Date: Monday 28^th of March

Venue: ANZ Stadium

Gates Open: 1:40pm

Kick off: 4:00pm (NYC U20s 1:45pm)

Head Referee: Jared Maxwell

Assistant Referee: Gavin Badger

Head to head: Played 31, Eels 17, Tigers 13, drawn 1

Head to head odds: Eels ($ 1.54), Tigers ($ 2.55)

Broadcast: Televised: Fox Sports one, coverage from 4pm

Last Four Encounters:

1. Eels 28, Tigers 16 at ANZ Stadium (2015)
2. Tigers 22, Eels 6 at ANZ Stadium (2015)
3. Tigers 21, Eels 18 at ANZ Stadium (2014)
4. Eels 26, Tigers 22 at Parramatta Stadium (2013)

Preview: Entering the latter stages of round four, we come to one of the most anticipated match ups of the round. This now traditional Easter Monday encounter will feature the 8^th placed Wests Tigers up against the 9^th placed Parramatta Eels. The Eels and Tigers both sit with a record of two wins and one loss.  The Eels have played both grand finalists from the 2015 season, notching a win against the Cowboys and a loss to the Broncos, whereas the Tigers were last start losers against the Gold Coast Titans awa from home. However, the Tigers have managed to defeat both the Sea Eagles and Warriors in the first two rounds. My advice for this one – get out there to ANZ stadium and show your support for your respective team. The Easter Monday encounter between these two teams has always been a spectacular encounter and this one looks to be no different.

Value Bet: My value bet for this one is for the Eels to defeat the Tigers by a margin of 13 points or more. The Eels won’t have it their own way from start to finish so expect the Tigers to put up a strong fight for at least 60 minutes. For those who enjoy a punt on first try scorers, the Eels have Semi Radradra at $5 and Clinton Gutherson at $10. On the other side of the coin, the Tigers have James Tedesco at $7.50 and David Nofoaluma at $12 as their favourites to claim the first try.

Interesting fact: Eels captain Kieran Foran will play his 150^th NRL game.

It will be a big week for: Semi Radradra (below). The Eels superstar winger has created a stir throughout the NRL world on the question of NSW Origin eligibility. Radradra, who has been the best winger in the game for more than a season, has just been getting better week after week. Some people are even comparing the current form of the flying Fijian to other great wingers such as Eric Grothe snr, Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri in their prime. Whilst Radradra may have only crossed for two tries this season, he has played a big role in each of the Eels victories and will no doubt be eyeing off the try line this Monday afternoon. As for whether he gets to play State of Origin football, that’s another matter. All Radradra can do is keep on playing his best football, and should the opportunity arise to play Origin, he will have placed himself firmly in the mix.

Danger man: This week’s danger man is Wests Tigers superstar fullback James Tedesco (below). So far this season, the Tigers’ custodian has been arguably the form player of the competition, even leading the try scorer tally with five tries. Tedesco’s good early season form has not gone unnoticed, with some renowned judges suggesting he could make his NSW Origin debut this year. The classy fullback is a danger man for the Eels for a number of reasons. He possesses extreme speed, fast footwork, the ability to read the game and is developing his playmaking prowess – an extremely important attribute for fullbacks in the modern day game. If the Eels are to defeat the Tigers, they will have to slow down Tedesco as he presents a danger at any point in the game. This makes the Wests Tigers number one a standout danger man.

Wests Tigers (8^th coming into the round)

1. James Tedesco
2. David Nofoaluma
3. Tim Simona
4. Kevin Naiqama
5. Jordan Rankin
6. Mitchell Moses
7. Luke Brooks
8. Aaron Woods (C)
9. Robbie Farah
10. Tim Grant
11. Kyle Lovett
12. Dene Halatau
13. Sauaso Sue

14. Joshua Aloiai
15. Ava Seumanufagai
16. Jack Buchanan
17. Manaia Cherrington

Coach: Jason Taylor

Late mail: Robbie Farah is set to return from injury after missing the first three rounds of the season, expect the Tigers to be 1 to 17.

Parramatta Eels (9^th coming into the round)

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. Issac De Gois
10. Tim Mannah
11. Manu Ma’u
12. Beau Scott
13. Tepai Moeroa

14. Kaysa Pritchard
15. Peni Terepo
16. Danny Wicks
17. Kenny Edwards

18. David Gower

Coach: Brad Arthur

Late mail: Beau Scott is in some doubt with a shoulder complaint; if he is ruled out expect David Gower to come into the line up.

2 Key Match Ups:

Robbie Farah vs Issac De Gois: The first key match up will feature a battle between the hookers as Tigers superstar Robbie Farah squares off against Eels tradesman dummy half Issac De Gois. After missing the first three weeks of the NRL season, Robbie Farah is set to make his 2016 debut. Farah is a player who brings class, commitment, leadership and a valuable kicking game to his team, which will make the Tigers a much more formidable foe for the Eels. Over the past couple of years he probably hasn’t been at the top of his game due to a number of reasons like injury, burnout from events like Origin and playing an inconsistent number of minutes each week. Perhaps Tigers coach Jason Taylor believes Farah is not an 80 minute player. This is a view that many NRL fans would disagree with, given the fact Farah has been able to play 80 minutes in State of Origin while showing no signs of being outclassed or out of gas. Whether Farah plays 80 minutes or not, he will still present a constant danger to the Eels, especially around the ruck area. If the Eels are not up to it defensively around the middle, a player like Farah will take advantage and take the Eels apart in that facet of the game.

Eels tradesman like dummy half Issac De Gois is not the first choice hooker at the Eels but he is doing a wonderful job filling in for Peats. Many judges at the Eels considered De Gois to be one of the best players for the Eels against the Bulldogs. The greatest quality that De Gois bring to the Eels is his defensive capabilities. In this regard De Gois is a very similar player to Nathan Peats as both players like to get up in the face of the opposition and lead their defensive line rhythm and speed. This makes players like Peats and De Gois the soul of their teams defensive lines. Even if they miss the first tackle or make an ineffective tackle, they often make the first contact which slows down the opposition offensive. While Peats may very well return as early as next week from his elbow injury, the Eels will not be sweating on his return due to the fact that De Gois is such an adequate replacement.

Junior Paulo vs Aaron Woods: The second key match up will feature a battle of the big men, a battle of the props, Tigers rep forward Aaron Woods up against Eels monster prop forward Junior Paulo. In what has been a dismal last couple of seasons for the Wests Tigers, Aaron Woods has been a shining light. Like him or not, he has been a player who has turned up week in week out and put in 100% effort for his team. Woods’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, as he has earned various rep honors over the years including City Origin, NSW State of Origin and Australia. Indeed, Woods excels at representative level, even when surrounded by high profile players. The young tyro brings class and grunt to an otherwise mediocre Wests Tigers forward pack, leading from the front and lifting the standard of his pack. He is an asset to his team in both attack and defence, although his greatest threat is his ability to attract a number of defenders with ball in hand and still manage to get an offload away. This attribute to offload the ball at will brings players like James Tedesco and Luke Brooks into the game, players that have the potential to create havoc for the Eels.

On the other side of the coin we have Canberra bound Eels forward Junior Paulo. The bullocking prop has been one of the Eels most impressive forwards over the past couple of seasons and will no doubt be a huge loss for the Eels at seasons end. Right now, the end of the season will be the last thing on Paulo’s mind as he tries to help his current team to premiership glory. Junior Paulo is a destructive forward who presents a danger to the opposition in both defence and attack. If Paulo just happens to take a hit up close to the opposition line, there is always the opportunity that he may grab a try, something not all props in the game have the ability to do. This is one true key match up as we will get the opportunity to see both Paulo and Woods collide on a number of occasions. Is there anything better than watching the big blokes smash it up!

My tip: On paper you would have this one being a potential easy win for the Parramatta Eels. As we all know, not one NRL game has ever been won on paper. Nonetheless, I see the Eels extending their winning run to three wins from their past three games. The Tigers have put in a great start to the season and have shocked many NRL spectators but over the past few weeks the Eels have defeated two very highly rated teams in the Cowboys and Bulldogs. Put me down for Eels victory, Eels 32, Tigers 10.

Man of the match: Kieran Foran / Corey Norman

Enjoy the game, GO THE EELS !!!

Nathan

Credit to the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers for the images used.

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