Live: Panthers turn to young gun to replace star fullback

Round 21 of the NRL season kicks off on Thursday night with Parramatta hosting Penrith in the Western Sydney derby.

The Panthers, who are coming off a loss against Brisbane and have dropped three of their past four matches, will be looking to right the ship against the battling Eels.

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

Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 6:56pm

Who is Jaxen Edgar?

Get to know the young fella playing fullback for the Panthers tonight - the club has a huge wrap on him. He's another local product and a former Australian Schoolboy.

Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 6:33pm

Final teams: Panthers turn to young gun

Two changes for the Eels with Will Penisini coming in at centre and Luca Moretti starting at second row and Kelma Tuilagi riding the pine.

The big change is at Penrith where Jaxen Edgar will line up at fullback in relief of Dylan Edwards.

Edgar has only played one NRL match and he got just a few minutes in it, but the 20-year old has plenty of big wraps.

Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 6:31pm

Hello and welcome to the ABC's NRL live blog

Hey everyone, Round 21 of the NRL season gets underway with Parramatta hosting Penrith.

The western Sydney derby always delivers so strap in and let's have some fun.

I'm Nick Campton, you're a rabid NRL fan, let's make some plays out there tonight.