Date: Friday 8th of July
Venue: Pirtek Stadium
Gates Open: 5:30pm
Kick off: 7:50pm (NYC 5:35pm)
Head Referee: Matt Cecchin
Assistant Referee: Gavin Badger
Head to head: Played 128, Eels 61, Roosters 62, drawn 5
Head to head odds: Eels ($ 1.72), Roosters ($ 2.18)
Broadcast: Live Channel 9 – Coverage from 7:30pm

Last four encounters:

01. Roosters 28, Eels 18 at Allianz Stadium (2015)
02. Eels 14, Roosters 12 at Pirtek Stadium (2014)
03. Roosters 56, Eels 4 at Allianz Stadium (2014)
04. Roosters 38, Eels 24 at Parramatta Stadium (2013)

Preview:

This round eighteen encounter sees the 5th placed Parramatta Eels take on the 15th placed Sydney Roosters. Both teams enter this clash off the back of a loss – the Eels lost to the top of the table Cronulla Sharks by ten points whereas the Roosters were edged out by the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in a close game.

Undoubtedly the Roosters rued lost opportunities in their four point loss. Despite currently occupying vastly different ladder positions, the Eels and Roosters could soon find themselves on similar points when the Eels are deducted those twelve competition points in the very near future. With the Roosters still in contention to finish with the dreaded wooden spoon they will be desperate to get another win on the board. Likewse the Eels wI’ll be desperate to keep their faint finals hopes alive.

Value Bet:

My value bet is for Eels young gun Bevan French to claim the first try at $7.50. French scored the first try last week against the Sharks and I like his chances of doing it again against the Sydney Roosters.

In the first try favourites market, the Eels have Semi Radradra at $6.50 and Bevan French (as highlighted earlier) at $7.50, whereas the Roosters have Shaun Kenny Dowell, Latrell Mitchell and Daniel Tupou all at $11.

Interesting fact:

Eels rookie sensation Bevan French has scored 7 tries in his 4 games. The last man to score 7 tries in 4 games in his debut season was Israel Folau and we all know how much of a superstar he turned out to be.
It will be a big week for:

This week will be a big one for new Eels signing and returning Eel Jeff Robson.

When Jeff Robson departed the Parramatta Eels at the end of the 2011 season not many envisioned him returning to the Parramatta Eels, especially 5 years down the track in the 2016 NRL season. Since leaving the Eels he went on to play for both the Cronulla Sharks and the New Zealand Warriors. However, it was the Sharks where Robson had his best seasons as he developed a great combination with Todd Carney. Their combination was one mixed with flair and stability – Carney being the flamboyant five eighth whereas Robson was more of the level headed, cool, calm and collected halfback.

The Eels will be hoping Robson can yet again find success with a new flamboyant five eighth in Corey Norman. For the rest of this season, this new combination has an opportunity to be just as successful as Robson’s Sharks partnership.

During the past couple of weeks the Eels have been very low in their halves stocks and resorted to playing utility forward Kenny Edwards in this key position. Despite doing a very admirable job for a forward Edwards at times looked out of depth. Although he could deliver some heavy defensive hits and had some silky ball skills he found himself at sea in the defensive line and when it came to having an effective kicking game. As a consequence of having only one player in your team as a realistic kicker, the Eels last tackle option became predictable as it was  going to be Corey Norman receiving the ball on the last tackle 95% of the time. The addition of Robson will greatly take the pressure off Norman and let him play more of his own game.

Danger man:

This week’s danger man is Roosters star halfback Mitchell Pearce. Pearce could not have had a more disastrous start to the 2016 season. After being involved in a controversial off field incident it looked at one point as if his career may have been in jeopardy. However, right now Pearce is back on the NRL paddock and playing some good football.

Pearce was outstanding last Friday night against the Bulldogs. Despite the Roosters going down to the Bulldogs 24 points to 20, he was still named the best player on the park. He may have looked a tad underdone at times but his effort could not be questioned in the slightest. Pearce may need to put in a similar effort against the Eels this Friday night as the Roosters will be missing a few stars due to Origin duties and this will require a lift in effort from not only Pearce but from all of the boys in red, white and blue. It’s no secret the Eels will marking up heavily on the Roosters playmaker and rightly so. On his day Pearce is as dangerous as any half in the game.

Team lists:

Parramatta Eels (5th coming into the round)

01. Michael Gordon
02. Semi Radradra
03. Clinton Gutherson
04. Brad Takairangi
05. Bevan French
06. Corey Norman
07. Jeff Robson
08. Danny Wicks
09. Issac De Gois
10. Tim Mannah
11. Manu Ma’u
12. Tepai Moeroa
13. Beau Scott (C)

14. Kenny Edwards
15. Peni Terepo
16. David Gower
17. Daniel Alvaro

18. Rory ‘O Brien

Coach: Brad Arthur

Late mail: No late changes expected for the Eels. Expect them to remain 1 to 17 come kick off.

Sydney Roosters (15th coming into the round)

01. Latrell Mitchell
02. Daniel Tupou
03. Dale Copley
04. Shaun Kenny Dowell
05. Joseph Manu
06. Jackson Hastings
07. Mitchell Pearce
08. Jared Waerea Hargreaves
09. Jake Friend (C)
10. Dylan Napa
11. Mitchell Aubusson
12. Sio Siua Taukeiaho
13. Issac Liu

14. Sam Moa
15. Kane Evans
16. Connor Watson
17. Chris Smith

18. Ryan Matterson

Coach: Trent Robinson

Late mail: The Roosters are likely to be 1 to 17 for this one. However, don’t be surprised to see Ryan Matterson force his way into the line up somewhere. Matterson would love nothing more than to play against the club that let him go last season.

Two Key Match Ups:

Isaac De Gois vs Jake Friend:

The first key match up will feature the battle of the hookers as Eels tradesman Isaac De Gois squares off against Roosters superstar Jake Friend.

This season has been a fairly tough one for the Roosters who currently sit in 15th place on the NRL ladder and in danger of claiming the dreaded wooden spoon. It’s also been a tough season for Roosters star hooker Jake Friend. This is not to mean he has had a bad season, moreso its been a season where Friend has found it hard to place his authority on games. This may have something to do with the fact that Roosters forward pack is a little weaker than past seasons having lost the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Frank Paul Nuuausala and Suaia Matagi. This Roosters pack was the cornerstone of their success over the past couple of seasons. Adding to the loss of players through salary cap pressures, they have also lost players through injury a number of times this year. This injury list includes Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea Hargreaves – two of the Roosters most impressive players.

The Roosters may have lost some quality players over the past couple of seasons but Jake Friend is still on board and he is one hell of a player. When it comes to the ideal modern day hooker Friend fits the bill almost perfectly. He has an uncanny knack to read the game with precision and knows exactly when to run and pass the ball. However, the most useful aspect of his play is his kicking game. With the departure of James Maloney last season the Roosters lost a very impressive general play kicker and whilst Jackson Hastings has been able to fill in that role at times, it has been Jake Friend who has really let his kicking game shine through.

If the Eels have any intention of defeating the Roosters they must be able to minimise the level of threat Jake Friend poses to their defensive line from dummy half. The Eels markers must be vigilant at all times with Friend around.

Eels tradesman like hooker, Isaac De Gois, was in and out of the Eels top seventeen early in the season but the recent departure of Nathan Peats now sees him as a regular fixture in the Eels top seventeen. It could have been easy for the Eels to go with younger options in Pritchard and King but that hasn’t really been an option for Brad Arthur given how well Issac De Gois has been playing in recent weeks. De Gois has been a standout for the Eels over the past couple of weeks and while he is no Nathan Peats he has done a more than adequate job in filling his boots.

The Eels may very well opt to sign another hooker in coming seasons but up until that point Eels coach Brad Arthur can rest easy knowing De Gois won’t let him down. De Gois is a workhorse of the club and really makes the hard yards through the middle, doing the jobs other players won’t and making the tackles they can’t. The Eels know what to expect from De Gois each time he takes the field and come Friday night they will expect more of the same.

 Manu Ma’u vs Mitchell Aubusson:

The second key match up features a battle of the back rowers as Eels juggernaut Manu Ma’u prepares to do battle with Roosters veteran Mitchell Aubusson.

This season has been a very good one for Eels hard man Manu Ma’u. Ma’u started the year off by claiming his first New Zealand rep jersey and this may be the first of many times we may see him in a black and white rep jersey. Manu Ma’u is among one of the games toughest players and has earned that reputation through the way he runs with the ball and the way he hits without the ball. It often takes more than one player to bring him down.

On top of being a very strong runner of the ball Ma’u has a very nice ball playing ability. He often gets his arms free in tackles and this is to his advantage as he possesses a very nice offload. Combine his offload with the fact he often attracts three or four defenders and that makes him a very dangerous prospect for opposition defensive lines. Ma’u can be found on the Eels left hand side in both attack and defense. Also often located on the Eels left hand side are the likes of Corey Norman, Michael Jennings (on NSW Origin duty at the moment) and Semi Radradra. On its day, the Eels left hand side may be the most dangerous edge combination in the competition and Ma’u is a big part of the danger it creates.

Roosters experienced campaigner Mitchell Aubusson has been one of the Roosters most impressive players this season and indeed for the past couple of seasons. He is a player who can play a number of positions including centre, second row, lock forward and even hooker at times. This versatility has come in handy for the Roosters, this season in particular.

Even though Aubusson is a player who can play a number of positions it is the second row where he truly thrives. He is regarded as one of the games best line runners, up there with the likes of Ryan Hoffman and Kevin Proctor. And when you often have Mitchell Pearce as the man throwing the final pass to the likes of Aubusson that makes for a very dangerous combination. The Eels will do well to keep tabs on Aubusson throughout the game. He has an uncanny knack of finding the try line a lot for a back rower. If the Eels are to defeat the Roosters their defence particularly their goal line defence, must be on song.

My tip:

On paper this seems very hard to tip. However,  this week I have been quietly confident in my tip and I believe that the team I tip will in fact score a comfortable victory.

The Roosters were the better team last Friday night against the Bulldogs. However that wasn’t a very high quality encounter. The Bulldogs in particular looked well below their best. The Eels on the other hand took it to the competition leaders, the Cronulla Sharks, at their home ground and at many stages looked like winning before going down by a ten point margin.

In this one I expect the difference between the two outfits to shine through. Put me down for an Eels victory – a comfortable one at that, Eels 34, Roosters 8.

Man of the match: Corey Norman or Bevan French

Enjoy the game, GO THE EELS !!!

Nathan

Images courtesy of the NRL and the Parramatta Eels

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