NRL round 25: Storm v Panthers betting tips
Old sparring partners Melbourne Storm and Penrith kick off round 25 in a match that suddenly has huge repercussions for both teams.
The Storm are clinging to a slim chance of reaching the finals, while the Panthers, who have been sitting clear at the top of the ladder for most of the season, are suddenly fighting a late-season slump and in danger of dropping out of the top two.
Coach Ivan Cleary has seen his team lose five of their past eight matches, and another shock loss here would severely dent their minor premiership chances.
The Panthers won 50-10 when these teams met in round five this year but in recent years the Storm have been one of the few teams that have gone anywhere near a 50 per cent record against the powerful Panthers. They have won five of the past 10, and four of the past six, as well as nine of the past 10 clashes between the teams at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
Penrith are coming off a tough 12-6 loss to the Roosters, while the Storm had the bye, and they have won their past nine games immediately following a bye.
Bookies believe the Panthers will get their season back on track here, with Australian betting sites rating them around $1.40 favourites to win, with the line set at 7.5 points. But it’s a match they certainly won’t be going into lightly. The Storm would love to land a body blow that could seriously damage the Panthers’ hopes of their fifth title in six seasons.
Storm v Panthers team news
Storm: Melbourne regain skipper Harry Grant (hamstring) for their final home game of the year and as they make a last-gasp push to play finals. They are still missing gun halfback Jahrome Hughes (hamstring). Utility Tyran Wishart moves back to the bench with Grant back, as does Joe Chan who is replaced by centre Jack Howarth (shoulder). Trent Toelau takes over at halfback from youngster Hayden Watson, while the Storm also regain Alec MacDonald (concussion) on the pine.
Panthers: Young Origin star Casey McLean (hand) is back to replace Paul Alamoti (hamstring) at centre, while Jack Cole joins the interchange at the expense of Jaxen Edgar.
Roosters close in on Panthers in NRL title betting
The Roosters did not quite unseat the Panthers as NRL title favourites after their epic 12-6 win against them last round, but they are closing in fast.
Trent Robinson’s tri-colours moved from $4 into $3.60 to lift the NRL trophy in six weeks’ time, snapping at the heels of the faltering Panthers ($3.20). If another couple of results fall the right way this weekend, we will have a deserving new favourite.
Meanwhile, the NZ Warriors close in on the pair, edging in from $6.25 to $5.75 to collect their first NRL title, while the Dolphins have moved into the top four and also in from $10 to $7.50 to win the competition outright.
Cronulla have hit the skids after dropping games against the Dragons and Raiders; they have also collected untimely injuries to key players and are out to $14 to win the title.
Souths and Newcastle are other teams given a bolter’s chance at around $21. Interestingly, the Raiders firmed from $501 to $151 as they kept alive their slim finals chances.
Read on for our Storm v Panthers tips and winner prediction for their round-25 NRL clash.
Storm v Panthers match information
- Kick-off: 7.50pm AEDT, Thursday, August 20
- Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
- Head to head odds: Storm $3, Panthers $1.40
- Line betting: Storm (+7.5 points) $1.90, Panthers (-7.5 points) $1.90
- Match total: 42.5 points: over $1.90, under $1.90
2026 NRL premiership betting
$3.20 Penrith Panthers
$3.60 Sydney Roosters
$5.75 New Zealand Warriors
$7.5 Redcliffe Dolphins
$14 Cronulla Sharks
$21 Newcastle Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs
$51 North Queensland Cowboys
$67 Canterbury Bulldogs,
$151 Canberra Raiders
$251 Manly Sea Eagles
$201 Melbourne Storm
Storm v Panthers betting tips
We fully expect the Panthers to be up for this one, but the Storm team rolling out with Grant at dummy-half looks a lot more formidable than it has of late. The Panthers really need to get their attack working, and as always they have Nathan Cleary pulling the strings. There is just too much at stake for the Panthers to let another game slip. But it certainly won’t be easy to stop all their hard work from earlier in the NRL season to slip away.
Panthers by 6 points.
- Storm +7.5 points, match total under 42.5 points at $3.25 with Australian betting sites.
- We were on Brian To’o to score his 100th NRL last week. We will stick with the Panthers flyer at $1.95 to score a try at any time.
NRL round 25, 2026
- Thursday, August 20: Storm v Panthers, AAMI Park, Melbourne | 7.50pm
- Friday, August 21: Raiders v Broncos, GIO Stadium, Canberra | 6pm
Dolphins v Eels, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 8pm - Saturday, August 22: Knights v Sea Eagles, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 3pm
Rabbitohs v Warriors, Accor Stadium, Sydney | 5.30pm
Dragons v Bulldogs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 7.35pm - Sunday, August 23: Titans v Sharks, Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 2pm
Roosters v Wests Tigers, Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 4.05pm
* Cowboys have the bye
