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NRL

The Penrith Panthers will look to bounce back from their NRL 2016 season Round 1 loss when they host the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs on Thursday.

After a 30-22 defeat against the Canberra Raiders in the club’s season opener, Penrith will look to regain their composure against Canterbury, who started their own campaign on a winning note after a 28-6 thrashing of the Manly Sea Eagles.

Penrith and Canterbury’s most recent meeting was in Round 15 of last season, where the Bulldogs defeated the Panthers 24-12. The Bulldogs also lead their overall head-to-head matchup with 50 wins over the Panthers’ 35, while settling for a draw thrice in all of their meetings.

Penrith, who will celebrate their 50th year in the league against the club they met in the Panthers’ first competitive match in 1967, has named Tyrone Peachey at hooker to replace James Segeyaro, who is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a broken arm, while Elijah Taylor starts off the bench.

Designated skipper Will Smith is expected to once again lead the Panthers after filling the void left of injured captain Matt Moylan, who could return to NRL action next week.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will also feature a replacement dummy half in Craig Garvey, with Michael Lichaa expected to spend be sidelined after suffering a knee injury in the club’s win against Manly last week.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Canterbury hooker could be facing a potential season-ending injury, although it would not be confirmed yet until after a knee surgery is done. The Bulldogs remain optimistic about Lichaa’s condition, but there are fears the 22-year-old could be out for a long time.

Penrith Panthers lineup

Will Smith, Josh Mansour, Waqa Blake, Peta Hiku, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Jamie Soward, Peter Wallace, Sam McKendry, Tyrone Peachey, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Bryce Cartwright, Isaah Yeo, Trent Merrin Interchange: James Fisher-Harris, Jeremy Latimore, Suaia Matagi, Elijah Taylor, Sitaleki Akauola Coach: Anthony Griffin

Canterbury Bulldogs lineup

William Hopoate, Curtis Rona, Josh Morris, Kerrod Holland, Sam Perrett, Josh Reynolds, Moses Mbye, Aiden Tolman, Craig Garvey, James Graham, Josh Jackson, Tony Williams, Greg Eastwood Interchange: Sam Kasiano, Tim Browne, David Klemmer, Adam Elliott, Lloyd Perrett, Coach: Des Hasler

Live streaming info and play-by-play updates

Watch NRL 2016 season Round 2: Penrith Panthers vs Canterbury Bulldogs live via NRL Digital Pass. Play-by-play updates will be available during game time on Fox Sports AU.

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