Live: Panthers and Rabbitohs meet without Origin stars in top-eight clash

South Sydney and Penrith are without their State of Origin players for tonight's clash between the top-eight sides.

The Panthers are on top of the ladder but are on a two-match losing run.

Meanwhile, Bulldog Matt Burton is on stand-by for the NSW Blues with 21-year-old Game I hero Ethan Stange under an injury cloud.

Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.

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Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:20pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:20pm

Jack Wighton returns for the Rabbitohs

A big addition for South Sydney tonight is the return of Jack Wighton from a broken arm.

He will resume his position at right centre this evening.

Souths five-eighth Cody Walker has been interviewed on Fox League and said the club is excited for Wighton to be back playing in the NRL.

He's a wonderful addition to our side. I thought he was one of the best defensive centres at the start of the year. One of his best attributes is that he just competes hard at everything

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:10pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:10pm

Ray of hope for battling Broncos as star returns

By Michael Doyle

— reporting by AAP

Coach Michael Maguire insists Brisbane's outside back Deine Mariner is "flying" after overcoming a freak leg injury that required a staggering six limb-saving surgeries.

Going into their crunch Saturday night clash against Cronulla at Lang Park, the Broncos need a victory to snap their dismal seven-game losing streak - the longest losing run by any defending premiers since Wests in 1953.

But while their NRL finals hopes are fast diminishing, they have been boosted by Mariner's return which comes after undergoing surgery for compartment syndrome in his right thigh suffered in round nine.

The condition, which restricts blood flow and can lead to amputation if untreated, raised doubts on whether the 23-year-old would take the field again this season.

But Maguire says Brisbane never counted him out.

"He's flying. It's nice to have Deine back, actually. He's a big part of who we are," the coach said on Friday.

"He just had to work through it, and when you go back to when it actually happened, the doctors worked really hard and fast around that space, and they did a fantastic job."

The Broncos will also have forward Xavier Willison in their squad after successfully seeking an exemption following his concussion against the Sydney Roosters last Friday.

Maguire said he was "really happy" Willison would line up, especially as Brisbane are without stars Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, who are on State of Origin duty, while second-rower Jack Gosiewski has three fractured ribs.

The trio's loss will leave a massive hole in Brisbane's middle, although it allows VJ Semu to make his first NRL start.

"He (Semu) works really hard, and it's nice to see these players getting an opportunity with what's going on in and around the team," Maguire said.

"He's been training hard and working really diligently around building combinations, so I'm looking forward to seeing VJ out there with Presto (Preston Riki)."

Reece Walsh (Origin) and centre Aublix Tawha (ankle injury) also won't play on Saturday, while Ben Te Kura has been released from the club to pursue his NFL dreams.

Centre Josiah Karapani has been dropped for the Sharks clash following his drink-driving charge, along with other traffic offences from last Sunday morning.

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:59pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:59pm

Eyes on To'o after State of Origin snub

By Michael Doyle

Happy Friday Mick! Tipping is always difficult during Origin period, I've gone with the Panthers, thinking Brian To'o will try to make a statement following his omission from the Blues squad...

- Mike

G'day Mike.

Thanks for joining me on a Friday night.

It does feel like a surprise that Brian To'o is playing tonight; dropped from the NSW Blues squad for Game III.

I would not be surprised if he enjoyed a big game tonight.

Key Event

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:45pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:45pm

TEAMS LISTS: Panthers vs Rabbitohs

By Michael Doyle

Panthers

Penrith are missing a trio of players on State of Origin duty: Nathan Cleary (halfback), Liam Martin (second row) and Isaah Yeo (lock). They have been replaced by Jack Cogger, Scott Sorensen and Lindsay Smith.

Billy Phillips (number 16) starts in the second row after Luke Garner was ruled out yesterday. Zakauri Clarke has been added to the six-player bench.

The Panthers have made a late change. Jack Cole (number 18) will start at centre, with Izack Tago (number 3) reverting to the bench.

Rabbitohs

Souths have Cameron Murray (lock) on State of Origin duty, replaced by Lachlan Hubner.

Jack Wighton returns from a broken arm to line up in the centres. Dayne Jennings is on the wing for the injured Alex Johnston.

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:35pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:35pm

Dragons interim believes Bunker changes needed

By Michael Doyle

— reporting by AAP

Interim St George Illawarra coach Dean Young has proposed the NRL implement a shot clock for the bunker, adding to calls for the contentious video referee system to be overhauled.

The Dragons mentor found himself on the wrong end of the video referee in their 24-16 loss to Canberra last Sunday, when the Raiders were awarded a contentious try, but the bunker ruled a no-try to Dragons centre Valentine Holmes.

It was the latest issue to engulf the system, which has been at the centre of much controversy and previously prompted South Sydney mentor Wayne Bennett to say he is no fan of it.

"When we review our games ... and we're watching the clip in eagle cam, my players take about 15 seconds to work out whether they made a good decision," Young said.

"That's where the frustration comes in: the bunker's got the technology, and they've got the time because no one's rushing them to make a decision.

"Maybe (there needs to be a) shot clock on how long they've got to look at the decision."

Young was recently invited by the NRL to sit in the bunker, and he conceded that the video referees do have a lot going on, although he said they may be overthinking calls because of the time they have.

Key Event

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:05pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:05pm

Bulldogs star on stand-by after NSW's injury scare

By Michael Doyle

— reporting by AAP

Canterbury utility Matt Burton is on stand-by to replace NSW playmaker Ethan Strange in the State of Origin decider, joining camp on the state's far north coast.

The Blues have not made a decision on the availability of bench player Strange, who remains a chance to recover from a rolled ankle for Wednesday's game at Lang Park.

Some Blues players travelled to Byron Bay on their day off on Friday, but Strange stayed at the team hotel in Kingscliff to rest the injury he suffered at training the day before.

The Blues will next train on the Gold Coast on Saturday morning and are prepared to give Strange more time to shake off his injury.

The Canberra five-eighth wore a moon boot on Thursday night but was seen walking freely without strapping on Friday morning.

Strange fell awkwardly on the same left ankle during a loss to Wests Tigers in April but managed to return to the game, only to miss the following week.

On Friday morning, Blues staff felt it was too early to determine whether the 21-year-old would need to miss the decider.

With the Bulldogs on a bye, three-time Blues representative Burton is set to train with the team in Strange's place over the coming days.

He was booked on a flight arriving into the Gold Coast from Sydney late on Friday night.

The Blues would need to seek an exemption from the NRL to officially add Burton to their 20-man squad.

But this is considered a formality, with the team drafting Jack Bostock into their game-day team when Casey McLean went down during camp for game two.

Isaiya Katoa would likely have been called into camp, having been on stand-by when five-eighth Mitch Moses was battling a hamstring issue ahead of game two.

But the Dolphins halfback is now unavailable with the arm injury he suffered in last week's defeat of the Warriors.

Strange was excellent on Origin debut in NSW's game-one win then played a cameo off the bench in the 44-24 loss at the MCG.

Key Event

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:02pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:02pm

What time is kick-off in the NRL tonight?

By Michael Doyle

Here is when kick-off in the clash between the Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs is in your state or territory:

8pm AEST: NSW, Queensland, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, PNG

7:30pm ACST: South Australia, Northern Territory

6pm AWST: Western Australia

10pm NZST: New Zealand, Fiji

11pm: Tonga, Samoa

Key Event

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:00pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:00pm

Welcome to the ABC Sport NRL live blog

By Michael Doyle

Good evening, Australia.

Welcome back to ABC Sport's live digital coverage of the 2026 NRL premiership season.

Tonight, round 18 of the premiership begins with just one match:

Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Both teams are missing their State of Origin stars for this clash, which opens up plenty of intrigue.

Be part of the conversation and join the blog throughout the evening by letting us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Let's go.

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