Round 22 Preview — 2026 NRL SeasonNRL Analytics

Panthers v Raiders

SavvyPlays · Saturday 01 August 2026 · Glen Willow Oval · 17:30 AEST

Visual Comparison

01Key Metrics Side-by-Side

Motivation is the finals-race tier each side enters the round on; Wins to Finals is how many of their remaining games they need to reach the top eight ("-" already there, "x" out of reach).

Headline averages from every completed match this season (Panthers n=18, Raiders n=19). Bars diverge from centre — longer bar wins on the metric (green where lower is the goal, like points conceded or penalties).

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
TOP 4 BATTLE
Motivation
MUST-WIN
-
Wins to Finals
5
29.9
Points For / G
22.9
14.2
Points Against / G
24.7
1,719m
Run Metres / G
1,593m
5.2
Tries / G
4.0
78.1%
Completion %
78.7%
3.5
Penalties Conceded / G
5.0
4.9
Six Agains / G
3.4

Team Records

02Season Records & Scoring

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
14-4-0#1
Season Record
#109-10-0
7-1-0 (H)Home games
Home / Away Record
Away games4-5-0 (A)
29.8Home · #2
Avg Points For (Home / Away)
Away · #1021.9
13.0Home · #1
Avg Points Against (Home / Away)
Away · #1428.0

Against the Spread

03ATS Performance (W-L-P | % = Cover Rate)

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
10-7-0 (59%)
2026 Season — All
7-11-0 (39%)
5-3-0 (62%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
4-5-0 (44%)
5-4-0 (56%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
3-6-0 (33%)
L1
Current Streak
W2
24-20-0 (55%)
2025-26 — All
24-20-0 (55%)
11-9-0 (55%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
10-11-0 (48%)
13-11-0 (54%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
14-9-0 (61%)

Streak format: W3 = three covers in a row, L2 = two ATS losses. Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Over / Under

04O/U Performance (O-U-P | % = Over Rate)

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
5-11-0 (31%)
2026 Season — All
7-10-0 (41%)
2-5-0 (29%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
4-4-0 (50%)
3-6-0 (33%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
3-6-0 (33%)
U1
Current Streak
O2
15-28-0 (35%)
2025-26 — All
21-21-1 (50%)
5-14-0 (26%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
9-11-0 (45%)
10-14-0 (42%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
12-10-1 (55%)

Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Halves Breakdown

05How Each Team Builds the Game

1H = first half, 2H = second half. 1H/2H averages across the full 2026 season. "1H win → match win" is how often leading at half-time converts into the win.

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
19.7
1H Avg For
11.2
4.7
1H Avg Against
12.6
+15.0
1H Net
-1.4
92%
1H Win → Match Win
75%
12.7
2H Avg For
7.5
8.4
2H Avg Against
14.3
+4.4
2H Net
-6.9

Player Contribution Scores

06Spine vs Spine, Forwards vs Forwards, Backs vs Backs

PCS (Player Contribution Score) is a correlation-informed rating built from play-by-play stats — run metres, line breaks, tackle breaks, missed tackles and so on. Each stat is weighted by how strongly it correlates with winning margin across 1,000+ matches. Aggregated to position group over a 15-game rolling window.

Why position groups matter: the spine (FB, halves, hooker) controls structure, the forwards set the ruck and tempo, the backs finish chances. A team can be middling overall but elite at one group — and that often shows up as a directional edge in the result.

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
190.4#1 Δ -1.4
Squad PCS
#9 Δ +4.8156.6
53.1#2 Δ -1.2
Spine PCS
#5 Δ +3.149.3
39.1#3 Δ -0.5
Forwards PCS
#2 Δ +1.041.1
81.5#2 Δ -0.8
Backs PCS
#11 Δ -0.657.8

Sub shows current league rank. Δ = change vs last round (noisy week-to-week — treat the rank as the headline).

First Scoring Play

07Who Strikes First

Strictly the very first scoring play of each match — try, penalty goal, or (rarely) field goal. Teams that open the scoring tend to lead at half-time about 65% of the time and win about 60% — so the opening play matters. Penalty-goal openings are shown as raw counts because most games never open with a PG; the position-group breakdown only fires when the first play was a try.

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
12/18 (67%)
Scored first try — All games
12/19 (63%)
6/8 (75%)
Scored first try — Home / Away
6/9 (67%)
6/18 (33%)
Conceded first try — All games
7/19 (37%)
2/8 (25%)
Conceded first try — Home / Away
3/9 (33%)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Scored first via penalty goal
0 (H:0 A:0)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Conceded first via penalty goal
0 (H:0 A:0)
4 (H:1 A:3)
First try scored by Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
3 (H:2 A:1)
First try scored by Forwards (All games)
2 (H:0 A:2)
5 (H:3 A:2)
First try scored by Backs (All games)
8 (H:5 A:3)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
1 (H:0 A:1)
First try conceded to Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
2 (H:1 A:1)
First try conceded to Forwards (All games)
1 (H:1 A:0)
3 (H:1 A:2)
First try conceded to Backs (All games)
4 (H:2 A:2)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try conceded to Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)

Position groups: Spine = FB/halves/hooker. Forwards = prop/lock/second row. Backs = centre/wing. Interchange = bench.

Current Streaks

08Active Streaks

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
W1
Win / Loss — 2026
W4
L1
ATS — 2026
W2
U1
Over / Under — 2026
O2
W8
1st Half — 2026
D1
L1
2nd Half — 2026
L1
L1
Win / Loss — Home / Away
W1
L1
ATS — Home / Away
W1
U1
Over / Under — Home / Away
O2

Includes previous season(s) where applicable. D = Draw, P = Push (ATS/O/U).

Consistency / Disruption

09Volatility & Squad Health

Consistency Index (CI) measures how predictable a team's results are. It's built from the standard deviation of their margin and their points-conceded across the season. Higher CI = tighter range of results, more dependable.

Disruption Score (DS) measures how far the named squad is from each team's best 17 — weighted by position importance (a halfback out hurts more than a bench prop) and by how fresh the absence is. Higher DS = more disrupted, less the side coaches game-plan around.

Panthers
Metric
Raiders
0.545
Overall CI
0.545
0.633
Defensive CI
0.600
21.1
Margin SD
19.3
4.0
Disruption
1.6
82%
Best-17 %
94%
0
New Outs This Round
0

CI (Consistency Index) measures result predictability from 0 to 1 — higher = more consistent. Defensive CI isolates defensive performance. Margin SD measures the spread of winning/losing margins — lower = more predictable outcomes. Teams with high CI and low Margin SD are the safest to tip; teams with low CI and high Margin SD are volatile and produce the most upsets.

Named Squads

10Panthers — 82% Best 17 (DS 4.0) — Squad avg ±/G: +13.4

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Jaxen EdgarFullback
2Thomas JenkinsWing17+15.5
3Paul AlamotiCentre18+15.9
4Casey McLeanCentre13+19.4
5Brian To'oWing16+17.7
6Jack CoggerFive-Eighth13+6.8
7Nathan ClearyHalfback15+16.6
8Moses LeotaProp18+8.5
9Freddy LussickHooker15+9.1
10Lindsay SmithProp18+10.8
11Isaiah Papali'iSecond Row17+13.7
12Liam MartinSecond Row10+13.1
13Isaah YeoLock15+13.8
14Billy ScottInterchange
15Scott SorensenInterchange18+7.9
16Liam HenryInterchange9+12.0
17Billy PhillipsInterchange15+5.4

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026.

Named Squads

11Raiders — 94% Best 17 (DS 1.6) — Squad avg ±/G: -0.2

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Kaeo WeekesFullback19-1.8
2Jed StuartWing10+1.6
3Simi SasagiCentre13+3.0
4Matthew TimokoCentre14+1.1
5Xavier SavageWing14-1.0
6Ethan StrangeFive-Eighth16-3.6
7Ethan SandersHalfback19-1.4
8Corey HorsburghProp19-2.0
9Owen PattieHooker10+5.4
10Joseph TapineProp19-2.2
11Zac HoskingSecond Row17+0.4
12Ata MariotaSecond Row18-2.0
13Morgan SmithiesLock17-0.7
14Tom StarlingInterchange19-2.6
15Matty NicholsonInterchange
16Josh PapaliiInterchange8-0.2
17Daine LaurieInterchange11+1.3

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026.

Panthers — Recent Form

12Panthers — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R21EelsA24-18W+6
2026 R20BroncosH12-14L-2-12.5L44.5U
2026 R18RabbitohsH36-14W+22-5.5W44.5O
2026 R17CowboysA12-26L-14-13.5L49.5U
2026 R16TitansA18-19L-1-12.5L48.5U

Raiders — Recent Form

13Raiders — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R21Wests TigersH56-10W+46
2026 R20RabbitohsH34-24W+10-0.5W49.5O
2026 R19BulldogsA40-16W+24+3.5W42.5O
2026 R17DragonsH24-16W+8-9.5L50.5U
2026 R16StormA20-42L-22+8.5L50.5O

Panthers — Try Scoring

14Panthers — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
T.JenkinsWing2614486811 / 15
B.To'oWing11124236 / 5
D.EdwardsFullback103153022 / 8
C.McLeanCentre7234004 / 3
B.TalagiFive-Eighth5150002 / 3
N.ClearyHalfback513102 / 3
P.AlamotiCentre41111113 / 1
F.LussickHooker4120111 / 3
L.MartinSecond Row3220101 / 2
I.TagoInterchange3200121 / 2

Raiders — Try Scoring

15Raiders — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
K.WeekesFullback11136116 / 5
X.SavageWing9121515 / 4
S.TamaleInterchange72122214 / 3
S.SasagiCentre5340011 / 4
H.YoungSecond Row5132003 / 2
M.TimokoCentre5102122 / 3
E.StrangeFive-Eighth502123 / 2
J.StuartWing4220114 / 0
S.KrisInterchange41111113 / 1
N.MartinSecond Row421101 / 3

SavvyPlays Tips — Strong

16The Call

Panthers by 13
Strong · TOP 4 BATTLE v MUST-WIN
Win
Panthers -8.5
predicted Panthers margin +13 vs line -8.5
ATS
held for model validation
Over / Under
Panthers Backs
HIGH · 2.39/g
Anytime Edge
RankGroupScore /GOpp Concede /GCombined
Attacking Panthers (vs Raiders defence)
1Backs2.672.112.39 HIGH
2Spine1.391.261.33 MODERATE
3Forwards0.560.790.67 MODERATE
4Interchange0.560.210.38 LOW
Attacking Raiders (vs Panthers defence)
1Backs1.211.221.22 HIGH
2Spine1.210.500.86 MODERATE
3Forwards0.790.610.70 MODERATE
4Interchange0.790.170.48 LOW

Anytime Try Scoring — Matchup Likelihood: each side's position groups ranked by how often they score against how often this opponent concedes.

Panthers Backs are the standout anytime bet — the top combined matchup score in this game at 2.39/game (Panthers backs score 2.67/game; Raiders concede to the backs at 2.11/game).

Before you bet

ATS tip is based on SavvyPlays' predicted margin compared against the line at the time of publication. Lines move — always verify the current spread with your bookmaker before placing.

Data & Methodology

Team records sourced from official NRL data. Play-by-play timeline data drives the halves analytics. PCS is a correlation-informed player rating aggregated to position groups (Spine, Forwards, Backs) over a 15-game rolling window. Best-17% reflects the proportion of each team's optimal lineup named for this round. CI/DS combines result-volatility and squad-disruption signals. Closing-line market data via The Odds API.

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