Round 25 brought a cracking clash to AAMI Park as the Melbourne Storm hosted the Penrith Panthers on Thursday, 20 Aug, kicking off at 7:50 pm AEST. When the final siren sounded, it was the visitors who walked away with the points, sealing a 22–14 victory on enemy turf.
Penrith rolled into town looking to bounce back from their recent 12–6 loss against the Sydney Roosters, while Melbourne was coming off a strong 42–20 win over the Manly Sea Eagles. In the end, the Panthers held firm to add another win to their ladder-leading campaign, moving their season record to 17 wins from 23 matches.
Match Summary and Key Numbers
The scoreboard finished Melbourne Storm 14–22 Penrith Panthers, handing the Storm a tough home defeat despite their recent attacking efforts at AAMI Park. Pre-match markets had Penrated priced at 1.38 in the head-to-head, reflecting their status as favourites against the Storm at 3.0.
The total points line sat at 43.5, with the 36 total match points coming in just under that mark. Penrith's defence stood up when it counted, adding to a season where they have conceded just 14.9 points per game on average.
How the tips went
Looking back at our published selections for this Round 25 showdown, it was a mixed bag with the markets. The head-to-head tip on the Penrith Panthers at 1.34 delivered a win as the visitors got the job done.
Meanwhile, the line selection on the Melbourne Storm +8.5 at 1.9 also saluted, with the hosts keeping well within the 7.5 line despite the eight-point loss.