PREVIEW: 2016 Holden Cup U20s Grand Final - Panthers v Roosters

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The Panthers shoot for their third title in the past four years whilst the Roosters look for their first taste of glory.

The Panthers have undoubtedly proven themselves to be the best side of 2016 in the Holden Cup. Despite a concerning drop in form near the back end of the year, the reigning premiers only managed to drop four games all season whilst also boasting a remarkable thirteen game winning streak en route to the Minor Premiership. When you consider the array of talent sitting on the sidelines on Sunday afternoon such as boom NRL rookie Nathan Cleary and rising talent Jarome Luai, you would have excused an early exit from the Penrith side considering the importance of halves to the direction and creativity of any side. Yet, the Panthers still possess an abundance of talent with young Oliver Clark leading up front admirably and speedsters Braidon Burns and Ratu Tuisese threatening out wide. The Panthers' hard work appeared to unravel late with the Mountain Men only managing three wins from their last six, however, any thoughts that the Penrith side would limp out of the finals were subdued by a comfortable 28-6 win over the Sharks before accounting for the 2nd place Cowboys 32-16 to book a place in their 3rd Grand Final in just four years.

The Roosters also appeared to stagger into the finals, with only one win from their final five matches compounding the news that Jackson Hastings would be deemed ineligible to suit up for the finals in a massive blow to their chances of reaching their first Grand Final in the Holden Cup. Yet, the whole competition was put on notice as the Roosters stormed away to thump the Raiders 48-0 in the first week of the finals before they took down the Sharks 28-18. Things didn't look as good when they faced a 14-0 deficit early against a confident Dragons outfit, yet, the Roosters fought back and claimed an impressive 26-20 win to book their spot in the decider. Despite the absence of noted stars in Hastings and Latrell Mitchell the Roosters also have quite considerable spark across the park in outside backs Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck and first grade rookie Joseph Manu.

2016 meetings: The Panthers have dominated both clashes between these sides with ease. First it was a demolition job when the Panthers smashed the Roosters 50-4 in Round 7 at Allianz Stadium. It was also a comfortable victory in Round 22 when the Panthers claimed a 40-22 victory.

Last finals meeting: It was a high scoring thriller as the Panthers thumped the Roosters 48-22 in the Week 1 Finals 2013, on their way to the club's maiden Holden Cup premiership.

Who to watch: The Panthers have a couple of speedsters of their own who could prove vital in Sunday's clash. Fullback Dylan Edwards averages 200 running metres a game, the best in the competition whilst also averaging 8.3 tackle busts a match, ranking third. Braidon Burns and Ratu Tuisese are a formidable force for the Mountain Men out wide too, with the pair boasting 41 tries between them. The battle of the outside backs is a salivating one and the lack of defensive resilience typically associated with the Holden Cup should see these future stars given space to spark their side's attack and race for Premiership glory.

For the Roosters, mentioned earlier, you can't go past Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck. Like older brother Roger, the young Roosters winger has been an electrifying force in the Holden Cup competition this season, evident in his statistics from last week's victory. 'JTS' did his best impression of 'RTS', running for a considerable 221 metres, busting four tackles and scoring a late try to seal the victory for his side. Although not possessing as devastating footwork as his brother, he still places fifth in the Holden Cup for running metres overall with 3499 and could threaten to break this game open.

Key Stats: While Penrith have scored 141 more points then the Roosters, it is in defence where the minor premiers hold the most obvious advantage. The Panthers have displayed amazing commitment in defence in a competition renowned for its high scoring affairs and only average conceding 16 points a game this year. The Roosters, however, average 27. The Panthers, in fact, have broken the best defensive record in the history of the Holden Cup for their efforts this season and in 3 of the 4 years the Panthers have qualified for the NYC finals, they have possessed the best defence in the competition.

Grand Final Stats: If you think that this belief in having to be in Top 4 to win a competition in the NRL is a misnomer, the statistics from the Holden Cup support such a concept. In the short history of the competition, every winner bar one has finished the regular season within the Top 4 with the only team disregarding this theory being the Warriors, who currently hold three NYC titles. Having said that, experience counts for plenty and that's on the side of the minor premiers - seven of Penrith's named starting 17 this week played in their 34-18 win over Manly in last year's Under 20's Grand Final.

The favourite: If you're on the Roosters, get on them now, they are $4.50 outsiders to topple the Panthers. Penrith are raging hot favourites to go back-to-back.

My tip: The Roosters have been impressive in their run to the Grand Final, but there was a reason Penrith finished quite resounding Minor Premiers. Penrith by 16.

Jack Gibson Medal: He scored two tries and set up four more in last week's victory, look for the rise of Dean Blore to continue as he claims the prestigious Jack Gibson Medal.

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Ratu Tuisese 3. Christian Crichton 4. Braidon Burns 5. Daniel Brown 6. Tyrone May 9. Soni Luke 8. Cowen Epere 14. Wayde Egan 10. Oliver Clark 11. Kaide Ellis 12. Corey Waddell 13. Reed Izzard
Interchange: 6. Dean Blore 15. Liam Martin 16. Thompson Tuigamala 17. Jack Nelson

1. Kiah Cooper 2. Bernard Lewis 3. Joseph Manu 4. Jarred Anderson 5. John Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Paul Momirovski 7. Jesse Marschke 8. Poasa Faamausili 9. Grant Garvey 10. Ben Thomas 11. Reuben Porter 12. Victor Radley 13. Nat Butcher
Interchange: 14. Brendan Frei 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Jarrett Boland 18. Sukamanu Raki 20. Joseph Ratuvakacereivalu

Referees: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Drew Oultram; Sideline Officials: Joshua McGowan, Dave Ryan; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Jason Robinson