New recruit James Tamou will wear Penrith's colours for the first time when he lines up alongside Nathan Cleary in this weekend's Auckland Nines.
The Panthers will unleash Tamou as part of an 18-man squad that boasts first-grade regulars Waqa Blake and Nines captain Isaah Yeo.
"(Coach Anthony Griffin) mentioned it to me the other day. You try not to overthink it, you play your normal game and go from there," Yeo said.
"I'm pretty lucky - I've got players like Nathan Cleary and James Tamou - which will help control everything. I'll be fine.
"(Tamou's) come in and he's been a real leader. Obviously we're a young forward pack. So he's come in and led from the front throughout the whole pre-season."
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Eight members of their 2015 under-20 premiership-winning side were also named, including NRL wing candidate Dylan Edwards.
"He's been outstanding. From day one in pre-season, he's a phenomenal athlete. I think he's one to really watch over there for the fans," Yeo said.
Matt Moylan, Bryce Cartwright, and Trent Merrin were big-name omissions, while Peta Hiku and Dean Whare are still on the comeback from knee injuries.
The Panthers have only once progressed past the group stage, but never reached the semi-finals of the Nines.
Penrith squad: Dylan Edwards, Corey Waddell, Waqa Blake, Jed Cartwright, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Nathan Cleary, Kaide Ellis, Sione Katoa, Darren Nicholls, Tyrone May, Moses Leota, Sitaleki Akauola, James Tamou, Christian Crichton, Corey Harawira-Naera, Isaah Yeo (c), Zach Dockar-Clay, Oliver Clark.
