Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels
GIO Stadium
Saturday, 5.30pm

Much like how David Gower has been called in to Saturday’s game on short notice, so too have I been drafted to fill the boots of Nathan after the Eels’ resident purveyor of previews succumbed to a very nasty flu. Our best wishes towards a speedy recovery go to Nathan!

Now strap yourselves in and squint your eyes reallllllllll close. This is the 18th Man Edition of your weekly NRL preview.

After bursting from the starting gates over the first two rounds of 2017 the Eels have stumbled – over only themselves really – in the last two rounds to sit at an even 2-2 entering Round 5. The road trip to Canberra (Parramatta’s fourth away game in the opening five rounds) looms as a very real litmus test for Brad Arthur’s men as they come to terms with a rare collective form slump. Parramatta briefly welcomed Tepai Moeroa back from a 1-game suspension before he was ruled out of Saturday’s game with a back injury. The good news here is that the Eels have today announced the retention of the young backrower for a further two years until the end of 2019.

While the Raiders might be sitting at 1-3, that record is deceiving as their losses to the Cowboys and Broncos were decided by but a single point. This is still very much the team that fell one game short of the grand final last year due to an effort worthy of Paul Carige from Erick Lee. From their blockbuster right edge to their brutish forward pack, the Raiders are built to score points. They have shown that they can get ugly and slug it out when required but their first preference is to bully their opponents off the park with their monstrous forwards.

The Eels will need to be triumphant on two fronts tomorrow. Mentally against themselves and physically against an explosive opposition.

The History

Danger Man – Blake Austin

While the likes of BJ Leilua and Jordan Rapana can channel the Harlem Globetrotters on the right-edge and Josh Papalli and Junior Paulo tend to trample over opposition halves, nothing says that the Raiders are ready to put on an score than when Blake Austin is quite literally running the show. He may have his limitation as half but Austin is a fearsome proposition for any uncommitted defensive line with his speed, power and uncannily effective dummy. Austin will pounce the moment a defender so much as looks sideways following a dummy and in the red zone that usually means good night.

The other area in which Austin earns his crust is in his ability to back up play – and with the ensemble attacking cast at Canberra, Austin feasts more often than not. Line discipline and awareness to second phase ball will be crucial for the Eels as Austin will be lurking just about every time there is a chance.

Game Changer – Corey Norman

With the Eels stuck in a rut and bereft of direction at times in the last fortnight, is there really anyone else to turn to? Parramatta are far from a one man show these days but when you have a franchise half on the books these are the sort of games where they are expected to stand tall.

Norman garnered wide-spread acclaim following his sensational start to 2017 and even finished Round 2 as the favourite for the Dally M Medal. A niggling hamstring however jammed the brakes on the momentum on both himself and the team shortly after. Round 5 now represents something of a soft reset for Norman and the Eels as they look to get back to playing the football that defines them rather than falling entrapped into the pace of their opposition.

Look for Norman’s long kicking game to play a crucial role in wearing down the mountainous forward pack of the Raiders. In fact, Norman’s kicking game will be crucial in all facets with Jack Wighton hardly known as a bastion of sure-handedness at fullback and a green (in experience, not the jersey colour damn it!) winger in Nic Cotric there to be tested.

While he traditionally prefers weaves to the outside when running, Norman might have greater success using his left foot to work back towards the ruck as the big men tire. Likewise, there could be opportunities for Bevan French to lurk off the right shoulder of Norman as the game rolls on.

The Game Plan

It would be far too much to suggest that this week represents a return to basics for the Eels but they do need to start the game by doing the simple things right. The Raiders are going to come out swinging and the Eels will need to be ready to absorb early pressure. Knuckle down and get through our sets and the opportunities will come.

There is a good chance that the Eels will turn the ball back from the edges to the ruck early in the game just to pump that much extra mileage into the Canberran forward pack. Both the left (hello Jarrod Croker!) and right edges (Elliot Whitehead suspended) of the Raiders can be exploited while short passes around the ruck can expose the poor lateral agility of the big Canberra props.

Kicking will be crucial in splitting the territorial advantage. Turning the Raiders around and forcing repeat sets will only serve towards exposing their vulnerabilities in defence.

The Outlook

A loss, even as demoralising as it would be to fans, is still a salvageable result pending the Eels showing solid fundamental form. With that said I am looking to the Eels bouncing back and snapping their two-game losing streak with a victory over the Raiders. While it has all the makings of a high scoring shoot out I will go with the Eels coming home 18-12.

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