While the chase for this year's premiership title will begin in earnest in a fortnight with the first of the playoff games, there is one more game which the Panthers will be keen to win this weekend in the final round of the regular season.

The Panthers host Hawkesbury Jets on Saturday at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre at 4pm.

A win will give the Panthers the PhotoExcellence Cup for the first time in three years.

But a loss to the in-form Jets would see the cup head further west to Springwood for the first time in the history of the series between the three local teams.

The Jets have missed the playoffs this season but are playing in the best form of their disjointed season with big-man Mt Druitt resident Graham Godwin sending out warning signals to the Panthers with a 45-point haul last Saturday, as the Jets over-ran a hapless Glebe

Magic 89-55.

The clash between Godwin and Panthers man-mountain Matt Slack at both ends of the court, will go a long way to deciding this week's game.

The Panthers will again be missing five players for this weekend's game but is testament to the depth in this year's squad, that they will steal field a formidable line-up.

The loss of players such as Ben Hawkesley, Bruce Wells, Adam Peterson, Steve Gavrilovic and rookie Ryan Boyd would cripple most teams but the Panthers bounced back to form with a vengeance against the Goldminers, indicating they will vigorously defend their State

League title and also fight hard to return the PhotoExcellence Cup to Penrith for another 12 months.

The Penrith women were crushed 91-41 by the competition-leading Shoalhaven Tigers last Saturday and play the Queanbeyan Yowies at 2pm this Saturday as the curtain-raiser to the much-anticipated men's game between the Panthers and Jets.

The annual Tom Bunting Memorial Game follows the two State League games at 6.30pm.

WOMEN: Shoalhaven Tigers 91 def Penrith Panthers 41 (Kalynde Davis 9 points, Kelly Bond 6)

MEN: Penrith Panthers 87 (Rob Crane 21 points, Josh Morehead 17, Matt Slack 15) def Bathurst Goldminers 58