Following a relatively positive set of results for the Eels over the first week of action with two wins and a loss in the back pocket it comes as little surprise that there are minimal changes across the three major grades for Round 2. As always, we encourage fans to get out to not only Pirtek Stadium for the NRL/Holden Cup double against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday but to make the trip down to Ringrose Park on Sunday as Wenty play host to Manly!
NRL Team List
Kieran Foran is the headline inclusion here without a doubt. The New Zealand international will make his club debut in a massive fixture against the reigning premiers. With Corey Norman also cleared to play, Brad Arthur will be looking for his first choice halves to aim up against the stellar partnership of Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan. The only other change to the side that went down in Round 1 is the addition of Danny Wicks to an extended bench. Wicks will push hard for inclusion in the final seventeen after a terrific performance in the NSW Cup but I am hard pressed to nominate who falls off the bench to accommodate him. Daniel Alvaro and Kaysa Pritchard seem the most likely to make way between the four but given that they were also our most productive players against the Broncos using the Contributor Value Rating metric it will be a damnably tough call!
Dyldam Parramatta Eels side
1. Michael Gordon
2. Semi Radradra
3. Michael Jennings
4. Brad Takairangi
5. Clint Gutherson
6. Corey Norman
7. Kieran Foran (c)
8. Junior Paulo
9. Nathan Peats
10. Tim Mannah
11. Manu Ma’u
12. Beau Scott
13. Tepai Moeroa
Interchange:
14. Kaysa Pritchard
15. Peni Terepo
16. Danny Wicks
17. Kenny Edwards
18. Daniel Alvaro
Read the full team list at parraeels.com.au
Intrust Super Premiership Team List
After notching up an outstanding 28-18 victory over the 2015 NSW Cup grand finalists, the Wyong Roos, Wenty have made a single personnel change enforced by the promotion of Danny Wicks to the NRL squad. Utility forward Blake Cook comes onto the bench while coach Joey Grima has reshuffled the existing pack to accommodate for the loss of Wicks. Kelepi Tanginoa pushes into the front-row while Matt Woods comes into the starting team in the back-row, presumably to play on the left-edge.
Kieran Moss is a notable omission given that he was scheduled to return from injury this week but he could still be a sneaky game-day inclusion. In such a scenario I envisage that either Scott Schulte drops out of the team or Schulte shifts to the wing and Honeti Tuha is the unlucky man to make way.
Wentworthville Magpies side
1. Scott Schulte
2. Bureta Faraimo
3. Vai Toutai
4. John Folau
5. Honeti Tuha
6. Mitch Cornish
7. Luke Kelly
8. Rory O’Brien
9. Isaac De Gois
10. Kelepi Tanginoa
11. Cody Nelson (c)
12. Matt Woods
13. David Gower
Interchange:
14. Cameron King
15. Andrew Pearn
16. Nick Kassis
17. Blake Cook
Read the full team list at parraeels.com.au
Holden Cup Team List
The Eels stunned the Brisbane Broncos in trying conditions on Thursday night, running out 32-18 victors. After showing glimpses of brilliance in an otherwise error-ridden affair, coach Luke Burt has chosen to reward his young charges by naming an unchanged line -up save for the addition of back-rower Jack Miller to an extended bench. Halfback Troy Dargan was superb in Round 1 and will need to run with that momentum as the Eels grapple with another QLD powerhouse in the Holden Cup.
Dyldam Parramatta Eels Holden Cup side
1. Mason Cerruto
2. Atini Gafa
3. Tyrell Fuimaono
4. Dane Aukafolau
5. Jermaine Mati-Leifi
6. Michael Doolan
7. Troy Dargan
8. Alex Twal
9. Denzal Tonise (c)
10. Tom Amone
11. Jack Morris
12. Tom Field
13. Craig Field
Interchange:
14. Matthew Price
15. Jamie Stowers
16. Jonathan Mose
17. Kurt De Luis
18. Jack Miller
Read the full team list at parraeels.com.au
kudos to Forty for adding the greater detail to the above post.
Such is the team ethos of TCT!
This marks the beginning of the selection headaches for BA.
I’d like to highlight his dummy half dilemma from last weekend. Peats is a man possessed in defence against the Broncos, tackling everything that moved. Pritchard comes on and adds genuine spark in an eye catching 20 odd minutes. IDG wins the Wenty match ball for his performance and Cameron King plays a strong hand coming off the bench, filling in for an injured half. Yes, King is coming off the Wenty bench! That’s the strength of that position.
Great to see Danny back, deserves his spot, disappointed to see Daniel Alvaro dropped but he is young and will get his time in the sun. Given the minutes he played for Wenty on the weekend is it likely Danny could replace Junior as the starting prop.
Alvaro has not necessarily been dropped, though he is named as 18th man. We’ll find out closer to the match.
you are correct of cause and I thought about that as I posted. If assuming that Alvaro keeps his spot is it Peni to miss out.
John, it may still be that Alvaro is the one most likely, but one never knows who might prepare better and force BA’s hand.
Drop Junior (if Raiders is irreversible)
Give someone who may be here next a chance to develop and learn off Scott and Choc
His form will need to lift, regardless of next year.
I was really surprised with how quick Kaysa looked on Thursday night. His acceleration and footwork were almost Jennings like. Do you know if he did a heap of sprint work during the off season sixties coz I don’t remember him being that fast.
He’s always been fast but I was surprised about his 40m sprint results. The team does sprint work and weighted sprints. He certainly seems to have benefitted.
Kaysa is in the top five fastest runners over 40m in the club. I think it has been overlooked in the recent years gone past because Kaysa got very limited stints in first grade and when he did it was in a minor role off the bench. Additionally, he also put so much effort into his defence that it often came as the expense of his offensive repertoire – especially going back to the Holden Cup where he played big minutes.
He has always used his acceleration exceptionally in defence. It is a big part of the reason why he pulls off absolutely bell ringing shots on props weighing 10-20 kilos more than him. Credit to both him and BA for beginning to find ways to utilise that speed in attack, hopefully we persist with it until we come up against some lesser defence (Broncos will be close to #1 in defence, in my opinion). He could prove to be a real weapon off the bench in the era of 8 interchanges.
Certainly has been Anon. Kaysa’s speed and in particular, line speed, are his best asset. I made mention in Sixties post about him how effective he is and where his strengths lie and Forty pretty much summed him up there. He has an extremely competitive attitude and is very well regarded by the coaching staff – if he stays healthy, we have one hell of a player on our hands!
On another note, I suspected Danny Wicks to come onto an extended bench this week – how great it will be to see him back in first grade – this is the most explosive bench we’ve had in years. All of them are players who do things at speed and with aggression, I’m Big Kev excited for this weekend!
Not much mention of Rory O I thought he was very strong on Sunday
He was very strong Joe and looks so different this year. With BA in attendance, his performance for Wenty last week would have been noticed.