom Jenkins crossed for a double after being a late inclusion on the wing.

Ivan Cleary was pleased with how his side showed up for Round 1.

"A good result, and defensively definitely happy with the scoreline," Cleary said.

"There was plenty of Round 1 about it, but I thought there was enough defensive pressure from both sides to cause a few errors."

Penrith Panthers Team News

Cleary has stuck with the same squad that downed the Broncos, with Jenkins retaining his place on the wing and Paul Alamoti staying at centre.

1. Dylan Edwards

2. Thomas Jenkins

3. Paul Alamoti

4. Casey McLean

5. Brian To’o

6. Blaize Talagi

7. Nathan Cleary

8. Moses Leota

9. Mitch Kenny

10. Lindsay Smith

11. Isaiah Papali’i

12. Luke Garner

13. Isaah Yeo

Interchange

14. Jack Cogger

15. Billy Phillips

16. Scott Sorensen

17. Kalani Going

Reserves

18. Izack Tago

19. Freddy Lussick

20. Tom Ale

21. Jack Cole

22. Sione Fonua

Cronulla Sharks Form Analysis

The Sharks ran rampant over a terrible Titans side last week, putting on a show in front of their home fans to prevail 50-10.

Brayden Trindall produced one of the finest performances of his career, scoring a double and combining nicely with Nicho Hynes.

Addin Fonua-Blake was his usual powerhouse self through the middle, running for 200 metres and his battle with Moses Leota will be one to watch in this clash.