Penrith star Trent Merrin has labelled Sunday's clash against South Sydney a must-win as pressure builds on the Panthers to stay in touch with the NRL top eight.
Penrith's loss to North Queensland last week means the pre-season favourites are precariously placed two points behind eighth-placed Parramatta with just ten games remaining.
And Merrin is adamant his team can't afford to drop another game, beginning with a tricky encounter against the 12th-placed Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium.
"It is definitely a must-win. Every game here on in should be a must-win for us now," Merrin said after training on Wednesday.
"It's a big battle now to get into the business end of the season. We're working really hard here at training. We've got a few tough games ahead of us, they're all must-win games."
Their task hit a minor hurdle on Wednesday when skipper Matt Moylan and hooker Mitch Rein missed training with a virus, however they are all but certain to take on the Rabbitohs.
The Panthers were in a similar position outside the top eight last season before winning seven of their final eight games in the regular season to surge into the finals.
After South Sydney come meetings against Manly and the Warriors before Anthony Griffin's side go on a four-game run of home games.
"We've got full confidence that we can get the job done. It's just about doing the right things between here and there, and getting the results to help us get in those positions," Merrin said.
Penrith were done on the bell by the Rabbitohs in April this year when Adam Reynolds nailed an 80th minute field goal, although Merrin insists they are now a vastly improved team.
"We're a totally different team from when we played them last. We can only look at the last few games we've played, the momentum that we've built heading into this position," he said.
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