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The NRL ladder could have a new leader come Friday morning and fans are preparing for what could be a grand final preview.
Competition heavyweights Melbourne and Penrith will clash in Sydney’s west on Thursday night.
The Storm sit one game clear on top of the table, but the Panthers can draw level with a win – and even leapfrog their opponents if they triumph by more than five points.
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While they’ve been the two best teams to this point of the season, Phil Gould believes the two perennial title contenders are not as strong as they may seem.
“Panthers and Melbourne are the two best sides at the moment,” Gould told Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm is tackled by Liam Martin of Penrith. Getty
“Fully fit, and functioning at their best, they are probably better than the other teams right now… but they are not what they were.
“They are not the teams of the past few seasons. An odd injury here or there, or a player not available, or a bounce of a ball brings others back into it.
“Those behind them are kind of thinking if they can get there and get things to suit on the right day that they are not unbeatable.
“We will get a really good look at these two teams on Thursday night, I think this will be a blockbuster for us… both sides will eye it as a nice finals rehearsal to find out exactly where they are with each other.
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“I reckon by the end of Thursday’s game we will be saying ‘well that was a different class to other games we’ve seen so far’.”
The Panthers have won the last three NRL premierships and appear to be steaming towards another grand final.
Gould named the Sharks, Sea Eagles, and Roosters as the teams most likely to knock the Panthers or Storm out of contention.
Scroll below for the current leaderboard and Round 24 tips by all Nine’s expert tipsters!
Tips leaderboard after 23 rounds. Nine
Brad Fittler: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Tigers, Titans, Sharks
Darren Lockyer: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Dolphins, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Paul Gallen: Storm, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Allana Ferguson: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Wally Lewis: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Ruan Sims: Storm, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Tigers, Dragons, Sharks
Peter Psaltis: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Mat Thompson: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Dave Middleton: Storm, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Tigers, Titans, Sharks
The Mole: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
Ben Glover: Panthers, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sharks
