NRL 2025 LIVE: Storm take on the Panthers in grand final rematch

Rugby league’s eighth Immortal, aka Joey, has run his eye over tonight’s match. He agrees that Melbourne are the warm favourites, but has seen enough of this Penrith unit to know you should never rule them out.

This on the amazing continuity among the remaining members of Penrith’s core unit:

“The key to it all is the repetition that comes from running these plays from the age of 15. Imagine at training, if they run those different variations a dozen times each ball-work session, then they’re honing it roughly 25 times a week. Do it all season, it’s 1000 times a year, and do that for 10 years, you’re talking 10,000 repetitions.”

Click here to read Andrew Johns’ Immortal Kombat column. 

The man Parramatta were eager to keep will make his debut for the Panthers tonight. He was named in jersey 18 during the week, but will now start the match off the bench. He offers support at fullback and in the halves. With Thomas Jenkins to make his 12th NRL appearance as Dylan Edwards’ replacement, it will be interesting to see how, or even if, Talagi will be used.

Ex-Roosters and New Zealand star Joseph Manu has told the Herald’s Iain Payten that those talking up his return to the NRL, and the Roosters, are off the mark.

Manu is loving his time in Japan and dreams of one-day pulling one on the most revered jerseys in world sport – that of the All Blacks.

Read all the latest on Manu here

It seems an eon ago that the Storm gave the Eels a thrashing on the Sunday of round one. After another round one win for Craig Bellamy, a bye followed in week two. So, the Storm will be refreshed and this will almost feel like another first week game.

In good news for Melbourne and frightening stuff for the other 16 clubs, Melbourne’s first half against Parramatta was excellent. A fast, open style of play that gave playmakers a chance to make plays made for some entertaining football. Jason Ryles, his players and Eels fans probably didn’t find it overly entertaining, though.

Last week’s loss to the Roosters was one of the worst team performances from Ivan Cleary’s men in the last five years. Yep, there have been very few of them, but the raft of handling errors and the way they were beaten at the advantage line wasn’t Panther-like. They’ll be glad they’re playing on Thursday this week because that means they can atone for that performance as soon as possible.

The Storm deserve to be favourites – especially with Dylan Edwards missing due to injury. But, ruling out these Panthers is not a decision to be taken lightly.

Jack Jeffries was much more than the man who joined Tom Raudonikis for some face-slapping in 1979 while under the coaching of Roy Masters at Western Suburbs Magpies. But that footage, first aired by 60 Minutes, has become part of the rugby league story.

Sadly, Jeffries died recently, and who better than Masters himself to remember him.

Click here for Roy Masters’ tribute to Jack Jeffries.

So sang Janet Jackson and so say NRL fans at weekly intervals.

Recency bias is everything in the NRL. Teams can go from roosters to feather dusters and from paupers to princes in the space of a week. Here is what we’ve had over the opening two rounds.

Roosters – Round 1 woe and rebuild talk is followed by a win over the four-time premiers.

Panthers – After a winning start in Vegas came a loss and questions over whether this will be the year they finally drop off.

Manly – Top four material after week one, then have a shocker in New Zealand.

Broncos – Smashed the Roosters and viewed as potential premiers after round one, then lose to Canberra.

Who will be this week’s team to flip the script? How about the Eels. They can only improve on the first two weeks and while the Dogs are two-from-two, they’ve conceded 20 or more points to both the Dragons and Titans.