7:50pm Thursday 17^th August 2017

ANZ Stadium, Homebush, NSW

The Eels will be deadset smarting over their humiliating loss to the Knights last week.

Luckily for the Eels, we were helped out by the Panthers and the Tigers to maintain our 5^th spot on the ladder.

By all and sundry this should be a fairly easy hit out for the Eels. Besides the off-field goings on up on the glitter strip, their on field performances have been pretty poor most of the year. Is it due to one player? Is it due to the coach? All I know is that rugby league is a team sport. So it’s as a team that the Titans are failing.

As we saw last week, the Eels cannot afford to go into this game with a preconceived notion that this will be an easy one. We all witnessed where that can take you after the Knights pulled our pants down and tanned our hides.

We need to be of the mentality that we are playing the likes of a Storm or Broncos.

Last 10 Games

Here’s another reason why the Eels can’t afford to be complacent. Like last week’s opponents, the Titans have been a bogie side for the Eels. But who really hasn’t been in the last 10 years? The Titans hold a healthy 7 wins to Parra’s 3 in these two teams last ten outings, including

Score Aggregate

Eels – 168

Titans – 264

Score Average

Eels – 17

Titans – 26

Quick Facts

• The Eels and Titans have played each other 16 times with the Titans commanding an 11 to 5 win record over the Eels
• This will be the first time the Eels and Titans have played each other at ANZ Stadium
• The Eels have played 73 times at ANZ with a 35 – 37 win loss record
• The Titans have played 10 times at ANZ with a 4 & 6 win loss record
• Parramatta’s last 10 games at ANZ has them with 8 wins and 2 losses
• 2017 – Eels with 13 wins, 8 losses and scoring at 18.7 points p/g and conceding 19.0 points p/g. Currently in 5^th
• 2017 – Titans with 7 wins and 14 losses and scoring at 19.5 points p/g and conceding 26.8 points p/g. Titans currently sitting in 14th spot.

By Quarters (and Golden Point)

A solid first half should see the Eels take the points over the Titans on Thursday night. You would like to think that the Eels will take out last week’s frustrations on the Titans and score big. We need to get back into the pluses for that all important for and against.

The Eels maintain a half time record of 11 wins, having never lost a game when ahead at oranges. We have won twice when down at the break. For the Titans though, they have lost 5 times when leading at half time but also have won 3 times when down at the break.

Attack:

*average per game (Ranking)

Defence:

*average per game (Ranking)

Discipline:

*average per game (Ranking)

The stats don’t read great for the Titans. Although Ryan James is a workhorse with 811 tackles thus far this season, placing him in 7^th spot, he also likes to give a penalty away (18). Same as his front row partner Jarrod Wallace who has given away 24 penalties this season and sits in 2^nd spot behind James Maloney on 29 penalties conceded.

Also the Eels may look at running some traffic towards Ash Taylor who sits on 55 missed tackles.

I’m not expecting the Titans to run out as named Tuesday. Jarrod Wallace is of concern and who knows what Hayne will do after leaving Kogarah in a moon boot last week.

I, as every other Blue and Gold fan, really hope to see a massive turnaround from last week’s debacle.

I am sure the boys were embarrassed by their performance last week, and no doubt BA served up an almighty spray when they got into the sheds.

No doubt Norman and Moses will lift their games and also the forwards will want to carve up and make a ton more metres than last week’s effort.

Even though it’s a Thursday night, even though its against an out of town team, I really hope the BGA will get out in force and support the boys in the run into the semis.

Yours in Blue and Gold

• Colmac

Stats courtesy of Champion Data. All these stats and more can be viewed on our match centre at http://mc.championdata.com/nrl/ including live game stats.

Champion Data

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mc.championdata.com/nrl/

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