Stat Attack: Backline out to break try-scoring drought

Penrith field a backline boasting international and Origin experience but it's their forwards who have been doing all the try-scoring in 2019.

The Panthers' back five, along with NSW halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary, are yet to get over the line three games into the Telstra Premiership season, an unexpected result given a winger has taken out the top try scoring award at the club over each of the past five years.

Forwards James Tamou, James Fisher-Harris, Isaah Yeo, Frank Winterstein and Wayde Egan are the men to have notched four-pointers over the opening three weeks.

While this statistic could easily be put to bed against the Wests Tigers on Friday night, it outlines the struggle the Panthers have endured on the edges early on in the year. Their game-breakers in the backline haven't found the space they'd like.

After three rounds of last season the Panthers had recorded nine tries with six coming from their backline.

When quizzed about the outside backs' drought this week, veteran playmaker James Maloney put it down to execution.

"It's probably about our attack being a little bit clunky and off at the moment," Maloney said.

"We've missed opportunities because our ball movement has been clunky, there's been a lot of wet weather footy in the first couple of rounds too. That makes life harder.

"I guess it's a good sign our middles are going over because last year we didn't have many at all. I don't think it matters who is scoring tries as long as we're scoring them.

It's probably about our attack being a little bit clunky and off at the moment

Penrith five-eighth James Maloney

"We've got to make small improvements and get our timing right, that'll come."

Penrith's error count blew out to 17 against Melbourne - a figure that doesn't help their cause. That number was inflated by Dylan Edwards' off night. He came up with four handling errors alone.

Panthers winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak could see the lighter side to not getting over the line yet.

"We might go down in history books as the backs who are still on the nudie run by the end of the year," he said.

"The forwards are the lucky ones getting all the tries."

Injured Panthers forward Viliame Kikau has been named to return against the Wests Tigers in a much-needed boost to the left edge, which enjoyed success late last year towards the finals.