KEY POINTS:
The Penrith Panthers are no strangers to the wet conditions forecast for tonight's NRL match against the Warriors.
Rain is expected at Mount Smart Stadium tonight and should be a major factor in proceedings.
With bad weather lashing Sydney, the Panthers have become accustomed to playing in wet weather.
Coach Matt Elliot only hopes his side deals with the conditions better than they have on previous occasions.
He says their last couple of matches have been played in bad conditions and they have not done that well, so he hopes it will be third time lucky.
There has plenty of praise for Warriors captain Steve Price lately as he continues to stun the statisticians with his recent performances, including breaking his own NRL yardage record against the Sharks last weekend.
Elliott believes his side will run in to problems if they only focus on Price tonight.
He says the Warriors have plenty of talent in their line-up and if their halves play well they will put the Panthers under a heap of pressure.
The Warriors are in 12th place, but are only two points outside the top eight, in spite of a six game losing streak.
The Panthers are one of four teams below the Warriors, and they are on 10 points, two behind the Warriors.
The match kicks off at eight o'clock at Mount Smart Stadium in what is the first Warriors Friday night home game since 2002.
The Warriors are hoping the novelty of a post-match concert will help pull in the fans tonight.
Shihad and Pluto will be rocking the Mount Smart venue following the match.
Warriors CEO Wayne Scurrah says ticket sales have been a lot healthier than their last few home games and he hopes tonight's National Bank Cup Netball final will not affect crowd numbers too much.
He says they can not avoid games clashing with other things and while the netball final may have an impact on crowd numbers, there should also be a lot of people wanting to enjoy the league and a concert.
Scurrah believes the win over the Sharks last weekend has also helped boost ticket sales.
Also tonight in the NRL, Manly hosts the Bulldogs.
- NEWSTALK ZB
